The same room on the same night can carry several different prices depending on where it is booked. The variation follows the cost and contract terms attached to each channel.
Commission determines the hotel's net
An online travel agent charges the hotel a commission on each booking, and the rate is substantial for independent properties without negotiating power.
A booking made on the hotel's own site avoids that charge, so the property keeps more from a lower headline price than it would from a higher one elsewhere.
This is the mechanism behind direct booking incentives such as free breakfast, room upgrades or loyalty points, which cost the hotel less than the commission they replace.
Rate parity clauses constrain public prices
Agency contracts have historically required hotels not to publish a lower public rate elsewhere, which limits open undercutting of the booking site.
Competition authorities in several jurisdictions have restricted or banned these clauses, and the position differs by country and continues to evolve.
Where such clauses still bind, hotels compete through added value rather than price, since the extras usually fall outside the wording of the agreement.
Closed rates sit outside the comparison
Member rates, corporate rates and rates bundled with a flight are not public prices, so they can legitimately sit below the published figure.
Signing in to a hotel loyalty programme, which is generally free, moves a booking into this category and often reveals a lower price immediately.
Bundled rates work the same way, which is why a room booked with a flight can be cheaper than the same room booked alone.
Inventory allocation varies by channel
Hotels allocate different room types and quantities to each channel and can close availability on one while keeping it open on another.
A property showing as sold out on a comparison site may still have rooms on its own site, held back precisely to avoid commission at peak times.
Checking the hotel directly after an agency search reports no availability is therefore worth the extra minute more often than people expect.
Cancellation terms explain much of the spread
A large part of the price difference between two listings for the same room is the cancellation policy attached to each rate.
Prepaid non-refundable rates give the hotel certain revenue and are priced well below flexible ones, which is a genuine trade rather than a trick.
Comparing prices without comparing those terms compares two different products, and it is the most common reason a rate looks inexplicably cheap.