> It's invariably cheaper to go online and book through an aggregator.
Depends on the country. In less-developed places, proprietors of smaller hotels pay relatively large fees (think 25%) to online booking services. If you are already staying there, they will probably give you more days at whatever rate you're already paying, or even less (because it's less work for them to manage longer-term stays, and/or they may not be fully booked).
This happens when you deal with people who charge you based on their margins rather than your consumer surplus.
There's also the risk that aggregators will screw up something. On two separate occasions I saw someone arguing with hotel reception about a booking they made with an aggregator that the hotel never received. Customer says, "But I have the printout right here that says I paid in full!" Hotel says, "Sorry sir, you'll have to take that up with the company you paid. You didn't pay us."
Depends on the country. In less-developed places, proprietors of smaller hotels pay relatively large fees (think 25%) to online booking services. If you are already staying there, they will probably give you more days at whatever rate you're already paying, or even less (because it's less work for them to manage longer-term stays, and/or they may not be fully booked).
This happens when you deal with people who charge you based on their margins rather than your consumer surplus.