Earlier this week, Choice Hotels announced exclusive discounted rates for Choice Privileges members that book directly through the site or Choice mobile app. This isn’t the first time a hotel chain has offered this kind of deal (and it certainly won’t be the last), but the motive behind these discounts can be traced back to a booming trend, a disruption in the industry, and a hotel marketer’s biggest headache all rolled into just three letters: OTA.
Online travel agencies like Expedia and Travelocity have become a....