Comment by thedailymail

Expedia doesn't get the commission, but the hotel is forced to offer a rate that matches its "most-favored nation" agreement with Expedia etc. so its prices will reflect the [base + commission] rate wherever you find them advertised. This results in a 15–30% hike over what could otherwise be the lowest rate, akin to similar recent complaints abouts Amazon's aggressive price-matching impositions on third-party sellers.