It's not just comparison pricing. The online booking portals take a percent of the revenue. The Expedia tax is not very different than App Store taxes. By requ

It's not just comparison pricing. The online booking portals take a percent of the revenue. The Expedia tax is not very different than App Store taxes. By requiring part of the fee to be paid directly to the hotel at check-in, it means the hotel gets to keep more of their revenue.