If you like the comfort of booking your stay on a hotel-owned website and dealing directly with the property when something goes awry, then a new collaborative venture, RoomKey.com, should be on your radar.
Founded in January by Choice Hotels, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt, InterContinental Hotels Group, Wyndham and Marriott, Room Key is designed to give the benefits of booking your room directly with the hotel and enough choice from these hotel chains and their partners that you won't be tempted to plunk your money down on an online travel agency site instead.
Here's how Room Key works:
Read full story at: http://travel.usatoday.com/digitaltraveler/story/2012-05-21/Hotel-consortium-site-takes-aim-at-online-travel-agencies/55112372/1