OYO, Makemytrip look to douse the discount fire from partner brands

Online travel and hospitality brands are caught between customers and clients as they walk the line between discounts and deals

For a few months now, budget hospitality chains in big and small towns across the country have been stewing over the flurry of discounts that has become the leitmotif of the online world of travel and hotel aggregators. While customers have swiftly embraced the age of discounts, planning their travel around cheap hotel rooms and rock-bottom airfares, hospitality chains are crying foul. Discounts are diluting their brands, while improving the value and valuation of the online service providers, say the hotel owners.

While there have been several flashpoints over discounts since 2013, in the latest, hotel owners and association heads have