I've recently started lurking here and tales from the front desk, and I have started to question if I am in fact an asshole for booking through 3rd party.

I have used Pline for years when road tripping because I generally don't care where I stay and would rather roll the dice on a cheap last minute deal than spend time planning ahead. Since I normally book within an hour of checking in I'm patient if they haven't set everything up at check in, always have my ID and a card for the incidentals ready, and try to treat the front desk (and other workers) with respect. Decades in retail have given me more than a little appreciation of what y'all deal with when the public is involved.

But is my using a 3rd party inherently making everyone's lives significantly harder? And how do those who work at hotels recommend that I balance my need to save cash with being a good guest. Just trying not to be an asshole going forward.