I search and then call/email the hotel directly to see if they want to give me a lower price for buying directly so they avoid 15%+ commissions to the travel agent.

How successful are you? I assume that the person picking up the phone does not care about the extra booking, nor do they have the authority to offer spot deals.

Maybe I am wrong and this is a common tactic?

I estimate 50% success. I find it more successful when emailing the sales person, or the manager directly.

Not the op, but it's the opposite, at least in the UK. I worked in hospitality as a yoof, was manager of a small hotel and a receptionist in big (independent) 5 stars. I absolutely did care about extra bookings because I got a big commission on walk-ins and a smaller commission on phone bookings. I also had leeway to discount rooms on a sliding scale down to "barely covers the cleaning costs" levels on the night. As a booker if I have the time I still call places up and can usually get a decent discount if they have availability, especially off season or last minute.

I have tried this but most of the time its the same price, sometimes it is more. Even standing in person at hotel the person at the desk cant even match the online price. Not empowered to.

> Even standing in person at hotel the person at the desk cant even match the online price. Not empowered to.

True, but not uncommon! Captive market.

In many countries, the majority of hotels do not have a way to book directly. The just use Booking/Agoda.