How does third party hotel booking work?

[Cheetah Designs]

Lets say I book a hotel through a third party? Do they then goto the hotel and book the room or do they have a set section of the hotel that they can sell so they know how many rooms are left?

Reason I am asking is that some places charge completely different prices for EXACTLY the same room (on paper), but it could be that when you get to the hotel that the room is in a rubbish part of the hotel etc....

Anyone got any insight on the reasoning?

 

[[TW]Fox]

I always book through a third party, never got what I perceived to be a crappy room.

 

[Cheetah Designs]

I always book through a third party, never got what I perceived to be a crappy room.

Just wondering, because I want to book a sea view room.....but I actually want a decent view of the sea (ie pretty high up)

 

[[TW]Fox]

Ask for it on checkin.