As written in this very forum, Boomers, we're toast (my holiday gift to painedplatinum)
Here is an excellent, current article*** highlighting the reality of the travel/hotel business demographics of direct bookers using online sites;
http://skift.com/2013/11/18/millennials-make-hotels-rethink-how-they-do-loyalty-programs/
Highlights
Loyalty program members are also members of competitors programs (and if you're a road warrior and you're not, better get to it, because this ain't your 1980's program atmosphere)
Hotel guests are ..... wait for it, skewing younger. The inevitability has arrived, travelers aged 24-36 now make up the largest group of hotel guests 33% booking online (I'm pretty confident, they're not yet the largest group of guests - but I'm sure it won't be long).
Boomers are fading (in more ways than one 
), now falling to 29% of guests direct booking (and yes, no doubt as a revenue base they may well be the largest group, but we can appreciate why chains are going after 'the pig in they python').
Younger guests are less loyal. Duh, any of you have millennial children? And quite frankly, shouldn't they/we all be?
The word is no longer plastics, it's mobile
Enjoy the read, while I put another Fleetwood Mac cassette into my boom box.
In the more than you care to know department - but because I'm a full service provider (3 links, but only one elite night credit)
*** From the White Paper by Hudson Crossing (info provided by Adara) http://adaraglobal.com/whitepaper/Detailed-Look-Into-The-US-Online-Hotel-Guest-2013-2014.pdf
Adara, the source ADARA (clients include Marriott and Hilton) I don't think any of the models would get my Mary Tyler Moore references 