Hotel Bookings

I wanted to mention here about how I booked the hotels we've been staying at. I used a website called Agoda where you can get rooms for 40%- 70% off of the standard rates. Mostly, we stay in 2 star hotels when we travel, especially in Asia. They are usually just fine (except for that one time in Longsheng China... I'm not sure it was even worth the $15 we paid to stay there. *shudder*) and have the level of amenities that a Courtyard Marriott typically has. I noticed while trying to decide which hotels to stay in however, that when I mentioned we were traveling with a 5 year old child, any of the 2 star hotels (that typically cost $25-$60) would automatically add a nightly extra bed fee of at least $30 to stay there. Argh. Suddenly, the cost of the 2 star hotels was the same as the 3 star hotels, which, for the most part, don't charge for an extra bed. (Scarlett's baby cot is free at all hotels we are staying at) So, we have been staying at nicer 3 star hotels. And b/c of booking through Agoda, we are staying pretty inexpensively.
Also, as a side, side note, my hotel research method also (of course) includes an extensive cross checking of online travelers' reviews, mostly found on Trip Advisor and Agoda. I then set up a matrix (sometimes in Excel, sometimes just in my head- dorky I know) comparing cost, amenities, location and reviews. Then I decide which 2 or 3 hotels are the best value (using the previously mentioned criteria) with the best reviews. I then present the options to Joe to see if he has an opinion. And then I book. This process can take HOURS to sift through all of the options! It wasn't until I got to THIS point in my booking process for our first hotel stay in Singapore that I discovered the extra bed fee. You can imagine how irritated I was to encounter this problem. In the end however, we have been staying at lovely places that are fairly problem free.