I can testify first hand this works REALLY well at swinger partys and swinger clubs.

If fact it should be posted in the rules at the front door. HOWEVER it is not a one-size-fits-all type thing and it can be the worst thing you can do in some situations.
It could work well in large singles meat-market bars in large cities or in large hotel conference room or lounge parties etc etc. In other words it works well in large groups of people that do not know each other and will likely not encounter each other again.
If you are at an out of town business trip and are hanging out in the hotel lounge of a large downtown hotel in a big city, you have nothing to lose, go direct. the worst that could happen as long as you are polite and respectfull is to have someone say no.
Where this can bite you in the ass is in a local and closed group of people. If you are in a small school/campus or a smaller town at the local watering hole or in some other kind of small close-knit social group, word of being a player on the hunt can hurt you really bad.
Women talk voraciously. In fact men have little grasp of how much women talk. If you are out directly gaming women for sex in a closely-knit social group women's ASD will prevent them from taking you up on it even if they wanted to and then they will spread the word around about you hitting on them and it will make you look bad (even if you are hottie and deep down they want to get in your drawers) Their defences will go up and their shields will go up for other women in their tribe as well and you will be cockblocked and blacklisted.
Direct is not a one-size-fits-all type thing. If it is a large, mostly anonymous population that you are gaming, go direct and go direct with gusto. If you are in a smaller, interwoven social circle you may need to go very indirect or even downright undercover/clandestine.