Mac Users May See Pricier Options on Orbitz.com

Travelers who use Orbitz may want to pay attention to what computer they’re on when it comes time to book a vacation. The Wall Street Journal reported that the online travel agency has been experimenting with showing Mac users higher hotel prices than PC users.

Orbitz Worldwide Inc. OWW 0.00% has found that people who use Apple Inc.’s AAPL +0.06% Mac computers spend as much as 30% more a night on hotels, so the online travel agency is starting to show them different, and sometimes costlier, travel options than Windows visitors see.

Orbitz has found that Apple users spend as much as 30% more a night on hotels, so the online travel site is starting to show them different, and sometimes costlier, options than Windows visitors see. Dana Mattioli has details on The News Hub. Photo: Bloomberg. The Orbitz effort, which is in its early stages, demonstrates how tracking people’s online activities can use even seemingly innocuous information—in this case, the fact that customers are visiting Orbitz.com from a Mac—to start predicting their tastes and spending habits. Orbitz found Mac users on average spend $20 to $30 more a night on hotels than their PC counterparts.

Orbitz executives confirmed that the company is experimenting with showing different hotel offers to Mac and PC visitors, but said the company isn’t showing the same room to different users at different prices. They also pointed out that users can opt to rank results by price.

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Orbitz found Mac users on average spend $20 to $30 more a night on hotels than their PC counterparts, a significant margin given the site’s average nightly hotel booking is around $100, chief scientist Wai Gen Yee said. Mac users are 40% more likely to book a four- or five-star hotel than PC users, Mr. Yee said, and when Mac and PC users book the same hotel, Mac users tend to stay in more expensive rooms. “We had the intuition, and we were able to confirm it based on the data,” Orbitz Chief Technology Officer Roger Liew said.

The sort of targeting undertaken by Orbitz is likely to become more commonplace as online retailers scramble to identify new ways in which people’s browsing data can be used to boost online sales. Orbitz lost $37 million in 2011 and its stock has fallen by more than 74% since its 2007 IPO.

via WSJ