Had Enough for a Long Time
As a Mac user, I don’t like the implications of this business model…
Orbitz Worldwide Inc. has found that people who use Apple Inc.’s 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.
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.
(click here to continue reading On Orbitz, Mac Users Steered to Pricier Hotels – WSJ.com.)
When I’ve used Orbitz in the past, I didn’t even consider they were upselling me to more expensive options, and hiding the cheaper options from me. In the future, I will not even bother using Orbitz.