Mac Users Are Being Directed to Pricier Hotels on Travel Site: Fair or Foul?

by Chris D Posted 2012/06/26 18:00:00

Related Topics: Computers, Apple, Computer, Online, Hotel, Night, Fair, Spend, Travel, Mac, Hotels

241 votes
Read all 145 opinions
Lightning Report View Results and Demographics + View Demographics

Loading Demographics... Click an icon to see demographic results Display unknown and private
	Fair	67 votes	28%
	Foul	174 votes	72%

Mac users may be more well-off, but should they be directed to hotels that cost more?(Reuters) - Orbitz Worldwide Inc has found that people who use Apple Inc's Mac computers spend as much as 30 percent more per night on hotels, so the online travel agency is starting to show them different and sometimes costlier, travel options than Windows visitors see, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday

mac computers spend 30 percent hotels online travel agency starting

+14

Add a comment above

fairiefang -annoying fashio... 2012/06/26 18:57:45

Foul

+11
I have a Mac but I am def NOT better off. I got mine used from Amazon.
I'll make sure to use another computer when looking for hotels.
>> See Replies

More polls by Chris D

Monty 2012/08/14 20:22:15

Foul

dosen't suprise me...crapple's products are overpriced as well

reply
MiinaNiemi03 2012/07/01 01:59:36

Foul

Some poor college students, especially art students, are required to have Mac computers. Categorizing people by the type of computer they use is just stupid.

reply
Vision of Verve 2012/07/01 00:59:34
Anonymouse BN-0 ~bibbityboo~ 2012/06/30 10:14:01

Fair

Their fault for buying an expensive computer based on its appearance that's only good for editing...

reply
LoungeKat 2012/06/30 03:15:00

Foul

HEY...isn't that covert aggression in the name of making a buck? and isn't that an antitrust violation??

Now that I know this, I'll use a PC- based computer. Take THAT you greedy f***n bastards!

People have the right to spend as much and as little as one chooses and it must not be based on whether a person used a mac or a pc. How can they tell if a person is using either? All the better reason to have info blocked for tracking purposes!

People could have gotten them as gifts, got it in a lottery or had some type of financial windfall.

What gives a company the right to troll and gouge like that? I will NEVER do business with ORBITZ ever again! How many other companies are doing the same? Something to think about.

reply
overdog001 2012/06/28 16:55:18

Fair

+2
Mac users are not "more well-off"; just more susceptible to marketing.

reply
Mechelle 2012/06/28 03:44:43

Foul

+2
I used to work the front desk at an Oxford Inn and Suites, We had people who booked online all the time. I can tell you this,,,,IT'S A SCAM booking online cost MORE. They say its a deal but the truth is people who book direct with the motel saved money. We were told if people asked for a receipt, we were to tell them they had to get it from the online provider so they would not know what the other guest paid and the REAL price.

reply
xxx 2012/06/28 01:55:18
fortycal_sig 2012/06/27 17:55:39

Foul

Get Linux, geniuses.

reply
k fleming 2012/06/27 17:36:31

Foul

+1
The average Apple owner.

reply
George Zook 2012/06/27 16:37:42

Foul

there has to be a way to present all options in a way that allows for up front choice of service level not hooked to assumed wealth of the customer

reply
BlondeAphrodite 2012/06/27 16:16:19

Fair

you can hunt on your own for cheaper hotels... if you have money then fork it over!

reply
Phoenix 2012/06/27 16:03:00

Fair

+2
They're only suggesting hotels and still give you a choice, you even have a choice of other websites if you don't like what they're doing.
The true question is ... what does buying an Apple product say about you? ... because profiling is everywhere online.

reply
ģhøṡτ øώl 2012/06/27 15:45:03

Foul

Just because someone owns a Mac doesn't mean they're well off. I used to have one. I saved for 2 years to get it!

reply
Kevin 2012/06/27 15:43:21

Foul

+1
It's foul but so many mac users are so smug that they almost, that's almost, deserve it.

reply
BigFig#9 to Kevin 2012/06/27 16:13:56

+1
drop the almost---they do.... Patronizing smucks - when their Mac Book misperforms it's immediately somehow always some piece of mis-programmed defective Microsoft product that was ACTUALLY (probably) the cause....

reply
George ... to BigFig#9 2012/06/27 16:43:58

+1
I use both platforms they f••k up equally

reply
BigFig#9 to George ... 2012/06/27 17:18:58

But differently! Me too.... And WIN 7 has been a blessing...because it wasn't so equal before

reply
George ... to BigFig#9 2012/07/11 16:53:55

+1
yes ... the difference for me is that usually I can work my way through problems with mac os but with windows I have to call for help ... just more experience with macs been using mostly Macs since 1990

reply
BigFig#9 to George ... 2012/07/11 20:03:26

It is a big question of what you've worked with and even the terminology used...and of course with Windows you have that too inviting opportunity to 'go cheap' and/or off brand on the hardware and find out that cheap is almost always a mistake in computers and peripherals....

reply
George ... to BigFig#9 2012/07/18 16:51:47

normally the purchasing decisions at work are made by the IT guys ... at home I use a MAC and brand software ... mostly ADOBE and WORD

reply
George ... to Kevin 2012/06/27 16:41:07

+1
i am smug but it has nothing to do with the fact that I use a MAC ... or does it Hmmmmm

reply
brunyon 2012/06/27 15:05:10

Fair

+3
If they are going to be retards who fall for the Apple marketing gimmicks why not take a few more bucks from them

reply
Space Invader 2012/06/27 14:51:32

Foul

+1
If I put Ubuntu on my Thinkpad; does that count?

reply
Aleksandr 2012/06/27 14:42:19

Fair

+3
That's for being idot and buying a mac!

reply
stevegtexas@aol.com 2012/06/27 14:04:23

Fair

I always heard that MAC users made more coin than the traditional comp users.........was that wrong? You know, like the music industry, engineers? If i was making tons of coin, i wouldnt have a problem paying a little extra going to pricier motels/hotels.......just a personal preference......

reply
Devin Pederson 2012/06/27 13:57:42

Foul

+3
Generalizations fail. Not all Mac users are rich; not all Windows users are poor.

reply
Ruby Dear - The Fangirl of ... 2012/06/27 13:38:48 (edited)

Fair

+4
Congratulations, you've finally figured out that your entire internet history is used for research so companies can market in a profitable way.

What this post fails to mention is that it just shows the priciest hotels at the top. You can still list them from cheapest to most expensive. Overhype much?

reply
Rachel to Ruby De... 2012/06/27 14:02:55 (edited)

These companies shouldn't be making these assumptions at all. It's dishonest and their decision is based on stereotype. Men tend to make more money than women; should these companies offer the more expensive hotels to men first? Is that fair? No.

reply
Ruby De... to Rachel 2012/06/27 14:08:38

+3
If these companies didn't try to figure out what the public wants, there would be no new innovations. Market research is vital in making a company profitable.

reply
Rachel to Ruby De... 2012/06/27 15:56:08

They aren't trying to figure out what the market wants. They are trying to trick Mac users into spending more than other computer users. Completely ridiculous and unethical.

reply
Ruby De... to Rachel 2012/06/27 16:02:47

+3
Based on research that shows Mac users prefer more expensive hotels. Hence, giving them what they want. Those that don't still have the option for cheaper accommodation.

reply
Rachel to Ruby De... 2012/06/28 02:51:30 (edited)

+1
I understand market research (I'm actually, technically, a marketing major...), and I even see the necessity for it most of the time. However, in this instance, I don't agree with their resulting implementation as a whole. I should not be inconvenienced with having to reorganize my search results simply because I own a Mac or am searching on one. I have both a Dell and a Mac, and I dislike feeling like I have to double-search on both computers to get my initial top 10, 20, etc results to be what most people are getting. I like to get *all* the typical options within my search requirements, not just what they think I should see because I happen to be a Mac user. I may use a Mac, but I make about $10/hr and I'm a student, so I don't fall into their data-mined generalization.

I don't know. I had gotten a different, worse feel of what was going on from reading the article here and have since read a few different articles to gather more information. It's not as terrible as I though, tbh, and as you had said, the other options are still available to me, but I have to take the further step to reorganize or even expand my search to find them. It's not truly a big deal, but it's an inconvenience I shouldn't have to go through and it's a step into an area that I dislike. They aren't jus...

I understand market research (I'm actually, technically, a marketing major...), and I even see the necessity for it most of the time. However, in this instance, I don't agree with their resulting implementation as a whole. I should not be inconvenienced with having to reorganize my search results simply because I own a Mac or am searching on one. I have both a Dell and a Mac, and I dislike feeling like I have to double-search on both computers to get my initial top 10, 20, etc results to be what most people are getting. I like to get *all* the typical options within my search requirements, not just what they think I should see because I happen to be a Mac user. I may use a Mac, but I make about $10/hr and I'm a student, so I don't fall into their data-mined generalization.

I don't know. I had gotten a different, worse feel of what was going on from reading the article here and have since read a few different articles to gather more information. It's not as terrible as I though, tbh, and as you had said, the other options are still available to me, but I have to take the further step to reorganize or even expand my search to find them. It's not truly a big deal, but it's an inconvenience I shouldn't have to go through and it's a step into an area that I dislike. They aren't just showing me different styles or locations or whatever - they are going out of their way to show me higher priced options. I don't particularly like the idea of other sites picking up on this and forcing people like me to have to constantly reorganize their search results to get the price options better suited to them, rather than what their stereotype prefers to purchase. Basically, I dislike the assumption that backs their search results.

I will say though that their data mining is at least more intelligent than just Mac vs. Windows - they tailor more to your typical search requirements as well. For example, if you continuously search for the same hotels, they will be listed first whenever you are doing your search. Rather intelligent, that.
(more)

reply
Ruby De... to Rachel 2012/06/28 03:01:20

+1
Yeah, I agree that's a smarter approach, and would be more pleasing an convenient.

reply
Kat 2012/06/27 13:38:19

Foul

They should have the same options as everyone else.

reply
U Mad Bro? 2012/06/27 13:34:22

Fair

+3
If they're willing to overpay for outdated electronics, why not stay in an overpriced hotel?

reply
Christopher Kirchen 2012/06/27 12:55:24

Fair

They can always get advice from other sources.

reply
Jay 2012/06/27 12:51:49

Fair

Most people that I know who have macs are rich asses or collage students. The rich asses have the mac to show off how much money they have, so they should spend more money,too. Everyone knows that a mac is a staple of money. However this is not fair to most collage students.

reply
Rachel to Jay 2012/06/27 14:24:42

You can't assume that a mac user is rich, just like you can't assume that men or whites are rich simply because they, on average, make more than women and colored people, respectively. Many "rich" people own Windows machines and I know more people who have spent more on their Windows machines than my Mac-using friends on their Macs. I'm one of them actually. My Dell laptop, and the Alienware laptop I had before that, are about twice the price each of my Mac. All of them were purchased through school loans (rather frivolously tbh, except my Mac - I truly love my Mac for my school work). Anyway, there is nothing fair about these assumptions. That's all they are - assumptions. Applying the same logic to race or gender better demonstrates how utterly unfair these companies are being.

reply
Jay to Rachel 2012/06/28 13:30:17

Men make more money then women? What country do you live in? Also I said "most people that I know" Try not to take personal offense to a comment, I wasn't attacking you. Also I wasn't "assuming" that the mac users I know are rich. I know they are rich.

reply