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Orbitz Sends Mac Users to More Expensive Hotels

By Andrew Lu on June 27, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

You have to pay a premium if you're a Mac owner.

A Macintosh computer costs significantly more than similarly spec'd PCs.

But does this premium end after purchasing the hardware? Apparently, not. As it seems that Orbitz hotels booked by Mac users tend to be of the pricier variety than those booked by PC users (depending on a few factors). 

Orbitz Worldwide investigated a hunch that Mac users spend a lot more on average for hotel rooms than PC users, reports The Wall Street Journal. Their hunch was right as they found out that Mac users spend 30% more a night on hotels. Given this pricier demographic, Orbitz started to filter Mac users to different, pricier options than PC users.

An Orbitz scientist said that Mac users spend on average $20 to $30 more per room and are 40% more likely to book a hotel at a four- or five-star hotel, reports the Journal.

While the Orbitz hotels price strategy may seem unfair to Mac users, there's probably nothing illegal about it. For example, it may be discriminatory to set prices based on someone's race, sex, or other protected characteristic, there's no prohibition against discriminating against customers based on wealth. Otherwise, the government would shut down BMW, Louis Vuitton, and other high-end brands that offer little more than higher prices for everyday products.

Expect to pay a premium if you're looking at Orbitz hotels on a Mac. While this may annoy Mac users, there is probably nothing illegal about this pricing strategy. And if you're a Mac user and find this insufferable, simply sort by price and you'll get the cheaper options as well.

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