Orbitz showed Mac users pricier hotels — and called it personalisation

In June 2012 the Wall Street Journal reported that Orbitz, the online travel agency, was showing Mac users different hotel search results from PC users. Mac users were 40% more likely to book four- or five-star hotels and spent $20–30 more per night, so Orbitz sorted their results toward pricier options.

Orbitz insisted it was not charging different prices for the same room — the difference was in sort order, not price. Mac users could still find cheaper hotels by scrolling. The CEO was publicly proud of the practice, calling it predictive analytics working as intended.

The story triggered a broader debate about whether data-driven personalisation crosses a line when it steers customers toward spending more. Regulators and consumer advocates questioned the practice, and Orbitz became the textbook example of 'price steering' in the personalisation debate.