Are you a Mac or a PC? Turns out your answer to that question might determine more than the type of computer you favour. At least one business concedes it could point to other types of purchasing behaviours.
According to the CEO of online travel agency Orbitz, people who use Apple's line of Mac computers not only spend more per night on hotels, they're also more likely than their PC counterparts to book rooms in classier establishments.
Guest blogging on the USA Today travel blog, Orbotz CEO Barney Halford said the skew applies to Mac and iPad users alike.
"We've identified that Mac users are 40% more likely to book a four- or five-star hotel than PC users," Halford wrote, explaining that information is used to influence which hotels his site recommends to visitors it recognizes logging in on Apple computers.
The feature goes beyond the usual method of recommending hotels near the one users have searched for, based on the history of other users' bookings.
"That's a pretty useful feature already, but we're then able to personalize that list by taking into account factors such as whether we see that the user is using a Mac or a PC," Halford wrote.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the company has confirmed it is experimenting with showing different lineups of recommended hotels to Mac and PC users, but said it is not showing the same room to different users at different prices.
Other factors that influence what visitors are offered include their location and history on the website, as well as available promotions and the popularity of hotels in its database.
The move is part of larger online trend known as "predictive analytics" in which virtual retailers tailor their offerings based on customers' demographics and shopping habits.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment.
