Orbitz: Booking more expensive for Mac users?

CINCINNATI - Booking your next trip through the online travel-planning site Orbitz could cost you more depending on what kind of computer you are using.

People who use Apple’s Mac computers spend as much as 30 percent more a night on hotels than people who book on PC computers, according to a Wall Street Journal report . Orbitz shows Mac users different, and sometimes more expensive, travel options, according to the report that was published Tuesday.

Orbitz representatives fired back Tuesday, saying that Orbitz doesn’t charge Mac users more — they just provide some of the more costly options to Mac users based on research that they tend to like four- or five-star hotels more than PC users. Mac users are 40 percent more likely to book higher ranked hotels than PC users, representatives said in a statement, which was published on MSNBC.com .

“What we are doing is reflecting that insight in our recommendations,” representatives said in the statement. “Our recommendation module has extremely high levels of consumer engagement, indicating that it is a feature that our users really appreciate.”

To read the full Wall Street Journal report, go to http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304458604577488822667325882.html?mod=WSJ_hps_LEFTTopStories .