For one to be an aficionado of Apple’s line of computers, it might be fair to generalize that one is willing to spend more money than necessary for perceived superior form — as a device that carries the same function, just on the more common technology modeled after the IBM personal computer costs considerably less. Orbitz has measured this tendency. Mac users pay more for hotel rooms than travelers using Microsoft Windows, and in order to take advantage of that, Orbitz shows different results to shoppers depending on their computer technology according to the Wall Street Journal.

To clarify, Orbitz is not repricing the same rooms higher and showing different prices based on technology. The website is apparently showing different results, emphasizing the higher-priced rooms to Mac users, perhaps hiding some of the low-cost rooms that they predict Mac users would ignore anyway. If Orbitz has found that Mac users almost always ignore Howard Johnson in favor of Hilton or Wyndham, showing options for lodging at Howard Johnson in the search results just creates an obstacle in presenting the information most relevant to the user.

I’ve never used Orbitz to find a hotel room — call me old-fashioned. I usually use Google Maps, visit the websites for hotels in which I’d consider staying, read reviews of that location on Travelocity, which seems to have the most comprehensive reviews, and use the hotel’s own website or call to make the reservation. Although I generally ignore one- or two-star hotels today, that was not always the case. When I didn’t have as much cash available for vacations or travel, I would stay in Motel 6 or an equivalent hotel when unable to stay with friends or family. I just looked for the cheapest option that didn’t involve camping.

The discovery that Mac users see filtered results is not too much of a big deal. I would have liked to see the filter as an option available to everyone. The option to ignore “budget” hotels should be a switch one can turn on or off regardless of technology used to visit Orbitz. I’m not sure if the algorithm is as simple as filtering out one- or two-star hotels, but if it is, that’s simple enough to replicate for Windows users or to include all results for Mac users. But it doesn’t seem to be that simple. The default setting for search results is to sort by “Best Value,” which is some kind of algorithm that adjusts which results are shown first. A search for hotel rooms Gaithersburg, Maryland presents the best value for me as being Wyndham Garden Gaithersburg at $117 a night, a three-star hotel. This might be listed first because it is located more conveniently than all other options, but my third result is a four-star hotel, Crowne Plaza, for only $90 a night. I’m not sure why Orbitz would consider the Wyndham a better value than the Crowne Plaza, but Mac users might see these results differently and might be unable to replicate the result order.

I performed the same search on my iPad, and the results were wildly different. The first result was a sponsored listing from La Quinta, without a price listed. The next listing was the Gaithersburg Marriott for $149 a night. So the first price listed for my search with an iPad was $32 a night more expensive than the first result when searching with my Windows computer.

Search engines like Orbitz are not neutral parties just delivering facts. They are salespeople intent on making the most money by providing hotel listings designed in such a way to get customers to spend as much as possible. The advice should be obvious.

• More than ever, it’s important to shop around.
• Don’t limit your search to one aggregation website.
• Once you select a hotel, always call before booking online to ensure you’re getting the lowest price possible.
• Check Google Maps to make sure you haven’t overlooked a possibility excluded from aggregation websites.

What do you think about Orbitz prioritizing more expensive hotels in search results just for using an Apple device?

Photo: zevhonith
Wall Street Journal

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I try to visit my family on the other side of the country a couple times a year. Most of my family has migrated to the west coast from the east. The migration, at least in my immediate family, began over ten years ago, and more of the clan join the California contingent each year. Having family gives me a nice excuse to travel, though, and I’m trying to visit more often.

Over the last few years I’ve tended to not have real vacations while I travel, and I’m now considering that to be a problem. While away from home, rather than also separating myself from work, I’ve mostly remained connected and involved. As a business owner, I felt I had that responsibility. I hope to change that aspect of my travel this year, and have some thoughts on doing so, but first I wanted to write about my latest flight search experience.

Since beginning regular travel to the west coast several years ago, I’ve noticed my location and destinations generally led to Continental Airlines for the lowest fares — often lower than the recommended JetBlue and Virgin America (whose flights out of New York City tend to be less convenient, anyway.) Southwest is the most popular recommendation I receive, but they don’t fly the routes I travel most often. For a few years, I’ve noticed the good pricing pattern with Continental, and that led to my decision to give into marketing pressure and focus on the Continental frequent flyer program.

Having accrued a good number of miles, the airline has succeeded in converting me to a loyal customer, price-checking my flights but usually selecting Continental and United. In just a few days, the merging airlines’ frequent flyer programs will be consolidated, making it theoretically easier to use the miles I’ve accumulated in both programs. My favorite benefit comes from holding the co-branded credit card. Most of the time, I’m able to bypass the long security lines, even when I don’t have a first class ticket. (I’ve only flown first class twice, which I was only able to do by cashing in miles I earned mostly through credit card usage for an upgrade. Paying for a first class ticket is not something I would consider at this point in my life with my finances.)

I could have saved some money by choosing inconvenient flight times. Had I chosen to depart at 7:00 am or fly overnight, I might have spent $50 less on the airfare. For me, traveling is not always about choosing the least expensive options, it’s about convenience and compromises. I’m willing to pay a little extra (in this case about 10% more) for convenience. In fact, if I were able to choose a different week to travel, I could have found flights for a little more than half the cost of the dates I chose. I’m bound to what happens to be a popular week for travel, and prices are higher when flights are in demand.

A few days after my flight was ticketed, I decided to compare prices. I was able to find availability on the same flights on the same days in the same fare class for $10 less than what I paid. That’s a $5 savings per passenger. Obviously, this was not significant enough of a price decrease to warrant changing bookings for a ridiculous $150 fee per ticket (the fee does make sense if you consider it as a disincentive to change flights frequently, but there’s no justification for the fee in a “cost of processing” sense). It did make me consider that the day you book a flight might have an impact on the final price. Saturdays may be expensive while the middle of the week could offer slight discounts.

Checking for the same availability today, I see the fare class I originally booked on the return flight is no longer available, and the total price increased by $300 for two passengers.

Unlike every so-called vacation I’ve taken for the past five years, I’d like to prevent myself from working. I usually fall into the habit of mostly continuing to do business while traveling, and I hope that this year I can begin finding time truly for myself. That’s the plan; I’ll see how it works out.

How to take a real vacation from work

If you run a business or are responsible for a major project, it’s difficult to leave your work behind and trust that any plans you put in place for the work to continue while you’re away.

• Start planning as soon as you know you’re going to travel to have any necessary responsibilities or tasks handled by someone you trust. This might take some training, so thesooner you can start, the better.
• Proactively notify your most important contacts, internal and external, particularly anyone who relies on you.
• If you intend to refrain from answering or reading work-related email, make sure your system sends an automated response to outside contacts informing them of your unavailability and offering options for alternative people to contact.
• Remove the temptation to check your email or voicemail. If you don’t have your mobile phone or laptop with you, you might find it easier to relax. It won’t be as easy to check in with your coworkers or clients.
• Realize that the world will not end if you’re not immediately available.

What are your tips for taking a real vacation?

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Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), a company that processes airline transactions for travel agents and consumers, has analyzed 144 million transactions for domestic flights in 2011 to better understand airlines’ pricing schemes. The study found the lowest fares were available six weeks in advance of the departure date.

I’ve always been under the impression that the earlier you can purchase tickets for a flight, the better, but buying far in advance does not seem to be the best option when looking at the data. The study makes the case for planning ahead, but not too far in advance. The data also show that waiting until your departure date is just three weeks away can be financially damaging. Prices incline steeply once your departure date is three weeks away. The fare paid according to the study features another, steeper increase seven days before travel date.

Customers who purchased their airline tickets six weeks in advance received an average discount of about 6 percent off the average fare paid for that flight.

Not everyone has the luxury of planning six weeks in advance for a trip. Businesses often need to respond to changing travel needs, and are more likely to pay higher prices for a flight than a family planning a vacation.

I purchased tickets to my most recent round-trip flight, traveling from the east coast to the west coast for Thanksgiving, only seven days in advance. The flight cost $419 including all taxes and fees. It wasn’t the most expensive fare I’ve paid for this type of trip, and there was at least one slightly less expensive option available if I were willing to fly at an inconvenient time.

I haven’t done a great job of planning in advance. It could pay off to know where I will want to go six weeks in the future. I’ll try to keep that in mind if I intend to travel this spring. How far in advance to you plan your travel?

ARC [pdf]

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