Macintosh

Orbitz Using Computer Preference To Profile Customers, Show Them More Expensive Hotels

June 25, 2012By Edward Pizzarello2 Comments

This WSJ piece shares the somewhat startling news that Orbitz users that access their site using a Mac tend to spend 20 to 30% more per night on hotel rooms. Orbitz found Mac users on average spend $20 to $30 more a night on hotels than their PC counterparts, a significant margin given the site’s average nightly hotel booking is around $100, chief scientist Wai Gen Yee said. I’ve always heard anecdotal evidence that Mac users are a pricier demo, but this is the first I’ve heard of a company […]

What I Learned From Steve Jobs

June 24, 2012By Edward Pizzarello5 Comments

I remember thinking when Steve Jobs passed away that I would write something meaningful on my blog about his life and premature passing. Time got away from me, but I knew I wanted to read the biography/autobiography Walter Isaacson penned with a ton of input from Steve and the people around him. Isaacson captured so many thought-provoking moments in this book I can’t help but recognize a few. I hope you’ll indulge me for a moment. I promise this won’t be too much of an Apple commercial. There’s a bit […]

DEAL: $1,500 Round-Trip in British Airways’ Brand New Business Class!

In case you missed it, British Airways released information on their brand new business class product this week. The product looks wonderful. Much has been written about British Airways business class by my fellow bloggers and how much they don’t like the current version. I’ve traveled in it many times and actually don’t have an issue with it. That being said, the new product looks lovely. You can see a more in-depth write-up on it on God Save the Points. Now, bear with me for a minute, since I’m […]

Talking About Paine (Field, That Is)

Just a bit more on the nicest airport in the United Status. Hope you enjoy!

AirBnb Fighting With Cities, Leaving Customers In The Middle

Airbnb is fighting cities in multiple areas of the world on new regulations. Along the way, some customers are getting caught in the middle.

Marriott Finally Responded to My Data Breach Information Request

25 days after I submitted my request to Marriott to find out how much of my personal information was stolen during their massive data breach, I finally have an answer. Here’s what Marriott had to say: Dear Edward Pizzarello, We are in receipt of your inquiry regarding whether your personal data was involved in the recent Starwood Guest Reservation Database security incident. Based on the information you provided to us, we believe that your information was involved. Following our analysis, we believe that the following information about you was involved […]

Just A Few More Days Before Hyatt Award Category Changes. Book Now To Save Points!

Reminder to book these appealing Hyatt hotels before they jump up in award category on March 19th!

I Flew Frontier, Saved $400 And Didn’t Die. My Frontier Airlines Review

Those low-cost carriers always have very appetizing fare sales. Who wouldn’t want to pay $20 to fly somewhere? But, what does $20 really buy you? I found out exactly what Frontier does (and doesn’t) offer customers on my first flight with them recently.

How To Use New Metro Silver Line To Get Between Dulles and Reagan National Airports

People talk about how bad the traffic is in places like Los Angeles with plenty of adjectives. And, it is quite bad. But, the traffic in DC is what I refer to as “stealthy bad”. It doesn’t get the same press that LA traffic does, but a trip that normally takes an hour can easily turn into a 3-hour ordeal. With visiting dignitaries, protests and construction as variables, weather can also wreak havoc on a system that consistently backs up during rush hour. For those of us that live in […]

A Summary Of United Airlines Global Services Benefits

As travel has gotten more stressful the benefits of elite status are even more valuable. In some cases, what used to be free for everyone is now only free for those customers that fly most frequently. I value my American Airlines Executive Platinum status more highly than any status I’ve earned, including 1K service with United Airlines. However, Global Services is another matter. For those not aware, Global Services is an invitation-only status level that United bestows on their best customers. What defines a best customer? Well, United doesn’t list […]

Update: American Airlines Variable Choice Plus Pricing A Feature, Not A Bug

I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with the original announcement that American Airlines was creating bundled pricing that included change fees at a lower apparent cost. Things got a little better when American also announced they were expanding the timeframe you could request a same day change to your flight. And, then things started to get a bit screwy. It started with just one flight I couldn’t get to price right with Choice Plus as an add-on. But, then I did a bit more digging and found out […]

Is Foursquare Dead?

Venture Beat doesn’t think so, and I’m not 100% sure they’re wrong. But, before I discuss the article, a little background on why someone allergic to social media like me became a Foursquare nut. A few years ago, a company called TopGuest came up with this concept where you could earn airline miles and hotel points for checking in at various places on Foursquare. I can’t say I thought it was a terribly good business model, but they convinced a bunch of hotel chains to hand out miles for this. […]