Uber recently announced continued plans for expansion with a new set of products and features, including hotel bookings and new travel tools.
Unveiled at its annual GO–GET product event this week, Uber introduced a partnership with Expedia Group that allows users to book hotel stays directly in the Uber app.
Expedia Hotel Bookings in the Uber App
Initially available to users in the U.S. but expected to go global after the pilot, the Uber-Expedia partnership will eventually grow to include more than 700,000 hotels around the world.
Meanwhile, Uber One members will earn 10 percent back in Uber One credits on all hotel bookings, and save at least 20 percent on a rolling list of more than 10,000 participating hotels worldwide.
Uber rides will be integrated directly into the Expedia app beginning in June and vacation rentals from Vrbo will be added later this year.
"Travel should feel effortless, and this partnership gets us one step closer to offering a seamless traveler experience," Expedia Group CEO Ariane Gorin said in a statement. "By connecting our two-sided marketplace with Uber, we're bringing Uber rides directly into the Expedia app and Expedia Group’s lodging inventory into the Uber app through our Rapid API technology."
"Together, we’re helping travelers spend less time planning and more time enjoying the journey," said Gorin.
Uber One members will earn 10 percent back in Uber One credits on all hotel bookings. (Photo Credit: Adobe Stock)
Uber 'Travel Mode'
The ride-share service also introduced Travel Mode this week, offering users a personal concierge in the app.
The new experience is available within the Uber and Uber Eats apps and provides travelers with curated recommendations on local favorites, popular tourist destinations and OpenTable reservations.
Travel Mode also features Uber's version of "room service" with deliveries made right to a traveler's hotel room door. Additionally, they can order items they may have forgotten to pack in their luggage.
"Uber is becoming an app for everything—helping people go, get, and now travel all in one place," said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. "We’re all living through a moment of real cognitive overload: too many apps, too many decisions, too much noise. At the end of the day, our job is to help people reclaim their time, spending less of it managing the logistics of life and more of it actually living."
Other Uber Upgrades
Uber also announced that Uber One now works globally, with Uber One credits earned abroad applying once members return home, and introduced Eats on the Way, with which users can reserve an Uber Black or Uber Black SUV and have their driver arrive with their food and or drink in hand.
Finally, new AI-powered Voice Bookings will allow users to access a conversational assistant to secure rides and orders with their hands full.
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