Uber Technologies Inc has announced a comprehensive suite of new products and features at its annual GO–GET product event, including hotel bookings, travel tools and expanded platform capabilities, as part of its strategy to integrate more aspects of daily life into a single app.
Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber said, “Uber is becoming an app for everything, helping people go, get, and now travel all in one place. 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.”
Hotels on Uber
A key highlight is Uber’s partnership with Expedia Group, enabling users in the United States to book hotels directly within the Uber app. The offering will scale to more than 700,000 properties globally. Uber One members will earn 10 per cent back in credits on hotel bookings and receive at least 20 per cent discounts on a selection of over 10,000 hotels. Vacation rentals from Expedia Group’s Vrbo platform will be added later this year.
The collaboration will also integrate Uber rides into the Expedia app, allowing travellers to receive notifications ahead of check-in and book rides at discounted rates during their stay.
The partnership is expected to expand beyond the U.S. Following an initial pilot, Uber rides will also be integrated into the Expedia app from June, with travellers receiving notifications ahead of check-in to book rides at discounted rates during their stay.
Ariane Gorin, CEO, Expedia Group said, “Travel should feel effortless, and this partnership gets us one step closer to offering a seamless traveller experience. 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 travellers spend less time planning and more time enjoying the journey.”
Travel Mode and platform enhancements
Uber has introduced Travel Mode, a new feature within the Uber and Uber Eats apps offering curated recommendations for local attractions, popular destinations, OpenTable reservations and delivery services to hotels, positioning the app as a personal travel concierge.
The company also announced the global expansion of Uber One, enabling members to earn credits on rides internationally while enjoying benefits such as zero delivery fees, with credits redeemable upon return.
Additional features include Shop for Me, allowing users to request items from any store, even those not listed on the app; Eats for the Way, enabling riders in select cities to reserve premium rides with pre-arranged snacks or beverages; AI-powered Voice Bookings for hands-free ride requests; and One Search, a unified interface that integrates results for rides, food and items across the platform.
