Uber has expanded further into travel with the addition of hotel bookings via a partnership with Expedia Group. The company is offering rewards to encourage its nearly 50 million loyalty members to book accommodations through the rideshare giant.
It is also adding artificial intelligence (AI)-powered voice booking, travel recommendations and more to its platform as part of a multi-pronged release, unveiled at its GO-GET event in New York Wednesday.
The new additions come as Uber continues a push to become a super app, combining rides, food and travel in one experience.
“Life feels busier than ever—too many apps, too many steps, too many decisions and no signs of it slowing down,” Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, said in an Uber Newsroom post. “At Uber, our mission is to reimagine the way the world moves, so you can spend less time managing life and more time living it.”
Khosrowshahi has long been bullish on the opportunity travel presents for Uber.
Suppliers in the travel industry expanding their offerings isn’t new, according to Alicia Schmid, director of research, consumer, for Phocuswright.
But Uber is taking a different approach, she said.
“Hotels are booked weeks if not months in advance of travel,” Schmid said. “It will be interesting to see how adoption goes and if Uber can shift from being an in-destination app to a pre-trip travel planning app, even with all of the perks."
According to Robert Cole, senior research analyst covering lodging and leisure travel for Phocuswright, Uber has been laying the groundwork for years—it would be hard for anyone to say they couldn't see this coming.
"It’s also not accidental that the strategy aligns perfectly with the Uber One subscription platform," Cole said. "Nor should it be shocking that Dara would partner with Expedia, the company he helped Barry Diller acquire while at IAC, and would later serve as its CEO for a dozen years."
Overall, Cole said it's a really smart move by Uber.
"Travel is an infrequent purchase that is heavily reliant on trust," Cole said. "Uber is an everyday app that instills trust, allowing individuals to hop into the private cars of total strangers."
Uber, Expedia Group partner on accommodations
Uber’s new hotel inventory comes through a partnership with Expedia Group, where Khosrowshahi formerly served as CEO—and which Uber pondered acquiring in 2024.
Ariane Gorin, CEO of Expedia Group, said on Wednesday that she sees the partnership as the "natural evolution of the future of travel."
The reality is that travel remains too fragmented, she said, adding the average trip entails bouncing between apps.
"At Expedia Group, we spent nearly three decades to simplify that," Gorin said. "Like Uber, we believe that the best innovations are the ones that make life feel a little more effortless."
Together, the companies are connecting two critical parts of the traveler's journey, she said.
“Expedia Group is a perfect fit for this journey thanks to their unmatched expertise and network of hotels,” said Amit Fulay, VP of product for Uber.
U.S.-based users can now use the Uber app to search and book from more than 700,000 hotels across the globe. Later this year, Uber will add vacation rentals via Expedia Group-owned Vrbo.
“The overall impact on the industry may be dependent upon how deep the partnership goes with Expedia Group,” Schmid said.
Uber is also offering Uber One members perks on hotel bookings, delivering the option to a loyal population of 46 million members spread across 47 countries as of Q4 2025. Uber One membership was up 55% year over year in Q4.
Members will receive discounts of at least 20% on a rolling list of 10,000 hotels. In addition, they will earn 10% back in Uber Credits on each booking, and this value will be shown upfront during the booking process. All credits will be deposited into Uber One members’ accounts within 24 hours of checking in for a hotel reservation.
Hotel bookings will function similar to Uber ride transactions, using the payment method stored in the user’s Uber Wallet. After booking, the app will remind users to schedule rides through Uber Reserve while traveling.
While the hotel booking experience is a complex one, Uber is not yet offering hotel booking via its website, according to Sachin Kansal, chief product officer at Uber. But that is something the company could consider going forward, he said.
"The predominant use today is in apps, so we wanted to start with that so we can offer that service and convenience to users right away," Kansal said. "But I expect this to be a multi-year road map for us. There’s so much to do in travel, so much to do in hotel booking."
Tailoring Uber to travel
Uber is making other updates across the user experience with travel in mind, too.
When a user opts to use Uber and Uber Eats outside of their home city, Uber will offer a guide to indicate how Uber works and what pricing is like in the area. Additionally, the app will curate a list of local spots, interest points and tourist favorites with bookable rides to those listings.
And, it will offer Uber’s “version of room service”—including frequently forgotten items and local favorites that can be delivered via Uber Eats. The company also said curated dining recommendations will be offered soon, with the option to book with OpenTable, a Booking Holdings subsidiary.
And, in Europe this summer, Uber users will have the option to reserve an Uber Boat in the Uber app.
Starting in June, users enrolled in Uber One will be able to earn rewards during international rides and will have a $0 delivery fee while abroad.
AI voice booking on Uber rides
Uber said it will be offering AI-powered voice booking “soon” with a conversational assistant for rides.
Users will be able to tap the microphone icon in the app’s search bar to activate voice booking. Users can then say their intended destination and preferences, and the voice agent will offer the best options for users to select and book.
Past travel efforts
The current updates are the latest of several travel-related product releases for Uber. The company previously launched train and car rental booking in the U.K., enabled users to import flight, hotel and restaurant reservations into the app under “Uber Travel” and, in 2023, launched flights in the U.K. through a partnership with Hopper.
Earlier this year, the company unveiled its autonomous solutions business, which aims to facilitate AV trips around the globe. It has partnerships with Waabi, Baidu and WeRide and is initiating robotaxi testing with Nuro and Lucid. Uber has also invested in artificial intelligence (AI)-powered AV company Wayve.
Also in February, it launched Uber Air powered by Joby for electric air taxi rides.
Apps and the travel industry
Uber’s updates hinge heavily on app usage—and it remains to be seen whether the company's existing user base will transfer their loyalty to hotels and beyond.
In 2024, Phocuswright reported that 51% of travelers indicated they typically book through apps—either solely or in combination with websites. Among those using apps for travel, 48% indicated apps made trip management easier. Those not using apps said they would rather use websites and don’t travel enough to download apps, according to Schmid.
“So, if a traveler can use an app for more than one purpose: get a ride, order food and now book a hotel, the chance of it getting downloaded (and not removed) likely increases,” Schmid said. “As more younger travelers become a larger portion of the traveling population, it’s likely app usage will continue to grow.”
Uber could face a challenge when it comes to the need for customer support, Schmid said. “A human interaction is preferred over digital (75% vs 25% as of the 2024 study) and while younger travelers are digital natives, even they prefer a human for customer support (64% vs 36%).”