Uber broadens its services to include hotel bookings, an AI voice assistant, and additional features, all made possible by AI technology.

      On Wednesday, April 29th, during its annual Go-Get event in New York City, Uber unveiled a hotel-booking AI voice assistant, along with several other features. The new service is the result of a collaboration with Expedia Group, enhancing the functionalities of both platforms to provide users with a more comprehensive travel experience.

      Initially, these features will be rolled out in the U.S. Uber app, allowing users to book over 700,000 hotels worldwide. The service also offers a 20% discount on a rotating selection of 10,000 hotels booked through the app and gives Uber One program members 10% back in Uber Credits for all bookings.

      Uber further introduced an AI-driven Voice Booking Assistant that allows for hands-free ride bookings.

      Praveen Nepalli Naga, Uber's CTO, stated that it would normally take a full year to bring these features to market, considering the stages of development, testing, debugging, and launch. However, with the implementation of Agentic AI, this timeframe has been halved, speeding up workflows and processes further.

      Within the Uber app, once users input their destination, they can view hotels on a map or search using personalized filters. Prices will include taxes, fees, and applicable discounts, as well as the Uber Credits that can be earned with the booking, available to spend in the destination city within 24 hours after hotel check-in.

      The booking procedure mirrors that of traditional ride services; users will pay and receive a confirmation email sent to their linked account address.

      Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of Uber, discussed how Uber is transforming into an all-encompassing app by "helping people go, get, and now travel all in one place."

      The new features aim to address the challenges of excessive apps and options that lead to cognitive overload and decision paralysis, with Khosrowshahi stating, "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."

      To further this platform expansion, Uber also enhanced the in-app experiences for both Uber and Uber Eats. The new features include:

      - Travel Mode: Available for both Uber and Uber Eats, this feature recommends local and tourist restaurants and attractions, along with a "room service" option for delivering forgotten items directly to the user’s door.

      

      - Uber One International: Starting June 1, Uber One members will receive international benefits that include earning credits on rides, no delivery fees abroad, and the ability to use rewards on their return home rides.

      - Shop for Me: Users can now order items from any store, whether on the platform or not, at the same prices as found in-store.

      - Eats for the Way: Users who book Uber Black or Uber Black SUV can add a coffee, tea, or snack to their ride, which the driver will handle upon pickup.

      - One Search: This feature allows users to search in the app, providing suggestions based on associated places and items for a comprehensive experience.

      This partnership with Expedia Group will enable customers from both platforms to access each other's services, focusing on creating a seamless travel experience for users. Uber rides will be integrated directly into the Expedia app by early June, with vacation rentals from Vrbo expected to be included later this year.