Uber on Wednesday unveiled a major new push into the travel space, partnering with Expedia to offer hotel reservations through the Uber app. They also provided some pretty compelling reasons to consider booking hotels through Uber.
The Uber Travel news was just a small part of a series of announcements from the ride-sharing and delivery company in midtown Manhattan at what Uber called its Go-Get 2026 event.
The Points Guy sat down with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi to talk about what some of the news meant for travelers. Khosrowshahi refrained from negotiating the deal because he worked at Expedia for 12 years before joining Uber, but he told TPG he was very excited about the new partnership. He called it a “…coming full circle moment for me.”
Uber Hotels
Now you will not only be able to book some 700,000 hotels through Uber, but you will even be able to book hotels in markets where Uber does not offer ride-sharing. TPG was told that Vrbo vacation rental properties will be added to the app later this year.
The most intriguing aspect of the new partnership from a consumer perspective is the potential savings that could accrue to a savvy traveler. Normally, I wouldn’t recommend booking through an online travel agency like Expedia, but the savings here could really add up. Not only can you save up to 20% on many properties, but if you’re an Uber One customer, you get 10% cash back on everything you book as Uber One credits.
Related: Some cards now come with a complimentary Uber One membership
Here is an example of a search I did today. I looked for a hotel in San Francisco for the next weekend. I found several hotels I like in the city for pretty reasonable prices, including the Hyatt Regency and the Grand Hyatt.
Uber had prices at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco for $349 a night, and if you booked directly with Hyatt, there was a standard rate of $389 or a member rate of $354. A similar story at the Grand Hyatt, where rates were $186 per night on Uber and $207 to $210 on direct bookings. So you’d save a little by booking a two-night stay through Uber, but the real bonus is the Uber One credit you could get: $53 for the Grand Hyatt or $91 for the Hyatt Regency.
Unfortunately, you won’t get Hyatt stay credit or World of Hyatt points with that booking, but that Uber One credit is compelling.
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It gets even better when you also get up to 20% off a hotel booked through Uber. For example, Uber offers the Hotel Riu in Fisherman’s Wharf for just $154 a night. The cheapest direct booking rate I could find was $173 per night. That’s an 11% discount. You would also get $45 in Uber Cash as an Uber One member.
But sometimes the savings can be even greater. “There is an ongoing list of 10,000 hotels where you get an additional minimum of 20% off,” Khosrowshahi said.
Here are a few showing over 20% off for an overnight stay in New York City tomorrow.
These reservations might make more sense to me if I didn’t care about earning Elite nights or hotel points. Another note of caution. Please remember that you will be booking through a third party, so if something goes wrong with your booking, you will need to contact Expedia for a resolution, not the hotel directly.
That can make customer service issues a bigger headache. Still, I’d be willing to take that risk if the savings were good enough.
“It’s something we’re going to repeat to make sure the experience is seamless,” Khosrowshahi told TPG. “We want the customer experience to be right every time.”
Uber One International and Uber Travel Mode
There were other announcements that will also be relevant to travelers. One of the biggest news has to do with Uber One, the premium membership that costs $9.99 per month. Uber One now operates internationally. That means you can now get Uber One credits for Uber and Uber Eats rides when you travel out of the country.
Uber One members will see credits on their accounts as soon as they return to the US.
Uber introduced what it calls “Trip Mode,” which will offer users personalized recommendations of their local favorites while they’re on the road.
“When you come to a city that’s unfamiliar, we know that… we want the unfamiliar to be familiar,” Khosrowshahi said. “[Whether] Are they the step-by-step directions, or could they be, what are the interesting places to see if you land in Paris?
It will also offer curated recommendations and access to OpenTable reservations. Of course, Uber Eats home delivery is also part of this, and Uber wants consumers to think of the app as a personal concierge. In fact, there’s another new feature called “Shop for Me,” which lets you order items from virtually any store and have them delivered to your home or hotel.
Khosrowshahi was very excited about expanding Uber Eats into a one-stop shop for anything you need, anywhere. “I think you’ll also use it more in your local market as a personal shopper,” he said. “We’ve always talked about Uber Eats, getting anything, but it’s anything that’s available on Eats. Now you can have a shopper go anywhere, shop at a local store, and give them directions. It’s going to be a very, very cool feature.”
Uber rides will also soon be integrated into the Expedia app.
In a nutshell
Some pretty compelling news from Uber today, with hotels now bookable on the Uber app. While I wouldn’t always recommend booking this way, if you can get up to 20% off regular room rates, it can make a lot of sense. If you’re an Uber One member, it gets even better with 10% back on Uber One credits for free rides or Uber Eats.
I’m also a big fan of the new launch of Uber One International and the ability to earn Uber One credits on my trips abroad.
Related: Frequent Uber or Lyft user? These are the best credit cards for you
