Uber has always wanted to be more than a ride; now it has reason to hurry | TechCrunch

"Two weeks ago, Uber held its annual GO-GET product event in New York and announced something its executives had been circling for a long time: users in the U.S. can now book hotels inside the Uber app, through a partnership with Expedia Group, with access to more than 700,000 properties worldwide. Uber One members - the company's subscription tier at $9.99 a month - get 20% off a rotating list of 10,000 hotels and 10% back in credits. Vacation rentals through Vrbo will follow later this year, along with restaurant reservations via OpenTable."

"The announcements, taken together, were the most concrete picture yet of something Uber has been trying to conjure since at least 2019: that an app with 199 million monthly active users could become the app they use for nearly everything. Uber has been trying to embed itself inside the AV industry - as a data provider, an investor, and a distribution platform - but the consumer-facing bet may be just as important."

"Uber's CTO offered the clearest explanation of the company's thinking: the super app concept has existed for years in India and Southeast Asia, but U.S. versions have mostly flopped by bolting services onto traffic rather than building toward a reason to stay. His answer to what fits? Membership. Every new category - food, groceries, now hotels - gives someone another reason to pay for Uber One."

"“I take Uber, go to the airport, take a flight, take another Uber, go to a hotel, go to a restaurant,” he said. “There is a flow you can actually build into it.” Flights are not available yet, though Naga didn't rule them out. Uber tried flight"

Uber is pursuing a super app strategy by embedding consumer services into its app. In the U.S., users can now book hotels through Uber’s partnership with Expedia Group, with access to more than 700,000 properties worldwide. Uber One members receive 20% off a rotating list of 10,000 hotels and get 10% back in credits. Vacation rentals via Vrbo are planned later in the year, and restaurant reservations via OpenTable are expected to follow. Uber also offers a “Shop for Me” feature that lets users order from stores not currently on the platform. The approach centers on membership, where each added category increases the value of Uber One and supports a continuous travel and activity flow.

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