qwant news | Uber's AI-Powered Hotel Booking Reveals the New Speed of Software Development - Gadget Review

AI generated summary, Read the full article for complete information.

Uber has rolled out a new hotel‑booking feature in its app, using AI‑powered coding assistants that compressed what would normally be a year‑long development cycle into just a few months. The integration, built with tools like Cursor, connects users to more than 700,000 hotels through Expedia’s network (with Vrbo added later in the year) and offers Uber One members a 20 % discount on select properties plus 10 % of the spend back as Uber Credits. By eliminating traditional engineering bottlenecks, Uber’s CTO describes the process as a “fundamental reset” that will let product teams launch ambitious features faster, positioning the ride‑hailing giant against traditional travel platforms such as Booking.com and Airbnb with AI‑driven voice bookings, local recommendations, and even “room service” via Uber Eats. This shift signals that software development timelines are now limited more by user adoption than by engineering capacity.

Read more: https://www.gadgetreview.com/ubers-ai-powered-hotel-booking-reveals-the-new-speed-of-software-development

#Uber #Cursor #PraveenNeppalli #Expedia #Vrbo #UberOne #DaraKhosrowshahi #Bookingcom #Airbnb #PraveenNeppalliNaga

Uber adds hotel bookings and travel features as it tries to become your everything app

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://nerds.xyz/2026/04/uber-hotel-booking-travel-features/

qwant news | Uber adds hotels to its app in big travel swing

AI generated summary, Read the full article for complete information.

Uber announced a major expansion into travel accommodations by integrating hotel bookings directly into its app through a partnership with Expedia, initially offering access to more than 700,000 properties worldwide and later adding home rentals from Vrbo. Chief product officer Sachin Kansal explained that the feature is built from the ground up using Expedia’s APIs, allowing users to book a room, arrange a ride to the hotel, and even order room‑service—all within the Uber platform, with additional perks for Uber One subscribers. The rollout is part of a broader push to create a seamless, all‑in‑one travel experience that also includes new services such as on‑the‑go snack ordering, “Shop for Me,” AI‑powered voice search, indoor airport navigation, city guides, and upcoming boat‑ride bookings, while Uber continues to explore further integrations like robotaxis and delivery robots.

Read more: https://www.theverge.com/transportation/919393/uber-hotel-expedia-vrbo-ai-voice-search

#Uber #Expedia #SachinKansal #Vrbo #BookingHoldings

Why do companies make it so hard to contact them? The latest is #VRBO. I'm trying to help one of my web design clients renew their listing because they're not very computer literate.

I went to the VRBO website and there's no phone number, no email contact listed. They have a chat, but you have to log into your account in order to use it. Which I can't do even though I have his login info, because of 2FA.

After poking around the website for 10 minutes I finally came up with a number. Navigated the usual phone tree and eventually spoke to someone who talked extremely fast with a heavy accent, only to be told I couldn't even ask a question without the owner on the line.

Argh!

I miss the days where I could get someone's username and password and log into their account and get shit done.

A curse on every hacker for all the nonsense you are putting us through.

RE: https://mastodon.social/@AnnaAnthro/116216889141590822

#airbnb and #vrbo and all others like them should be illegal in #Canada. At least for properties that do no have at least one 0 in the postal code. #CanPoli