Dara Khosrowshahi travel tips

We are excited to announce that Uber CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, has been added to our growing list of exceptional speakers for this year’s Skift Global Forum. We last spoke with Dara on stage during our 2021 Global Forum. 

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, September 13. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Artificial intelligence has been a major discussion in travel over the last year, and that’s why the theme of the Skift Global Forum is Connection in the Age of AI.

After renting out some 50,000 electric cars to Uber drivers across North America, Hertz is now taking its partnership with the ride hailing giant to Europe, where it will make 25,000 Tesla and Polestar vehicles available.

Uber and Lyft are focusing on their loyalty programs, with new partnerships designed to keep members ordering cars, meals and groceries for longer periods of time.

Expedia Group has 10 consumer brands, but its marketing strategy shifted starting in late 2021 to emphasize three core brands above all others: Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo.

The great promise and hype by travel executives several years ago about the potential of voice search to revolutionize the industry have gone nowhere. Voice-based search hasn’t progressed as serious destination marketing avenue because the technology underpinning it yet can’t drive effective engagement, inspire travel and handle the complexity of travel search.

Uber is extending the reservation period to pre-book rides from 30 days to 90 days to help boost its airport business.

Uber is steadily building its travel offering — solely for UK users for now — and has entered into a partnership with online travel agency Hopper to provide it with flights and fintech products.

Expedia Group CEO Peter Kern, who’s been working on revamping the company since April 2020, said “it would’ve been impossible for the old us, three years ago,” to have been nimble enough to be among the first movers in generative AI among online travel companies.

As we look ahead to the landmark 10th Skift Global Forum happening this September in New York City, today we take a look back at a panel session from Skift Global Forum 2016 correctly billed as “Legends of Online Travel”.

Uber has posted its first-ever operating profit, and the company continues to test its expansion into travel booking in the UK.  

Our tenth and largest Skift Global Forum is just around the corner, and it promises to feature a lineup of can’t-miss visionary travel industry speakers who are shaping the way we experience and navigate the world.

Remember when Uber was a tip-less service? Indeed, part of what made Uber the undisputed leader in rideshare services was its no-tipping policy, as featured front and center on the company’s website: “No cash, no tip, no hassle … When you arrive at your destination, just hop out—we’ll automatically charge the credit card on file. And there’s no need to tip.”