Uber wants to answer the hotel industry’s most asked question. Now it’s integrating into 15,000 hotels globally
Uber wants to answer the hotel industry’s most asked question. Now it’s integrating into 15,000 hotels globally
Every hotel front desk in the world hears it, multiple times a day, in every language.
“Can you call me a cab,” said Mike Coscetta, president of the hospitality property management service Mews. It’s “one of the most common sentences when you run hotel operations.”
And so begins a long process that puts a substantial strain on the hotel industry. The receptionist calls a local provider, but the line is busy, or the wait is 40 minutes, or the driver takes a higher-paying fare and never shows. The guest grows frustrated. The staff member, already juggling six other things, is stuck playing dispatcher for a service the hotel doesn’t control, doesn’t profit from, and can’t guarantee.
Uber thinks it can make that entire problem disappear. The ride-hailing company has partnered with Mews to embed ride booking, real-time tracking, and integrated billing directly into the platform hotels already use to run their operations. Instead of calling a local taxi company, a front desk agent will book an Uber for a guest in a few clicks, all within the same system they manage check-ins, rooms, and payments.
“As a very frequent traveler, what I find super useful about Uber is I trust the........
