Owning More of the Travel Journey
Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber
Moderated by Rafat Ali, Skift
THE VERDICT
Every travel company controlling its own inventory is confronted with a key decision: allow AI agents to handle bookings, or maintain direct customer channels. Khosrowshahi highlights Uber’s “active discussions with … basically every other agentic company.” He emphasizes leverage through unique inventory, boasting 10.5 million drivers and couriers in over 70 countries. As he puts it, “No agentic company is going to replicate that content.” The takeaway for travel brands: if agents require your resources, you control the terms.
PATHS FORWARD
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Negotiate with agents based on unique offerings. Khosrowshahi states that agents can engage in “one conversation with us” to secure global content across mobility and delivery, giving suppliers leverage at negotiations.
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Build a strong loyalty base. 80% of Uber’s hotel bookings come from UberOne members. This membership program reduces reliance on external traffic sources like Google or OTAs.
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Tailor AI operations to its strengths. Khosrowshahi learned that simply mimicking human call center scripts limits AI’s potential. By defining goals and budgets, he achieved significantly better results.
WHAT TO WATCH
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Unclear commercial terms between platforms and AI agents. The resolution of revenue shares, data access, and quality standards will influence booking costs across the industry.
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Expansion strategy for platforms. Khosrowshahi hints that while flights may be in Uber’s future, validating the hotel model comes first. He advises companies to assess which initiatives succeed and discontinue those that don’t.
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