PEER-to-peer ridesharing service Uber is making headway in the travel trade by striking up new partnerships, most recently with Le Royal Méridien Shanghai.
Uber will provide its signature Black fleet of limousines for guests staying at Le Royal Méridien Shanghai at a touch of a button, offering also bottled water and Wi-Fi connectivity as they travel the city.
The hotel represents the first renowned five-star Starwood Hotels & Resorts property Uber Shanghai is partnering.
Last month, United Airlines also began integrating Uber services into its own iOS and Android apps. Passengers on United can therefore see the types of available vehicles, estimated wait times and prices.
After customers select a ride, the United app automatically transfers them to the Uber app or the Uber website to sign up for an account to complete the transaction. United passengers who complete their first transaction also receive 1,000 miles on their United frequent flyer programmer.
If there were any doubts about Uber’s expansion ambitions, it dispelled them with the appointment of US president Barack Obama’s former campaign manager, David Plouffe, as its senior vice president of policy and strategy.
But the spotlight has also been cast on an unsavoury side to Uber’s operations, with business rival Lyft accusing the former of sending employees to pose as customers, order rides and cancel them. San Francisco-based Lyft alleges that some 5,000 rides were cancelled.
Business documents also came to light recently revealing an aggressive campaign by Uber in which the company sent workers to take rides on Lyft vehicles and poach drivers.
