Expedia Adds Meta, Uber, and CLEAR as AI Turns Travel Into a Bigger Game

Expedia Group announced new partnerships and AI tools at its Explore 2026 conference.

The company is testing AI-powered trip planning with Meta, adding Uber rides to the Expedia app, offering CLEAR airport security benefits to One Key members, and expanding AI features across Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo.

Expedia wants to be more than a booking site. It still sells flights, hotels, vacation rentals, and packages. But now it also wants to help travelers before they search, while they compare options, and after they book.

Meta test brings planning into social ads

The Meta partnership focuses on the early stage of travel, when people are still looking for ideas. Expedia and Meta are testing AI conversations that start from Expedia ads in social feeds. A traveler could see a destination or hotel ad, tap a prompt, and ask questions about prices, reviews, or availability.

This builds on Trip Matching, Expedia’s Instagram Reels tool launched last year. That feature used AI to turn travel videos into trip ideas, but users had to message Expedia to continue planning. The new test is designed to make the process easier by starting the conversation directly from the ad.

Uber and CLEAR add services after booking

Expedia is also expanding its Uber partnership. Uber already uses Expedia’s lodging inventory to let users book hotels in the Uber app. The offer includes more than 700,000 properties worldwide, with Vrbo vacation rentals expected to follow later.

Now the relationship is moving the other way. Uber rides will be added inside the Expedia app beginning in June. Travelers will receive notifications before hotel check-in, with the option to book discounted rides during their trip. This gives Expedia a role after the hotel booking is complete.

The CLEAR partnership also supports Expedia’s post-booking strategy. Travelers will be able to sign up for CLEAR+ through Expedia, while One Key members will receive tier-based pricing. CLEAR+ helps members use dedicated airport security lanes at more than 60 US airports.

Expedia adds AI to search and comparison

Expedia is also bringing more AI into its own brands. Expedia will launch Activity Planner later this year, allowing travelers to describe a trip in natural language and receive a bookable itinerary. Vrbo will add natural language search, so users can describe the vacation rental they want instead of relying only on filters.

Hotels.com will add AI Property Compare and Property Expert. These tools are meant to help travelers compare hotels and ask specific questions using property data and guest reviews. Expedia is also adding Package Price Insights to show whether flight-and-hotel package prices are typical or attractive.

Recently, Uber has been adding Expedia-powered hotel bookings to its app, giving US users access to Expedia’s lodging inventory without leaving Uber.

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