Las Vegas: Tap Uber for a $1,200 ride and a stay at the Cosmopolitan

It’s a match made in demographic heaven: Ride-sharing company Uber is teaming up with the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas to offer a $1,200 journey from L.A. to the Strip with an overnight stay at the hipster hotel.

The new service starts Friday and continues through March 1 as a test run. Uber Chief Business Officer Emil Michael said Tuesday the package blends the “hip, new, modern Las Vegas hotel” scene with Uber’s “lifestyle” component.

Here’s how it works: You book the entire trip through Uber‘s smartphone tap-it-and-go app. It will appear as a Las Vegas option from L.A. for the company’s UberBlack car (read fancy) or UberSUV service. You can split the cost of the ride with up to three friends -- and do so right on Uber’s app, provided they are customers too -- but only one room comes with the package.

You’ll stay in a terrace studio room with one or two queen beds and receive free entry to the Marquee Nightclub on Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays. The same driver who took you to Vegas takes you back to L.A. too. (Yes, he too sleeps at the Cosmopolitan.)

Cosmopolitan’s Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Marchese said Monday it’s a good match because both companies serve the same young demographic. She also said the monthlong trial should provide a good test with Vegas-friendly escapees -- the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day and President’s Day Weekend -- falling in that time period.

Uber doesn’t operate in Las Vegas or Nevada because of laws that prevent them from doing so, Michael said. Indeed, Uber has been fighting regulatory battles in several locations. UberX drivers were recently stopped from picking up passengers at Los Angeles International Airport because they were being ticketed for not having permits to do so. (UberBlack and UberSUV still pick up LAX passengers.)

Michael said he stays focused on wanting to improve service. “Our image with millions of trips we do every week ... is pretty awesome,” he said.

mary.forgione@latimes.com
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