Employees are looking for ways to maximize their income while maintaining their peace of mind. Enter fractional working. The trendy, new employment model empowers executives and independent contractors to take control of their schedules.

What’s fractional working?
While freelancers are typically hired for specific projects or hourly tasks, fractional workers are “more embedded into a business, often helping to lead the overall strategy at a company,” said CNBC. Fractional employees, unlike permanent employees, “contribute on a part-time basis for multiple businesses or clients.”

Interest in fractional work has grown, and “both sides of the labor market are fueling the increase,” said the Harvard Business Review. For companies, demand is driven by “increased pressure to do more with fewer resources amid AI uncertainty and market volatility.” For workers, the appeal of “diversifying income streams, gaining autonomy and improving work-life balance is increasing the fractional labor supply.”

The “explosion of fractional leadership” represents more than a “temporary trend,” said Forbes. Companies are facing “mounting pressure to control costs while accessing specialized expertise.” At the same time, executives are “rethinking the value proposition of traditional employment” after watching “waves of layoffs sweep through even the most stable industries.”

Is this the future of labor?
The rise of fractional leadership is being “driven by both companies and executives,” said Forbes. Organizations gain “flexibility, faster access to specialized expertise, and the ability to scale leadership as needs change.” Executives gain “diversified income, greater control over their work, and a more durable form of stability with a portfolio.”

For the shift toward accepting fractional work to hold, the “systems around it need to catch up,” said Forbes. Benefits and protections need to become more portable, said Paula Gorman, a fractional operations leader and the founder of the networking group The Consultants Room, to the outlet.

If more people are “building careers across multiple clients and income streams,” the systems that provide stability “cannot stay tied so tightly to one traditional employer,” said Gorman. Industries need to “stop talking about fractional or consulting work like it’s a temporary workaround.” For many people and many companies, it’s “already a legitimate and strategic part of how work gets done.”

Most people only think of Uber for ordering rides and food, but the company wants to change this perception by expanding into a full-service travel app. It has announced that it’s partnering with Expedia to offer a wide variety of vacation-related services.

‘One app for everything’
Users can now book hotels directly in the Uber app without going through a third-party reservation site. By connecting with Expedia’s hotel database, Uber offers “access to a wide selection of hotels, which will ultimately grow to more than 700,000 properties in destinations around the globe,” said the company in a press release. There’s also cross-pollination with Expedia, as Uber rides will be “integrated directly in the Expedia app” starting in June 2026.

Notably, the partnership will allow Uber to offer hotel bookings for “properties in countries where it doesn’t currently offer rideshare services, if the properties are listed through Expedia,” said The Wall Street Journal. Plans to add rental property bookings through the Expedia-owned Vrbo are also in the works. The company will additionally provide specified Uber Eats “room services” that can “deliver food and any forgotten items, such as a toothbrush or phone charger, directly to the hotel,” said NBC News. 

The goal is for Uber to “become the one app for everything,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of Uber, to The New York Times. The partnership is helping hotels “get access to travelers, get more demand, get more exposure,” said Ariane Gorin, the CEO of Expedia, to the Times.

‘There’s a catch’
Many are wondering if Uber’s new venture will make hotel rooms cheaper than competitors’ booking sites, which does indeed seem to be the case. At a Hilton hotel near Tampa International Airport, a booking through Uber with an added refund window costs $140.19, while the “same room would have cost $144” through Hilton’s website, said The Washington Post. 

But “there’s a catch” for people looking to stock up on hotel rewards points, said the Post. When people “book with a third-party online travel agency” like Uber, they are “likely forgoing the brand-specific points.”

The film dog Hui Buh, a Parson Russell terrier, shows his skills during a press event in Dortmund, Germany, ahead of the Dogs & Fun 2026 trade fair. These hunting dogs were bred with legs long enough to keep up with horses and bodies small enough to crawl into holes and flush out foxes.  
Ina Fassbender / AFP / Getty Images

If the walls of these landmark hotels could talk, they would regale guests with tales of lavish parties, milestone celebrations, newsworthy occasions and fascinating visitors. It would take quite some time to hear the stories too, as the properties are all more than 100 years old.

Claremont Resort & Club, Berkeley, California
This Bay Area retreat (pictured above) has been a beloved spot for rest and relaxation since it opened in 1915. The guest rooms were recently renovated in calming shades of soft blue and gray, and the “plush bedding and fluffy down comforters make the beds feel like clouds,” said Condé Nast Traveler.

Congress Hall, Cape May, New Jersey
Billing itself as the country’s first waterfront resort, this hotel has proudly survived “fires, hurricanes and war.” It started as a boarding house for summer visitors and during the Benjamin Harrison presidency was considered the Summer White House. The rooms are “comfortable” and have an “air of seaside whimsy,” and the hotel offers plenty to do year-round, said Travel and Leisure. 

The Inn at Stonecliffe, Mackinac Island, Michigan
Once a private summer estate, the inn is now a “quaint” resort that feels like a “nearly perfectly preserved time capsule,” said Travel and Leisure. The Edwardian-style Tudor mansion dates back to 1904, and a renovation added modern updates like air conditioning while preserving original details that “give the property its charm,” including hardwood floors, fireplaces and “beautiful” stained-glass windows.