What Engine does

Engine (formerly Hotel Engine) is a Denver-based business-to-business travel platform founded in 2018 that operates a free, commission-funded marketplace covering hotels, flights, car rentals, and meeting/event workspaces for corporate and group travelers. The platform aggregates 1,000,000+ hotel properties, dozens of airlines, and 40 car suppliers under a single sign-in, with consolidated billing via DirectBill, a company-wide FlexPro flexibility layer, and an Engine X Visa corporate card issued through Fifth Third Bank. Engine's customer base of 25,000+ businesses and 1,000,000+ travelers spans SMB and mid-market construction, field-services, sports, weddings, and public-sector verticals, with logos including Whole Foods, Pepsi, NBCUniversal, WeWork, PNC, and multiple US state governments.

The technology stack is a cloud-based two-sided marketplace with an embedded Omni hotel booking API (first adopter Trimble, ~800K drivers), pre-built integrations into SAP Concur, Salesforce Agentforce 360, Slack, QuickBooks Online, and Okta, plus the Partner Hub analytics platform for hotel supply partners. Engine's core AI capability is Eva, a customer-service agent built on Salesforce Agentforce 360 in 12 days that autonomously resolves 50% of the company's 800,000+ annual support cases and handles complex financial transactions (refunds, rebookings) within Salesforce's Data 360 architecture.

Engine makes money primarily through hotel commissions on the free core platform, supplemented by Engine X card interchange and rewards economics, partner-hub advertising (Property Spotlight and 2X Rewards campaigns), and affiliate/referral commissions across partner networks. The go-to-market is hybrid: PLG self-serve sign-up for SMBs and mid-market, plus a field-sales presence in Denver, Chicago, and Tempe targeting enterprise and SLED accounts, complemented by channel/reseller partners (ALTOUR, WEX, Paychex) and OEM distribution via the Omni API.

Name

Engine

Legal name

Engine

Website

https://engine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Engine (formerly Hotel Engine) operates a free, commission-funded B2B travel marketplace serving 25,000+ businesses and 1,000,000+ travelers with hotels, flights, cars, workspace bookings, a corporate card, and AI-driven support across SMB, mid-market, and public-sector segments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Travel Management Software

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Travel & Expense Booking Platforms (BPAMAIAI)

Keywords

• Corporate travel booking
• Business travel management
• Hotel booking platform
• Corporate expense management
• Travel marketplace software

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Hotel commission (take rate per booking): Hotels pay Engine a commission for each booking brought via the platform; this commission funds the free-to-use member experience. Cited as the source of the 'no membership fees, no contracts' model.
2. Engine X card spend and interchange: Revenue from cardholder spend on the Engine X Visa Commercial card (issued by Fifth Third Bank); tiered rewards (up to 10% on Engine travel, 1.5% on other purchases) plus interchange/issuer economics on transaction volume.
3. Partner Hub hotel-side marketing (Property Spotlight, 2X Rewards): Performance-based ad placements and loyalty campaigns sold to hotel partners on the Engine booking surface. Property Spotlight charges per click; 2X Rewards enrollment drives increased bookings and revenue.
4. Affiliate and partnership referral commissions: Referral and affiliate commissions earned on bookings generated via partner networks (e.g., The Knot, Paychex, WEX, Bandit Running, Joon).
5. Flight, car, and ancillary booking commissions: Commissions earned on flight (300 airlines) and rental car (40 suppliers) bookings added after the rebrand from Hotel Engine to Engine in 2024, plus revenue from ancillary services like Engine Spaces workspace bookings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Engine operates a free-to-use, commission-funded business travel platform that lets companies book hotels, flights, and rental cars in a single dashboard across 1,000,000+ properties, with consolidated billing via DirectBill, flexible cancellation via FlexPro, and a Visa-branded corporate card (Engine X) issued through Fifth Third Bank. Layered offerings include a white-glove group booking service (Engine Groups), a workspace marketplace (Engine Spaces with 40,000+ venues), a property-side Partner Hub with marketing and analytics, and a developer-facing hotel booking API (Omni Powered by Engine).

Product overview

Engine (formerly Hotel Engine) operates as a single unified all-in-one corporate travel management platform — not a loosely federated set of products — anchored on a free core booking platform covering 1,000,000+ hotels, dozens of airlines, and rental car providers. Built around that core are several integrated modules and sub-products: Engine Groups for white-glove group/extended-stay bookings (construction crews, sports teams, weddings, conferences, disaster relief); Engine Spaces, a free marketplace for 40,000+ meeting and event workspaces; Direct Bill, a credit-line billing module that consolidates all travel onto one invoice; and Flex/FlexPro, an add-on flexibility layer that lets travelers cancel or shorten stays. Layered on top are the financial product Engine X (a Visa-branded corporate card issued via Fifth Third Bank with up to 10% travel rewards and integrated spend controls), the property-side Partner Hub (with Property Spotlight, 2X Rewards campaigns, and Insights+ analytics), and the developer-facing Omni Powered by Engine hotel booking API. The Groups offering also extends into a distinct sub-brand, RoomBlocks by Engine, for wedding room blocks. All of these products are surfaced under one Engine account and share login, billing, rewards, and reporting infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Engine X: Corporate credit card targeted at small and mid-sized businesses, offering up to 10% rewards on business travel and integrated spend management.
• Engine Spaces
• Partner Hub
• Engine Groups
• FlexPro
• Omni (Omni Powered by Engine)
• DirectBill
• Engine Rewards
• RoomBlocks by Engine

Products and services

• Engine Travel Management Platform All-in-one corporate travel management platform for booking and managing hotels, flights, and car rentals in a single dashboard. Provides access to 1,000,000+ properties, 24/7 support, no membership fees, no contracts, average 26% savings on business travel, and integrated reporting and policy controls. Trusted by 20K+ businesses and 1,000,000+ travelers.
• Engine X Corporate Card Visa-branded business charge card issued via Fifth Third Bank with tiered rewards (up to 10% on Engine travel, 1.5% on other purchases), physical and virtual cards, per-employee and category-level spend controls, no personal credit check, and no annual fees. Includes AI-powered analytics and integrations with QuickBooks Online, Okta, Dayforce, and Square.
• Engine Groups White-glove group hotel booking service with dedicated trip managers for groups of 9+ rooms or stays of 28+ days. Supports construction crews, sports teams, conferences, weddings, offsites, and disaster relief with negotiated group rates, side-by-side hotel comparison, and consolidated billing.
• Engine Spaces Free marketplace for booking 40,000+ meeting and event workspaces across the United States for business travelers, offsites, and remote workers. Integrates with Choice Hotels and provides filtered search and direct inquiry functions.
• Partner Hub Property-side platform for hotel partners to manage reservations, run Property Spotlight and 2X Rewards marketing campaigns, communicate with guests, resolve traveler issues, and access Insights+ analytics with market intelligence, demand forecasting, and competitive benchmarking.
• Omni Powered by Engine Developer-friendly hotel booking API that allows companies to integrate Engine's hotel network and booking capabilities into their existing platforms. First adopter Trimble embedded Omni across transportation products (Trimble Places, Trimble Road Call, Trimble CoPilot) serving approximately 800,000 commercial drivers in North America.
• RoomBlocks by Engine Specialized sub-brand for wedding and group room block booking offered as a distinct branded site within Engine's group booking portfolio, with expert negotiation and consolidated guest billing for couples and wedding planners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average 26% savings on business travel; up to 60% off public rates
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers49 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability12 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

34 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship api launch partner, strategic gtm partner, flagship technology partner, vertical sponsorship partner, strategic technology partner, strategic channel partner, issuing bank for engine x card, major hotel chain supply partner, major hotel chain supply + spaces integration, hotel chain supply partner, hotel loyalty partner, hotel supply partner, affiliate / member benefit partner, affiliate partner (weddings vertical), affiliate partner, strategic affiliate partner (hr/payroll), featured customer logo, featured customer logo (sports), strategic finance integration, identity / sso integration, hr / workforce integration and payments integration.

• Trimbleflagship api launch partnerOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 June 2026First adopter of Omni Powered by Engine hotel booking API; embeds Engine hotel booking into Trimble Places, Trimble Road Call, and Trimble CoPilot transportation products serving nearly 800,000 commercial truck drivers across North America.
• ALTOURstrategic gtm partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 June 2026ALTOUR One marketplace integrates Engine to offer prepaid refundable rates to small and mid-sized businesses; provides access to 2.6M supplier partners, 400+ airlines, and 1M+ hotels with up to 20% savings.
• Salesforce (Agentforce 360 / Headless 360)flagship technology partnerTechnology or Integration · 1 April 2026Strategic technology partnership: Engine deployed Agentforce 360 Platform, Agentforce Vibes, Headless 360, and Slack to power its AI customer service agent Eva. Eva autonomously handles 50% of 800,000+ annual cases, cut handle time 15%, and cut sales rep research time 40%; built in 12 days using Agentforce Vibes.
• US Sailingvertical sponsorship partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2026Three-year partnership (through 2028) making Engine the official travel booking provider for US Sailing members, offering discounted hotel rates.
• Carvana PPA Tour / Major League Pickleballvertical sponsorship partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2026One-year partnership naming Engine as the official travel partner for 30+ tournaments nationwide; covers discounted hotel rates, real-time spend tracking, and centralized booking.
• SAP Concurstrategic technology partnerTechnology or Integration · 1 March 2026Direct integration completed allowing Concur Travel users to access Engine's network of 900,000+ hotel properties; automatically transfers e-receipts from Engine bookings to SAP Concur Expense.
• Pro Padel Leaguevertical sponsorship partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2026Engine named official travel platform for the league's 10 teams across North America for the 2026 season.
• WEXstrategic channel partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 February 2026WEX partnered with Engine as a preferred travel partner; fleet mobility customers can reserve and pay for hotel rooms through a mobile application that uses the same payment backend as WEX fuel cards. Benefits fleets from 5 trucks to enterprise fleets with thousands of drivers.
• Fifth Third Bankissuing bank for engine x cardOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerFifth Third Bank N.A. issues the Engine X Visa Commercial cards; member FDIC, with credit approval and cardholder terms handled by the bank.
• Hiltonmajor hotel chain supply partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHotel chain partnership providing exclusive rates and loyalty integration for Engine's 1M+ property network; Hilton Honors points supported.
• IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group)major hotel chain supply partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHotel chain partnership providing exclusive rates; IHG Rewards Club points supported on Engine bookings.
• Wyndham Hotels & Resortsmajor hotel chain supply partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHotel chain partnership providing exclusive rates; Wyndham Rewards points supported on Engine bookings.
• Hyattmajor hotel chain supply partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHotel chain partnership providing exclusive rates within Engine's 1M+ property inventory.
• Choice Hotelsmajor hotel chain supply + spaces integrationChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHotel chain partnership providing exclusive rates; integrated with Engine Spaces marketplace for workspace bookings.
• Best Westernhotel chain supply partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHotel chain partnership providing exclusive rates to Engine travelers.
• OYOhotel chain supply partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHotel chain partnership providing exclusive rates within Engine's network.
• Marriott Bonvoyhotel loyalty partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLoyalty integration: Engine travelers can link Marriott Bonvoy accounts to earn points on Engine bookings.
• Ramadahotel supply partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured hotel partner on Engine Partner Hub.
• Drury Hotelshotel supply partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured hotel partner on Engine Partner Hub.
• Radisson Hotelshotel supply partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured hotel partner on Engine Partner Hub.
• HomeTowne Studioshotel supply partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured hotel partner on Engine Partner Hub.
• Bandit Runningaffiliate / member benefit partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerMember benefits partnership: Bandit Running members get average 25% savings on Engine travel and accommodations.
• The Knotaffiliate partner (weddings vertical)GTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured affiliate partner; co-markets Engine wedding room-block services to engaged couples and wedding planners.
• Joonaffiliate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured affiliate/partner logo on Engine partnerships page.
• Paychexstrategic affiliate partner (hr/payroll)GTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partner offering Engine travel benefits to Paychex SMB clients; co-marketing to HR/payroll audiences.
• Universal Music Groupfeatured customer logoGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured logo on Engine homepage (e.g., 'Universal' / NBCUniversal-style logo tile).
• Deelfeatured customer logoGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured customer logo on Engine homepage; HR/payroll vertical affinity.
• Traeger Grillsfeatured customer logoGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured customer logo on Engine homepage.
• FanDuelfeatured customer logoGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured customer logo on Engine homepage.
• San Antonio Spursfeatured customer logo (sports)GTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured customer logo on Engine homepage; sports vertical partnership.
• QuickBooks Online (Intuit)strategic finance integrationTechnology or IntegrationEngine X integrates with QuickBooks Online for syncing expenses; Engine offers seamless integration with existing accounting systems.
• Oktaidentity / sso integrationTechnology or IntegrationEngine X integrates with Okta for identity and access management; featured as integration partner on Engine X page.
• Dayforcehr / workforce integrationTechnology or IntegrationEngine X integrates with Dayforce (HR/workforce management); featured as integration partner.
• Squarepayments integrationTechnology or IntegrationEngine X integrates with Square payments; featured as integration partner on Engine X page.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Emerging players

• Brex: Brex is a corporate card and spend management platform that overlaps with Engine X in the corporate-card-and-controls category. While Brex is not a travel marketplace, the two increasingly compete for the same finance leader's travel-and-spend budget at SMB and mid-market.
• HotelEngine competitor: Spotnana: Spotnana is a cloud-based travel-as-a-service platform with an open API architecture targeting TMCs, corporates, and new entrants. It overlaps with Engine's platform ambitions and particularly with Omni Powered by Engine as a developer-friendly travel infrastructure layer.

Direct peers

• TravelPerk: TravelPerk provides an online corporate travel platform with hotels, flights, cars, and integrated expense management, including the TravelPerk Business Pro card and GreenPerk sustainability features. It competes most directly with Engine in the European and US mid-market.
• Navan (formerly TripActions): Navan is a direct competitor offering all-in-one corporate travel booking, a corporate card (Navan Card), and expense management for businesses of all sizes. Like Engine, it targets SMB and mid-market with a free-to-use, PLG-style model and has expanded into adjacent spend products — making it the closest head-to-head competitor.

Broad incumbents

• SAP Concur: SAP Concur is the enterprise incumbent in corporate travel and expense management, with a deeply embedded global travel booking platform. Engine is integrated into Concur but also competes with it, particularly for mid-market and SMB accounts that don't need Concur's full enterprise suite.
• Booking.com for Business: Booking.com for Business extends the consumer Booking.com platform into corporate hotel booking, with a large global lodging inventory and business traveler tools. It overlaps directly with Engine's core hotel-booking marketplace and competes for the same SMB and mid-market traveler.
• Egencia (Expedia Group): Egencia is Expedia Group's corporate travel brand offering hotels, flights, cars, and expense management, primarily for mid-market and enterprise. It is comparable to Engine as a digital-first TMC competing for the same corporate booking volume.
• CWT (Carlson Wagonlit Travel): CWT is a legacy global corporate travel management company serving large enterprise accounts with traditional TMC services. It competes with Engine primarily at the upper end of the market but overlaps on the core travel booking and managed services functionality.
• Amex GBT (American Express Global Business Travel): Amex GBT is one of the largest corporate travel management companies, serving multinational enterprises with negotiated rates, consulting, and meetings & events. It overlaps with Engine at the upper end of the mid-market and represents the traditional TMC model Engine is disrupting.
• BCD Travel: BCD Travel is a global corporate travel management company offering booking, expense, meetings, and consulting for enterprise clients. It is comparable to Engine as a full-service travel management provider, though it focuses on larger enterprise accounts rather than Engine's SMB/mid-market long tail.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gowithengine
• Facebookfacebook.com/gowithEngine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/engine

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Engine