Hickory Global Partners
Hickory Global Partners is a privately held business travel consortium that aggregates buying power across 1,900+ corporate travel agencies and CTDs to negotiate preferential rates with 60+ global hotel, airline, and ground transportation suppliers. It operates the SmartBook booking platform, MGME meetings/events subsidiary, and Solutions365 staffing service.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1982
- HeadquartersDelray Beach, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Hickory Global Partners does
Hickory Global Partners is a privately held, New York-incorporated limited liability company headquartered in Delray Beach, Florida, operating a global business travel consortium founded in 1982. The company aggregates the buying power of 1,900+ corporate travel agencies, corporate travel departments (CTDs), and corporations to negotiate preferential rates with 60+ travel suppliers, providing members access to 50,000+ hotels across 180 countries, 25+ global airlines, and ground transportation services in 150+ countries. The company operates sub-brands including MGME (corporate meetings and events), SmartBook (a hotel reservation platform powered by Lexyl Travel Technologies), and Hickory Solutions365 (24/7 travel staffing services). It also runs a Supplier Marketing Program and a Revenue Share Program for high-volume members.
Revenue is generated primarily through hotel referral fees of 7-10% on actualized room nights (10% for basic listings, 7% for preferred members), preferred membership subscription fees paid by hotels for enhanced visibility and reduced referral rates, transactional revenue share with qualifying members, and managed marketing services for suppliers. Pricing on the member/agency side is free; fees are borne by hotels and travel service vendors, with most enterprise arrangements quote-based. Distribution occurs through enterprise field sales, direct membership recruitment, GDS integrations with Pseudo City Code access, and self-service booking via SmartBook. Notable enterprise events clients include HBO, Verizon, IATA, and GlaxoSmithKline (via inVentiv Health), though these primarily reflect MGME's meetings business rather than core consortium revenue.
The technology stack centers on the cloud-based SmartBook platform, which integrates APIs with online travel agency partners for individual bookings under 9 rooms per night and with GDSs for airline ticketing. AI capabilities include text-based chatbots, AI-powered voice representatives with regulatory disclosures, generative AI for itinerary creation, NLP for customer interactions, fraud detection, process automation, and recommendation engines, with GDPR, CCPA, PDPA, HIPAA, EU AI Act Article 50, TCPA, California SB 1001, and BIPA compliance. The company holds industry recognitions including the 2024 Travel Weekly Magellan Award (Gold for Travel Services), CMI 25, Inc. 5000 (via MGME), Special Event Magazine Awards, and SITE Crystal Award. It has no disclosed venture capital or private equity investment and operates without a parent company.
Hickory Global Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hickory Global Partners
- Legal name
- Hickory Global Partners, LLC
- Website
- https://hickoryglobalpartners.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1982
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Hickory Global Partners is a privately held business travel consortium that aggregates buying power across 1,900+ corporate travel agencies and CTDs to negotiate preferential rates with 60+ global hotel, airline, and ground transportation suppliers. It operates the SmartBook booking platform, MGME meetings/events subsidiary, and Solutions365 staffing service.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hickory Global Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Corporate Travel Consortium Services
- NAICS
- Travel Agencies (56151), Travel Agencies (561510)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hotel Chain & Brand Contracting (Global/Regional Agreements) (THACAGAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Wholesale Groups, Series & Allotments (Group Blocks/Charters/Allotment Contracting) (THAKAJAH), Corporate Travel & Accommodation Coordination (HSACADAL)
Keywords
Where Hickory Global Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Delray Beach
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hickory Global Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Hotel Referral Fees: Hotels pay a 10% referral fee on actualized business referred through the platform for basic membership. Hotels enrolled in the preferred membership program pay a reduced 7% referral fee. Fees are tracked based on actualized room nights booked.
- Preferred Membership Fees: Hotels have the option to enroll in a preferred membership program for a fee, which provides access to reduced referral rates (7% vs 10%) and enhanced visibility to the member network.
- Supplier Marketing Program: Turnkey marketing program offering customizable promotional opportunities for suppliers to maximize reach and engagement with the consortium's membership base. Provides additional revenue stream through marketing partnerships.
- Revenue Share Program: Groundbreaking Revenue Share Program provides additional revenue stream for members whose discretionary hotel room night production meets required thresholds. Includes comprehensive reporting and quarterly business reviews.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Basic Hotel Listing - Free |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Preferred Hotel Membership - Paid |
| Subscription | Annual | Corporate Membership - By Invitation |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Hickory Global Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hickory Global Partners operates a global business travel consortium that aggregates the buying power of 1,900+ corporate travel agencies, corporate travel departments (CTDs), and corporations to negotiate preferential rates with hotels, airlines, and ground transportation providers. The company delivers hotel, air, and ground travel programs covering 50,000+ hotels in 180 countries and 25+ global airlines, supported by a proprietary booking platform (SmartBook), a meetings and events subsidiary (MGME), and a 24/7 travel staffing solution (Hickory Solutions365).
Product overview
Hickory Global Partners operates as a global business travel consortium providing a platform of travel programs and services for corporate travel agencies, corporate travel departments, and corporations. The core portfolio consists of Hotel, Air, Ground, and Event Tickets programs offering access to 50,000+ hotels, 25+ airlines, and ground transportation in 150+ countries. Key sub-brands include SmartBook (hotel reservations booking platform), MGME/MGME Connect (corporate event and meeting planning), and Hickory Solutions365 (24/7 travel staffing solutions with two service tiers: Select and Ambassador VIP). Additional offerings include Marketplace, Hot Deals, Partner HQ, Revenue Share Program, and Supplier Marketing Program, which together provide members and suppliers with comprehensive corporate travel management tools.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Hickory Solutions365: 24/7 travel staffing solutions providing client fulfillment center, live travel advisor services, back office support, and group/meeting ticketing services. Winner of Travel Weekly Magellan Awards, including gold in 2024 for Travel Services.
Products and services
- Hotel Program Consortium-negotiated access to 50,000+ hotels across 8,000+ cities and 180 countries, available to member agencies and corporate travel departments at preferential corporate rates.
- Air Program Global airline coverage and ticketing through 25+ global carriers, with GDS access and PCC (Pseudo City Code) privileges provided to member agencies.
- Ground Program Ground transportation services in 8,000+ locations and 150 countries through partners including Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise/National, and Carey Connect, with negotiated corporate discount numbers.
- Event Tickets Live event ticket purchasing service for corporate travel and entertainment needs, integrated through the Tickitto platform.
- MGME (McVeigh Global Meetings and Events) Subsidiary providing end-to-end corporate event and meeting planning services, including conferences, incentive travel, tradeshows, fan festivals, life sciences events, events at sea, experience design, and production.
- Hickory Solutions365 24/7 travel staffing solution providing live travel advisor services, back-office support, group/meeting ticketing, OBT/Queue monitoring, and international rate desk support, with two service tiers: Hickory Select and Hickory Ambassador VIP.
- SmartBook Proprietary hotel reservation platform enabling registered travel agents to search, compare, and book hotel rooms, meeting space, and car rentals with negotiated corporate rates, including RFP and group travel (9+ rooms) functionality.
- Supplier Marketing Program Turnkey marketing program delivering customizable promotional opportunities for travel suppliers (hotels, airlines, ground transport) to maximize reach and engagement with the consortium's 1,900+ member base.
- MGME Connect Corporate event and meeting planning platform offering end-to-end event management including conferences, incentive travel, meeting management, and virtual/hybrid event production.
- Marketplace Online marketplace connecting members with travel suppliers and curated deals across the consortium network.
Quantifiable outcome
- Access to 50,000+ hotels worldwide, 25+ global airlines, and ground transportation in 150+ countries
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Hickory Global Partners
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Hickory Global Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
AI capability8 records
Feature3 records
Hickory Global Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
25 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- HiltoncoreHilton is a key hotel partner providing accommodation inventory to Hickory Global Partners members. The partnership includes marketing appreciation programs and corporate booking opportunities.
- HyattcoreHyatt provides hotel accommodations across its portfolio to consortium members with negotiated corporate rates.
- IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group)coreIHG offers corporate rates through the consortium for properties including Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, and other IHG brands.
- Wyndham Hotels & ResortscoreWyndham provides hotel inventory across its economy to upscale portfolio for corporate travelers.
- Best WesterncoreBest Western offers mid-scale hotel accommodations with corporate rate programs for consortium members.
- Choice HotelscoreChoice Hotels provides accommodations across its brand portfolio including Ascend Collection and Cambria Hotels.
- American AirlinescoreAmerican Airlines provides air travel services and corporate booking access for consortium members.
- British AirwayscoreBritish Airways offers international air travel coverage for members with corporate booking arrangements.
- Qatar AirwayscoreQatar Airways provides long-haul international air coverage for consortium members.
- Qantas AirwayscoreQantas provides Pacific and Australia/New Zealand air coverage for members.
- Ethihad AirwayscoreEthihad Airways provides Middle East and international routes for consortium members.
- Fiji AirwaysminorFiji Airways offers Pacific Island air travel options for members seeking leisure or business travel to Fiji.
- Azul Brazilian AirlinesminorAzul provides Brazilian domestic and international air coverage for members.
- HertzcoreHertz provides ground transportation with corporate discount numbers (CD# 353750) for members booking car rentals.
- Dollar Car RentalcoreDollar offers car rental services with corporate discount program (CD# 3024762) for consortium members.
- Thrifty Car RentalcoreThrifty provides car rental options with corporate discount (CD# 3024759) for members.
- Enterprise & NationalcoreEnterprise and National offer car rental services with corporate rates for members.
- Omni Hotels & ResortscoreOmni provides luxury hotel accommodations with negotiated corporate rates.
- Red RoofcoreRed Roof offers economy hotel accommodations with corporate rate programs.
- Aven HospitalitycoreAven Hospitality provides hotel accommodations across its portfolio.
- Caray-InternationalminorGround transportation provider offering services in international locations.
- MoziocoreGround transportation aggregation platform integrated with Hickory booking systems for comprehensive ground travel options.
- MGME (McVeigh Global Meetings and Events)coreFamily of brands subsidiary providing comprehensive corporate event and meeting planning services including conferences, incentive travel, and tradeshows for Hickory members.
- HotelPlanner / Lexyl Travel TechnologiescoreTechnology platform provider powering SmartBook booking system. Lexyl Travel Technologies operates the hotel reservation platform and provides AI-powered customer service technology.
- Carey ConnectminorGround transportation and car service provider integrated into SmartBook platform.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves2 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hickory Global Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Travel Leaders Network: Travel Leaders Network is one of the largest travel agency consortia in North America, providing preferred supplier rates, marketing support, and technology to member agencies. Closest direct analog to Hickory on consortium structure and target audience of independent TMCs.
- Direct Travel: Direct Travel is a mid-sized corporate travel management company serving enterprise clients with global coverage and meetings services. Comparable in scale and scope to Hickory's consortium-style offering, particularly for Fortune 500 corporate travel programs.
- Ensemble Travel: Ensemble Travel is an established travel agency consortium offering preferred supplier rates, marketing programs, and technology to member agencies. Comparable consortium model to Hickory, though more leisure-oriented and with similar agency-member focus.
- Travelliance: Travelliance operates a hospitality consortium aggregating buying power for member travel agencies and hotels with negotiated corporate rates. Directly comparable to Hickory on consortium model, hospitality focus, and supplier-agency intermediation.
Broad incumbents
- CWT: CWT is a long-established global corporate travel management company serving multinational clients with booking, meetings, and consulting services. Comparable broad incumbent competing for the same corporate travel wallet Hickory's members serve.
- American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT): Amex GBT is a leading global corporate travel management company serving large enterprise clients with integrated booking, expense, and meetings tools. Comparable as an incumbent in the same corporate travel category Hickory serves, but at vastly larger scale and with owned technology rather than a consortium model.
- BCD Travel: BCD Travel is a global corporate travel management provider offering booking, expense, risk management, and meetings services to enterprise clients. Comparable as a broad incumbent in corporate travel, competing indirectly with Hickory's TMC membership for large corporate travel programs.
Emerging players
- TripActions (Navan): Navan (formerly TripActions) is a venture-backed travel and expense platform offering direct corporate booking with AI-driven personalization. Comparable as an emerging competitor targeting the same corporate travel programs Hickory's members serve, but with a direct-to-corporate distribution model rather than consortium.
- TravelPerk: TravelPerk is a venture-backed corporate travel booking and expense platform targeting SMB and mid-market companies. Comparable as an emerging challenger in the corporate travel category, particularly relevant where Hickory's CTD and mid-market members compete for similar clients.
- Spotnana: Spotnana is a cloud-based Travel-as-a-Service platform targeting corporate travel programs with modern booking infrastructure. Comparable as an emerging competitor modernizing the corporate travel technology stack that Hickory's legacy SmartBook platform competes against.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hickory Global Partners social profiles
Digital presenceHickory Global Partners compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance12 records
Hickory Global Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hickory Global Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Hickory Global Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hickory Global Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hickory Global Partners
What does Hickory Global Partners do?
Hickory Global Partners operates a global business travel consortium that aggregates the buying power of 1,900+ corporate travel agencies, corporate travel departments (CTDs), and corporations to negotiate preferential rates with hotels, airlines, and ground transportation providers. The company delivers hotel, air, and ground travel programs covering 50,000+ hotels in 180 countries and 25+ global airlines, supported by a proprietary booking platform (SmartBook), a meetings and events subsidiary (MGME), and a 24/7 travel staffing solution (Hickory Solutions365).
Is Hickory Global Partners a public or private company?
Hickory Global Partners is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Hickory Global Partners founded?
Hickory Global Partners was founded in 1982. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Hickory Global Partners based?
Hickory Global Partners is headquartered in Delray Beach, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hickory Global Partners make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Hotel Referral Fees are the primary driver. The others are preferred Membership Fees, supplier Marketing Program and revenue Share Program.
Who are Hickory Global Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Travel Leaders Network, Direct Travel, Ensemble Travel and Travelliance. Broad incumbents are CWT, American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) and BCD Travel. Emerging players are TripActions (Navan), TravelPerk and Spotnana.
Does Hickory Global Partners have an API?
Yes. SmartBook platform offers API connections with online travel agency partners for individual reservations (9 rooms per night or less). The Terms of Use states 'For individual bookings Lexyl does not act as a marketplace. Reservations of 9 rooms per night or less are serviced through an API connection with online travel agency partners.' The platform also integrates with Global Distribution Systems (GDS) for booking and ticketing purposes as stated in the Privacy Policy.
What industry is Hickory Global Partners in?
Hickory Global Partners's product category is Corporate Travel Consortium Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THACAGAE, Hotel Chain & Brand Contracting (Global/Regional Agreements), with a secondary code of THAKAJAH, Wholesale Groups, Series & Allotments (Group Blocks/Charters/Allotment Contracting). Its NAICS code is 56151 and its SIC code is 8600.