What eLong.com does

eLong.com (艺龙旅行网) is a Chinese online travel agency founded in 2000 and headquartered in Beijing, now operating as part of the integrated Tongcheng eLong (同程艺龙) platform — one of China's two dominant OTAs alongside Ctrip/Trip.com — serving over 200 million users. The platform's core offering is hotel booking across more than 1.1 million hotels globally, complemented by domestic and international flight booking, train ticket booking, and adjacent modules including hotel group buying, short-term rental apartments, flash deals, corporate travel management (TMC), and travel insurance distribution through a partner. eLong monetizes primarily through performance-based transaction commissions on hotel, flight, and train bookings — hotels are charged only when a completed booking generates revenue — supplemented by advertising services sold through a dedicated merchant center (商家中心).

The platform architecture is modular, with a self-serve website (www.elong.com), iOS and Android mobile applications, a dedicated 24/7 call center (95711), and an open platform (开放平台) that enables third-party travel agents and hotel partners to distribute inventory under commission-based terms. Hotels manage listings through a merchant center portal. Customer-facing features emphasized include real-time price comparison, authenticated hotel photos, verified user reviews, room availability guarantees, SSL-encrypted transactions, and a freemium membership offering up to 10% discounts on select properties.

Distribution spans individual leisure and family travelers as the primary segment, business travelers via the 商旅 (TMC) vertical, and hotel partners and merchants as the B2B supply side. Marketing channels include the direct website, mobile app with app-exclusive deals, a WeChat official account, and organic search. Strategic partners include Tongcheng Travel (the parent integrated platform), TripAdvisor, Juneyao Air, Zhuzhe Hotel Management System, and Tongye Mall. eLong was previously listed on NASDAQ under ticker LONG before the Tongcheng merger and subsequent delisting, and now operates as a private entity within the combined Tongcheng eLong group.

Name

eLong.com

Legal name

北京艺龙信息技术有限公司

Website

https://elong.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

eLong.com (艺龙旅行网) is a Chinese online travel agency operating within the Tongcheng eLong platform, offering hotel, flight, and train booking plus TMC, short-term rentals, and travel insurance to over 200 million users across more than 1.1 million hotels globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Travel Agency

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Travel Agencies (56151)

akta.pro primary industry

Destination/Activity Booking Marketplaces (Tours & Tickets Aggregators) (THAKAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

White-Label Booking Engine Platforms (SaaS/Widget) (THALADAN)

Keywords

• Online travel booking
• Hotel reservation platform
• Airline ticket booking
• Corporate travel management
• Travel partner distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hotel booking commission: eLong earns commission revenue from hotels listed on its platform for each completed booking, operating on a commission-per-transaction basis. The加盟合作 page explicitly states '根据您的实际收益收费，无收益无收费' (charges based on actual earnings, no charge without earnings), confirming a performance-based commission model.
2. Flight ticket booking commission: Revenue generated from flight ticket booking services including domestic and international airfares, leveraging the company's status as an 中航协认证机票服务提供商 (Civil Aviation Association of China certified air ticket service provider).
3. Train ticket booking commission: Train ticket booking services offered through the platform as part of the integrated travel booking ecosystem.
4. Advertising services: Advertising services offered to hotel partners and merchants through dedicated advertising service pages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

eLong.com (艺龙旅行网) operates an online travel agency platform enabling consumers to search, compare, and book hotels (1.1 million+ properties globally), domestic/international flights, and domestic train tickets. The platform aggregates third-party hotel and travel supplier inventory and earns transaction commissions per completed booking, supplemented by 24/7 call-center support, mobile app booking, and an open partner platform that allows travel agents and hotel partners to distribute inventory.

Product overview

eLong.com (艺龙旅行网) operates as a comprehensive online travel platform with a modular architecture centered around its hotel booking service. The core platform offers hotel booking (1.1 million+ hotels), flight booking, and train ticket booking services. The platform extends through several modules including hotel group buying, short-term rental apartments, flash deals, corporate travel management (TMC), and travel insurance distribution. An open partner platform enables affiliates to distribute travel products, while a merchant center allows hotels to manage their listings. The company positions itself as one of China's two major travel platforms alongside its competitor, serving over 200 million users with a mission to make travel 'simpler and happier' through innovative technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hotel Booking (酒店预订) Core hotel booking service enabling users to search, compare real-time prices, view hotel photos, and browse user reviews across 1.1 million hotels globally. Targets individual Chinese consumers for leisure and business travel.
• Flight Booking (机票预订) Domestic and international flight booking service providing real-time flight information, price comparison, and special offers. eLong is a Civil Aviation Association of China certified air ticket service provider (中航协认证机票服务提供商).
• Train Ticket Booking (火车票预订) Domestic train ticket booking service allowing users to purchase tickets through the platform as part of the integrated travel booking ecosystem.
• International Hotels (国际酒店) International hotel booking service covering hotels outside mainland China, including Hong Kong, Macau, and global destinations, available at the international sub-portal.
• Hotel Group Buying (酒店团购) Group purchasing service for hotels offering discounted rates for bulk bookings.
• Short-term Rental Apartments (短租公寓) Short-term rental apartment booking service for extended stays.
• Flash Deals (限时抢) Time-limited special offers and flash sales on hotels.
• Business Travel / TMC (商旅) Corporate travel management service for business travelers, providing integrated travel solutions for enterprises.
• Travel Insurance (旅行保险) Travel insurance products available through the partner Tongcheng Insurance platform integrated with eLong.
• Open Platform (开放平台) Partner platform enabling affiliates and third-party travel agents to access hotel and flight inventory and earn commissions by distributing eLong's travel products.
• Merchant Center (商家中心) Hotel management portal for merchants to manage their listings, bookings, pricing, and analytics on the eLong platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 million users served through the Tongcheng eLong platform
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• TripAdvisorminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTripAdvisor is listed as a partner in the footer of the eLong website, enabling cross-promotion of travel content and reviews between platforms.
• 吉祥航空 (Juneyao Air)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJuneyao Air is listed as a partner on the eLong website, enabling airline ticket booking integration alongside hotel accommodations.
• 同驿商城 (Tongye Mall)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTongye Mall is listed as a partner on the eLong website, providing hotel supply chain and procurement services.
• 同程旅行 (Tongcheng Travel)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnereLong operates as part of the Tongcheng eLong (同程艺龙) integrated travel platform. The eLong hotel channel is explicitly positioned as a component of Tongcheng eLong, one of China's two major travel platforms with over 200 million users. The company's mission statement, technology infrastructure, and user base are shared across the combined entity.
• 北京艺龙信息技术有限公司 / eLong, Inc.coreOthers

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Trip.com Group (Ctrip): China's largest online travel agency and eLong's primary duopoly competitor. Both operate hotel, flight, and train booking for Chinese consumers with similar commission-based models and large inventory.
• Fliggy (Alibaba Travel): Alibaba's online travel platform offering hotel, flight, and vacation bookings to Chinese consumers. Direct competitor in the Chinese OTA market with strong e-commerce integration and traffic.
• Qunar: Chinese travel metasearch and OTA platform, now part of Trip.com Group. Comparable as a hotel and flight booking platform targeting Chinese travelers with similar inventory breadth.
• Tongcheng Travel Holdings: Parent/partner platform of eLong and the other half of the Tongcheng eLong combined entity. Operates overlapping hotel, flight, and travel booking for Chinese consumers under a merged platform with shared user base and technology.

Broad incumbents

• Expedia Group: Global OTA with B2C and B2B (Expedia Partner Solutions) platforms serving similar hotel booking, flight, and package use cases. Comparable business model and global hotel inventory reach.
• Booking Holdings (Booking.com): Global OTA leader with massive hotel inventory and a well-known brand. Comparable as a hotel-first booking platform; competes with eLong in cross-border Chinese outbound travel and inbound international travel.
• Hotels.com: Hotel-focused OTA brand owned by Expedia Group, specializing in accommodation bookings. Directly comparable to eLong's core hotel booking vertical in terms of inventory breadth and target customer.
• Agoda: Asia-Pacific focused OTA owned by Booking Holdings with deep hotel inventory across the region. Directly comparable in the international hotel booking vertical eLong targets for outbound Chinese travelers.

Emerging players

• Meituan: Local services super-app with a fast-growing hotel booking vertical in China. Increasingly competes with OTAs on lower-tier hotels and direct booking, representing a structural disintermediation threat.
• Mafengwo: Chinese travel content and community platform with a growing OTA offering. Comparable as a Chinese travel booking platform targeting leisure travelers, though smaller in scale than eLong.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/elongenglish
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elong-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

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

M&A

Investments3 records

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

Frequently asked questions about eLong.com