Engine vs. CTM: Zero fees, same-day setup
Engine gives you 1M+ hotels, zero booking fees, and same-day setup. CTM is a full-service TMC with dedicated account managers and per-transaction fees.
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33,000+ BUSINESSES THAT HAVE DITCHED LEGACY TRAVEL MANAGEMENT FOR ENGINE.
| What’s included | CTM | Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Enterprise pricing is not publicly available. Contact CTM sales for a quote. | Engine is free to join. No booking fees, no membership fees, and no agent-assist fees. |
| Invoicing | CTM offers an invoice portal with search and download. Invoicing cycles are client-negotiated. | Engine pays the hotels. You get one consolidated invoice (billed after stays), subject to credit approval. |
| Cancellation flexibility | Changes and cancellations run through CTM's OBT and mobile app. Unused air value tracks through CTM Banx. | FlexPro (paid add-on) gives you unlimited hotel modifications and cancellations to noon on check-in day, with $440 average savings per cancellation. |
| Cost tracking | Data Hub delivers program reporting. Pre-trip approvals support tiered workflows across configurable variables. | Custom Fields tag spend by project, client, department, job codes, or PO numbers. Travel Policies enforce limits on search. |
| Hotels | 45,000+ properties across 170+ countries, with up to 30% off BAR at preferred CTM Global Hotel Program properties. | 1M+ hotels worldwide, with 12.5% average hotel savings, up to 70% in select cases. |
| Flights and cars | GDS, LCC API, and NDC content including American Airlines NDC. 40+ car rental brands. CTM also books rail. | Hundreds of airlines across GDS and NDC content, plus 40+ car rental brands. Engine does not book rail. |
| Group bookings | Groups of 10 to 1,000+ rooms with dedicated Group Travel Managers. Full Meetings & Events division for conferences and incentives. | 9+ rooms with Engine's team and the fastest group RFP response time in the market. Engine Spaces adds 40,000+ event venues. |
| Rewards and corporate card | Supplier loyalty passthrough for hotel programs, plus virtual card integrations including Conferma and Mesh Payments. | Engine Rewards earns points on every hotel booking, redeemable for travel credits. Engine X earns up to 10% back on hotels and cars, 1.5% on everything else, with no annual fee (other fees may apply).* |
| Setup | CTM says large programs deliver in as little as 6 weeks. SME onboarding takes a few days. | Sign up and book your first hotel the same day. No IT integration required for basic booking. |
| Support | Risk Hub with real-time traveler mapping, SMS alerts, and pre-trip risk assessments. Scout AI handles routine service requests. | 24/7 US-based human support with mobile trip visibility and International SOS duty-of-care coverage. No AI chatbot. |
HOW WE MAKE BUSINESS TRAVEL EASY
Flexibility guaranteed
Modify or cancel any reservation and get a refund when you book with FlexPro, a paid add-on
Consolidated invoices
Eliminate individual receipts and reimbursement cycles with DirectBill
Inventory & savings
Save an average of 12.5% with exclusive rates at over 1M hotels
Real-time visibility
Track travel activity & spend patterns across the entire organization
Double up on rewards
Import loyalty numbers to stack Engine + hotel rewards
Travel policy enforcement
Your custom policy is enforced at the time of booking
ENGINE ISN’T RIGHT FOR EVERY TEAM.
NEITHER IS CTM. HERE’S THE HONEST DIFFERENCE.
Choose Engine if …
- Your team travels across industries and locations, and you need a platform that covers flights, hotels, cars, meeting spaces, and group bookings without stitching together vendors
- You want zero booking fees, zero membership fee, and no long-term contract
- You need a same-day setup with policy enforcement built into search, not a six-week implementation
- Your finance team wants one consolidated invoice (billed after stays) instead of reconciling individual traveler receipts
- You want rewards that stack: Engine Rewards on every hotel booking plus Engine X points on eligible purchases, with hotel loyalty passthrough intact
Choose CTM if …
- Rail booking is a meaningful part of your program, and you need Amtrak, Eurostar, or European domestic rail inside the same platform as air and hotel
- You want a full Meetings & Events division with dedicated Group Travel Managers, custom event apps, and end-to-end conference services
- You need an advanced, integrated risk suite with real-time traveler tracking, SMS risk alerts, and pre-trip risk assessments
- You need configurable multi-tier approval workflows with conditional routing across who, what, when, and where variables
- You want an AI assistant embedded in your booking tool and Microsoft Teams to automate cancellations, invoice requests, and policy questions
See Engine in action
We have some great interactive demos
BUILT FOR THE WAY REAL TEAMS TRAVEL
Construction
Field crews and project managers booking near remote job sites hit CTM's 45,000-property network first, which often does not cover the local motels and mid-market properties near work zones.
Engine started with field and project travel. 1M+ properties include the mid-market and near-site options crews actually book, and Direct Bill removes the need for card authorization forms on every stay.
Professional services
Consulting teams booking client-site travel across dozens of engagements hit CTM's per-transaction fees on every self-serve booking and every agent-assisted change.
Zero booking fees, zero agent-assist fees, and Custom Fields that tag every trip to a client, project, job code, or PO number for clean cost allocation.
Events and conferences
Bringing 200 people to a sold-out convention city stretches a 45,000-property hotel program thin, and full-service M&E engagements can add cost and lead time.
1M+ hotels worldwide, Engine Spaces for 40,000+ meeting and event venues, and Engine's team handling groups of 9+ rooms with the fastest group RFP response time in the market.
Anyone looking to partner with Engine should know you're getting a team that makes an immediate impact.
They activate quickly, they innovate, and they create value for every stakeholder. Engine focuses on what they do well, and they do it really, really well.
Frequently asked questions
CTM does not publicly disclose pricing. G2 lists the entry-level price as "Contact Us." A Washington State procurement contract shows per-transaction fees of $3 for self-serve Lightning bookings and $18 for agent-assisted bookings, plus $15 for after-hours service. Engine is free to join with no booking fees, no membership fee, and no agent-assist fees.
Engine is built for companies without a dedicated travel department. Most teams sign up and book the same day with no IT integration required for basic booking. Policy enforcement happens automatically at the point of booking, and Direct Bill delivers one consolidated invoice (billed after stays) instead of chasing receipts. CTM's model assumes a dedicated travel manager working alongside a Client Value Manager.
CTM handles changes and cancellations in its OBT and mobile app, and tracks unused air ticket value through CTM Banx and Smart Recovery. Engine's FlexPro (paid add-on) gives you unlimited hotel modifications and cancellations up to noon on check-in day, with a full refund as a travel credit valid for one year.
CTM says large programs can be delivered in as little as 6 weeks, and its SME offering says onboarding can happen in a few days. Engine's basic booking is available the same day you sign up, with no contracts and no IT integration required.
CTM's Data Hub provides program reporting, and its pre-trip approval workflows support tiered approvals across configurable variables. Engine offers real-time reporting with Custom Fields to tag spend by project, client, department, job codes, or PO numbers, and enforces Travel Policies at search with book-outside-policy exception requests requiring justification.
CTM's published materials confirm supplier loyalty passthrough for hotel programs and virtual card integrations, including Conferma and Mesh Payments. Engine offers Engine Rewards on every hotel booking, plus Engine X, which gives you up to 10% back on hotels and cars and 1.5% on everything else, with no annual fee (other fees may apply).*
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See comparison*Earn up to 10% back in points on qualifying Engine travel purchases. Actual reward rates vary by purchase category and may change. Points have no cash value and are redeemable for rewards through our program.
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