Hassle not worth the headache.
It’s also frustrating talking to agents that can barely speak English. Over the phone you have to constantly tell them to repeat themselves. Then on chat, you have to decipher what they’re trying to say through their broken English. You should be able to request a fluent English speaker like you can on Amazon.
Then the long-term issues are getting your reward points. Even if it has the purple star, it’s never a guarantee the hotel will give them to you. Also win checking in to the hotel and tell them that they don’t need your credit card because you have coverage through the app., It’s always a runaround headache with that argument. The couple hundred bucks it might save the company a year is not worth all this nonsense. We did just fine booking the hotels ourselves before we started this nightmare.
If your employer is thinking about going this route, then you should protest vehemently.
App not working
Scam App
Firstly, even if you link reward accounts in the app or directly with the hotel upon check-in, you WILL NOT receive your reward points. If anyone from this app says otherwise they are lying. IHG will not give you reward points when booking with 3rd party apps.
Secondly, if anyone adjustments need to be made to your stay more times than not your credit card is not refunded, only your Engine account is credited. This poses a lot of complications if bookings are for contract jobs that routinely get dates changed.
Thirdly, because Engine uses 3rd party apps, if there’s any mistakes of your booking that are only discovered at the time of check in, the hotels themselves cannot help you with anything. Customer service through 3rd party apps are atrociously bad.
If your company is making you use this app for work, let them know it’s a scam and they’ve been scammed into using it. It’s so so so so bad, do not use it at all
Response from developer
Hey there, it sounds like you've encountered some unique obstacles while using Engine. We do work with the major chains to accept loyalty programs, and selecting any hotel room/rate with that purple badge means your loyalty points are accepted - it also means it's booked through Engine and not a third party supplier (we do offer rates from third party suppliers - we want you to have the best prices possible!). If you keep running across hotels that refuse their brand's loyalty points, or if you encounter any issues at check in, please let us know so we can make it right.
Disappointed
Response from developer
Rest assured, our call centers are 100% staffed by humans. In any case, whenever a cancellation or date change is out of policy, we're usually bound by a hotel's agreement, even in inclement weather. Our MS team should be able to 'eat the cost' on occasion, so don't hesitate to ask when necessary. We also encourage you to try our Flex option, which allows you to cancel regardless of a hotel's policies.
