I’ve been travel blogging for over a decade now — and I’ve seen some incredible highs, from millions of users a month on my travel blog, to crushing lows during that time.
I managed to turn my passion for travel into a profitable business, changing my own life exponentially in the process, and affiliate marketing was a big part of that journey.
But affiliate marketing can, well, be real fucking hard. Juggling multiple partners and networks, planning and creating content, monitoring everything to make sure you actually get paid, and trying to gauge which affiliates are the best partners is no small feat.
Cue in Stay22…
If you landed here, I assume you’ve heard of them before.
I saw them all over blogging groups and was approached multiple times before gingerly deciding to take them for a spin, but after 6 months of proper testing, I’m excited to share my Stay22 review.
These guys simplified my affiliate marketing efforts and boosted my blog’s revenue by more than 20%.
They’re changing the game, they’ve certainly changed mine, and you’ll want in on it – especially if you are struggling to monetise your blog.
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What is Stay22?
Simply put, Stay22 is an AI-powered solution for travel bloggers and publishers who want to increase their revenue with little to no extra work.
It connects your audience with tailored accommodation options from major booking platforms like Booking.com, Expedia, and Hotels.com, and it does it based on your readers’ travel intent, location and past browsing/booking history.
The tech is pretty smart and Stay 22 does all the legwork through a single, easy-to-install script that takes less than 5 minutes to implement on your site.
You then immediately start generating a commission from sales sent via your blog.
Click here to learn more about Stay22. They’ll know you came from me so you’ll get an extra $100 once you achieve 100 confirmed bookings.
How It Works — Reviewing Stay22’s Features
Stay22 comes in different shapes and sizes which you get to opt in or out of. I’ll run you first through the ones I use and give you an overview of its other main features.
Image: Nic Hilditch-Short
NOVA Pop-up
NOVA is Stay22’s AI-driven safety net that identifies users about to leave your page and offers them a perfect last-minute accommodation suggestion in a new tab.
My accommodation affiliate revenue went up by almost 20% in the first month alone thanks to this, which targets users with real travel intent, capturing additional bookings in pieces of content where I’m not selling much and struggling to monetise. It’s pretty none-obtrusive as it’ll only serve to an individual user once every 30 days.
Spark
Spark is a new feature that came about in late 2024 which scans your posts, identifies missed affiliate opportunities, and seamlessly inserts hyperlinks into your existing content—without altering a single word of your writing.
The idea is that you maximise all the additional revenue opportunities you’re currently leaving on the table.
I’m still testing this one so I can’t fully comment on its effectiveness.
LMA (Let Me Allez)
LMA essentially does two things: converts all eligible partners’ links into Stay22 links, fixing any broken links or 404 redirects it finds, and optimises existing links with personalised options your readers are more likely to book.
Stay22 does big volume by having loads of different blogs under their wing, so they’re able to score better commissions with their affiliates than most small blogs.
This means even with the percentage cut you’re likely to have a better deal by partnering with them…
Interactive Maps
Stay22 also offers fully customizable maps that display accommodation options near attractions or airports. Not only do these maps show available accommodations, but they also display real-time prices, helping users make informed decisions directly on your site—no external searches needed.
Who can join?
There are no real barriers to entry with Stay22 — If you’re a travel blogger, media publisher, or own any travel-related platform, they’re open for you.
And the best part is that you don’t need to have any direct relationship with companies like Expedia or Booking.com, Stay22 does all that for you and you’re ready to monetise.
Once I installed the script, I saw results on the very same day.
It will depend on your traffic, but most people see great results because Stay22 helps them unlock revenue opportunities they hadn’t even realised were there…
My site is a pretty well-oiled machine but I was surprised to find so many opportunities discovered by Stay22 for further monetisation and it definitely ended up putting more money in my pocket.
Photo: @amandaadraper
Pros of using Stay22
One of Stay22’s biggest advantages in my opinion is their advanced geotargeting features.
Say you’ve got a reader coming in from the US. You presented him with a hotel option from Booking.com, but he doesn’t like it. He exclusively uses Expedia for his bookings.
He doesn’t click, you don’t grab his little cookie, and he leaves.
With Stay22, especially through their pop-up feature, they automatically recommend a booking site based on your reader’s location and preferences.
And since partnering with them I’ve found that way more people use Expedia and Hotels.com than I imagined. I also made a good number of commissions in finding that.
But there is more…
Give it a try and sign up through my special link to get a $100 bonus once you reach 100 confirmed bookings. Even smaller blogs see these results in 2-3 months!
Partnerships done for you
Stay22 mixes everything in one bag so you don’t have to worry about multiple affiliate partnerships. Booking.com, Expedia, Get Your Guide, KAYAK…
Their all-in-one coverage is definitely one of their strongest suits.
Flexibility
There is a lot of room to play with these guys.
They offer plenty of different features and are always keen to work out custom deals that work best for their partners.
You can always ask to remove certain partners from their script, for example, if you wanna preserve an existing relationship you already have and feel is more valuable.
Ease of use
Stay22 is the definition of plug-and-play.
You register for free, get the script up on your site and generate your first booking probably all within the same day.
They’re super easy to use, respond fast to my queries, and information is crystal clear on their dashboard.
You can easily figure out which affiliates are performing best with your readers, what posts are generating more sales, which specific hotels are being booked, etc. It gives you an extra layer of insights on your blog for sure.
Cons of using Stay22
One of the things I’ve noticed is that bookings made through the Stay22 pop-up tend to lead to more cancellations than the ones we generate directly from our articles.
The thing is we’re still making considerably more money because we now generate at least 15/20% more bookings than before.
My results using Stay22
Full disclosure, I had been contacted by Stay22 in the past and didn’t explore it further because, well, I get a lot of emails from ad networks asking me to join.
I didn’t like the idea and thought I was doing just fine with my own relationships with affiliate partners.
I was, but I could’ve made so much more…
Now, The Broke Backpacker blog welcomes over 400K unique visitors each month, so you need to take that into account when assessing your own potential.
Still, it usually takes a smaller blog on average 2 months to reach 100 bookings, which is already a significant uptick in a lot of people’s revenues.
I’ve made most of my commissions through the NOVA pop-up, so there’s a lot of potential if you turn on more of their features.
Fill out their form, get chatting and get earning 😉
Final Thoughts: Is Stay22 Worth It and How to Get Started
Heck. Yes. Heck yes. I wouldn’t of bothered writing this review (which we were not paid to write) if I didn’t believe this was well worth sharing.
There’s not even room for discussion here. This post is obviously based on my own personal experience, but it has indeed been great.
Stay22 revolutionised the way I monetise my blog and it’s been a great journey so far. Can’t wait to see what else they come up with 🙂
Get started by clicking this link and see for yourself!
Buy Us a Coffee!
A couple of you lovely readers suggested we set up a tip jar for direct support as an alternative to booking through our links. So we created one!
You can now buy The Broke Backpacker a coffee. If you like and use our content to plan your trips, it’s a much appreciated way to show appreciation 🙂
