Affiliate tools can make or break a travel blog. Some promise quick wins but end up being clunky, time-consuming, or barely profitable. After years of testing different platforms, I’ve found only a few that actually fit into my workflow and bring real results. Stay22 is one of them.
I’ve been using Stay22 for more than 4 years now – I probably was one of their first ever affiliates – and it’s a key part of how I monetize my blog. In this review, I’ll share what it is, how it works, the results I’ve seen, and a few tips for other bloggers considering it.
In a hurry? Try Stay22 on your travel blog here and get a $100 bonus once you hit 100 confirmed bookings.
Trying to make it as an Italian blogger
As I started my journey in the blogging world more than 10 years ago, senior bloggers insisted that in order to make a living with this job, I’d have to work on “projects” with tourism boards to promote their destinations. That meant attending events, conferences, and tourism fairs like WTM in London, or ITB in Berlin.
However, I soon learned that income opportunities for foreign bloggers writing in English aren’t the same as they are for North American or UK bloggers. As an Italian who is writing in English for a (mostly) American audience, I found little point in attending fairs and events, as talking to PRs and tourism boards can be frustrating.
I almost entirely stopped doing that, as during most events, I was sent around in circles: US tourism boards and PRs would tell me they’d only work with US nationals, and I might want to contact their offices in the UK.
UK offices would suggest I’d talk to Italian PRs, as I have an Italian passport. Italian PRs would not want to work with English-language bloggers as their target market is Italians (who notoriously look for information in Italian).
I thus decided that my best chance at making an income in this field would be through affiliate revenue. And thanks to Stay22, I can count on a steady revenue stream.
What Is Stay22?
At its core, Stay22 is a monetization platform designed specifically for content creators, publishers, and more. It helps you earn money when readers book hotels, vacation rentals, or tours through links on your blog.
The difference between Stay22 and traditional affiliate programs, and the reason that made me sign up when it was just starting to enroll affiliate partners, is how easy it is. Normally, you’d need to:
- Sign up for individual programs (Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, etc.).
- Generate affiliate links manually.
- Insert those links into posts (and when you have several travel blogs like I do, this takes an endless amount of time).
Keep them updated when something breaks (which is more often than you think).
Stay22 streamlines all of that with a simple script. Once installed, it automatically converts your existing affiliate links into smart affiliate links that work across multiple platforms.
Currently, Stay22 supports:
- Booking.com
- Expedia
- Hotels.com
- Agoda
- VRBO
- Tripadvisor
- Trivago
- Kayak
- GetYourGuide
Their suppliers’ list is always growing. That means that just one tool gives you access to a huge range of accommodation booking platforms and tour booking engines.
How Stay22 Works (My Setup Experience)
When Stay22 first reached out to me in February 2021, I’ll admit I hesitated. I only knew one blogger using them. She’s a dear friend, and she’s an incredible blogger, so I trusted her when she said the tool worked wonders on her site, and I decided to try it myself.
After a detailed conversation with their team (who answered all my questions clearly), I decided to give it a shot.
The setup turned out to be much easier than expected:
- I copied a short script from their dashboard, which they also shared in an email.
- I then pasted it into the header of my site with a basic plugin.
- Done — it took less than 10 minutes.
My affiliate manager then checked that everything was working.
When I first signed up, I only used one of their features (the interactive maps). I wish I had installed the script (which activates Nova, among other features) sooner, as that would have meant more income! More on this below.
What impressed me most was how it instantly started converting. I didn’t have to edit a single blog post with Nova (though I had to add the map to some posts). Suddenly, I was earning from Expedia, VRBO, and Hotels.com too (of which I was never a direct affiliate partner) — without touching my content.
Key Tools of Stay22
Stay22 isn’t just a script. It comes with tools that help you maximize affiliate income, and their team is constantly working on developing new technology to help bloggers convert more and ultimately increase their income.
Here are the Stay22 tools:
Nova
This is by far my favorite tool of Stay22. Nova is an AI-powered booking assistant. It only activates for readers who show strong booking intent and shows them tailored accommodation options. At first, I was unsure — it felt a bit intrusive.
But it’s subtle, and I haven’t had complaints from my readers. Nova activates an undertab, ready for the reader whenever they are- no interruption to their browsing/reading experience.
More importantly, it works: conversions increased enormously after I enabled it on my site.
LinkSwap
As part of the LMA script, LinkSwap replaces your existing affiliate links with high-converting Stay22 smart links.
But there’s more: the LMA script replaces links automatically whenever a link is broken. Changing broken affiliate links is one of the most time-consuming things for bloggers, because going through posts to find the links that are broken and replacing them takes a long time.
And let me tell you, as someone who has been blogging for more than 10 years, affiliate links break all the time – because hotels close, they change their name, they decide not to promote themselves on a platform, they close the bookings for a period, and so on.
Thanks to the script, however, you won’t be missing out on income opportunities just because a link has changed.
Spark
Spark is an excellent product if you are just getting started with affiliate marketing or if you have a ton of blog posts that could be monetized.
It scans your old posts for missed monetization opportunities and suggests where affiliate links could naturally fit. On average, it adds 2–3 links per article.
I tested it for a while, but later disabled it. Since I have been working with affiliate marketing since day one of my blogging journey, I prefer to add links with intention. I have learned never to miss a chance to add an affiliate link where there’s a good income opportunity.
Still, it’s useful if you want a quick way to unlock revenue from your older blog posts.
Interactive Maps
This was the tool that made me sign up for Stay22, though I no longer implement it to be honest (I should, it has a lot of potential, but I have 3 sites and an incredible backlog of work).
The tool offers embeddable maps showing prices and availability for hotels. Readers can explore accommodation options directly on your blog post, which keeps them engaged on your website instead of jumping around to another platform.
Affiliate Link Generator
This is also referred to as Allez Generator. You can still manually generate standard affiliate links with Stay22. Just paste a hotel or tour URL into the Stay22 dashboard, and it turns it into a trackable affiliate link. It’s super easy, because you just need to find the hotel on other platforms (Booking, Hotels, Expedia, etc), and just copy it into the link generator.
What I love about this feature is that I can create my campaigns, and it allows me to see which posts are converting.
Roam
Behind all of the above-mentioned tools, Roam is the smart AI technology that powers Stay22. It analyzes your reader’s behavior, predicts booking intent, and optimizes what users see – it is powering LinkSwap, Nova, Spark, and more. It’s what makes Stay22 “smart”.
The Roam AI engine makes sure every reader lands on their best booking option. For example, if a reader in Germany clicks a link, it might send them to the platform they trust most there, which may be different from the platform most used in the United States or in South Africa. That geo-targeting alone has boosted my conversions.
Indeed, while here in Europe, booking.com is the most used platform for hotel reservations, people in the United States often prefer using hotels.com or even Expedia.
Benefits of Using Stay22
Let me start with a little personal anecdote. I remember telling the person who, once I signed up, became my affiliate manager, that the tool better work, because I was buying a new washing machine that cost around $1,600 USD, and needed the money to pay for that.
She joked and asked me if I was buying a gold-plated washing machine, then she promised that I would see results soon.
She was right. Just in my first month after implementing the script, I made enough money to almost completely repay my washing machine.
My income has increased enormously since then.
Here’s what I personally like about using Stay22:
- Quick setup – I was up and running in minutes, no tech headaches – not even for someone who isn’t tech savvy like I am.
- Multiple partners in one tool – I use Stay22 for all my accommodation affiliates, and it’s incredibly easy.
- Time-saving – I spend less time fixing links and more time creating or updating content. This really is the epitome of what they call “passive income”.
- Geo-targeting – readers see the platforms they trust in their country, which they don’t necessarily use as we might think.
- Flexibility – I can turn some of their tools on or off depending on my strategy.
- Support team – I have a lot to say here (and I will). But quickly: support at Stay22 is always fast, personal, and genuinely helpful. Not an email goes unanswered, even when it’s not strictly related to affiliate revenue or affiliate marketing strategies.
- Data insights – enough reporting to see which posts convert best.
- Reliable payouts – quick and consistent. You have to request payments (just click on a button for that) and will receive them within 30 working days.
- Passive income from old posts – broken links are fixed automatically. The Nova feature is a breeze to install, and the best definition of passive income any blogger has ever known.
- Higher overall income – I now earn more compared to when I only used Booking.com, because Stay22 geotargets the readers based on their location and allows them to use their favorite booking platform, so they don’t leave the booking page in search for the one they normally use.
Drawbacks to Keep in Mind
No tool is perfect, and Stay22 has a few downsides – but you will see that they can be overcome.
- Commission transparency – Booking gives you a range of the percentage you will get from each booking coming through your site, which varies depending on the overall number of bookings you receive. With Stay22, you will get a fixed percentage that doesn’t vary with the overall number of bookings, so it may be more stable throughout the year. Another thing to know is that Stay22 takes a cut before passing it on (of course, they do).
- Reporting could be better – I’d love to see which features (like Nova or Spark) generate the most bookings. Right now, you only get to see the overall results. However, support is always very responsive, and they will be able to give you an exact breakdown of the bookings by tool.
- Nova might feel intrusive– though subtle, some bloggers might prefer to keep it turned off. But the income benefits are greater than the concerns
For me, the benefits of working with Stay22 outweigh these issues, but they’re worth noting if complete transparency is a dealbreaker for you.
My Personal Experience With Stay22
I can’t speak of Stay22 highly enough, and actively promote it to other bloggers. My experience with Stay22 has mostly been a smooth one, and I love how, whenever there have been hiccups or issues, the entire team collaborated to find a solution.
I also love the fact that they are always available for a chat and won’t hide behind a screen. My affiliate manager, as well as others in the team, are always keen to jump on a conference call to talk about any issue – including ones that are not strictly related to affiliate marketing.
For example, I recently raised an issue regarding the platform that manages payments with a bunch of other affiliate networks I work with. While all replied, only Stay22 agreed to talk to me to listen to my grievances and possibly find a solution (and even if we don’t, I still love the fact that they didn’t think about it twice to talk to me).
I have also met a bunch of Stay22 staff in person. They invited me and another blogger friend of mine to be their “ambassador” (not an official role) during TBEX Anchorage, where they hosted several interesting panels. It was refreshing to get to know such a young, fun team.
Tips for Travel Bloggers Using Stay22
If you’re considering Stay22, here are a few lessons I’ve learned:
Start simple – Don’t overthink it. Install the script, let it run, and then refine your setup once you see the first results. Give it at least a month to see how it goes.
Test Nova and Spark – Don’t assume every Stay22 tool will suit your blog. Enable them, track results for a few weeks, and then decide. For example, I tested Spark on my site for a few months and then decided it wasn’t the right solution for me.
Pair it with direct programs – I still use Booking.com’s direct program in certain cases. Stay22 works really well alongside it, not instead of it. Likewise, for GetYourGuide, I prefer working with the direct program.
Use reporting wisely – Even if it’s not super detailed, your dashboard shows which posts earn the most. Focus on updating and promoting those. If you are unsure about your reporting, get in touch with your affiliate manager, and they’ll be quick to help.
Watch for broken links – The LinkSwap is activated with the LMA script, and it saves you here. But it’s still good practice to audit old posts once in a while.
These small steps have helped me maximize what I earn without complicating my workflow.
How to sign up for Stay22
This is super easy! Click on this link, and you will be taken to the sign-up page. Give it a try – and it only takes minutes to get it up and running on your site. When you reach 100 bookings (the amount of time varies depending on your traffic), you’ll receive a $100 bonus. Register here.
Final Thoughts: Is Stay22 Worth It?
Signing up with Stay 22 is a great idea. You will quickly learn that Stay22 works with travel bloggers, not against them. They always listen, always reply.
Stay22 is one of my favorite affiliate tools. It quietly runs in the background, it saves me time managing links, and it helps me earn more from existing content, thus giving me more time to work on new content or update existing posts.
What if you don’t like Stay22 in the end? Just as installing the script takes a few minutes, removing it is very easy too. For me, it’s definitely worth keeping!
Ready to give Stay22 a try? Sign up with my Stay22 link here and get a $100 bonus once you hit 100 confirmed bookings.
Legal Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Stay22. Needless to say, the opinions expressed in this post remain my own.
