More Than $2 Billion USD in Travel Bookings Facilitated Through Stay22 as It Celebrates its 10th anniversary

• Grows 100x since 2019, with its network more than tripling to over 10,000 creators and publishers
• Unveils a refreshed brand built around the creators and publishers it serves

MONTREAL, Nov. 4, 2026 /CNW/ -- Stay22, the intent monetization company helping creators and digital platforms turn web traffic into revenue, is celebrating its 10th anniversary, with more than US $2 billion in travel bookings facilitated through its technology.

The idea behind the company is simple: when someone reads a travel guide and decides to book a hotel, the creator or publisher who inspired that trip should get paid. To mark the milestone, Stay22 is unveiling a refreshed brand under the campaign line "Another world is calling," putting those creators and publishers at the center of its identity and reflecting how far it has come since starting as a travel affiliate tool.

"A decade in, we have grown up, but our core has not changed," said Andrew Lockhead, co-founder and CEO of Stay22. "We have the same hunger and the same instinct, now backed by ten years of trust built partner by partner. This is the moment to show who we have become: a company that helps creators and publishers turn the intent they inspire into income, wherever that intent lives."

The rebrand builds on six years of rapid growth. Creators and publishers using the platform now generate more than 10,000 bookings per day, or over 3.6 million annually, with travelers booking stays in more than 220 countries and regions.

The new brand identity is shifting how Stay22 shows up, with its visual identity being handcrafted, with original illustration style and photography sourced from Stay22's own creators, which the company describes as a way of paying respect to them and their craft. The refresh also introduces a new tagline, StayGolden, and is live now at stay22.com.

A Decade of Growth Through Industry Disruption

Stay22 was founded in 2016 by Hamed Al-Khabbaz and Andrew Lockhead after Al-Khabbaz struggled to find accommodation near an e-sports event. The company initially focused on helping event attendees find places to stay near venues before broadening into travel monetization infrastructure.

The company's trajectory was shaped by a series of external shocks. In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic eliminated more than 90% of Stay22's revenue almost overnight. The company shifted its focus from events to local, activity-based travel and began working with travel bloggers and creators. In 2021, when Airbnb discontinued its affiliate program, Stay22 diversified its inventory through suppliers such as Vrbo and Trivago and introduced a tool that automates monetization for creators and publishers.

"Two events that could have ended the company instead showed us where the real opportunity was," said Al-Khabbaz. "Creators and publishers had highly trusted audiences with untapped booking intent, and no simple way to earn from it. Building for them is what turned those setbacks into the business we have today."

Today, Stay22 works with more than 13 major suppliers, including Booking.com, Expedia Group and Trip.com, which recently joined the platform and added more than 1.7 million properties. It now works with more than 10,000 active creators and publishers, up from approximately 3,000 in 2024, and its technology loads on more than 8 billion web pages each year.

The Next Decade

Stay22's strategy for its next ten years is defined by a single objective: monetizing intent, wherever it lives. Travel remains the foundation of the business, and over time the company plans to apply the same approach to other categories where audiences act on what creators recommend. Its recent $122 million investment from Summit Partners is funding global expansion, product development, team growth and new verticals.

The company is also preparing for changes in how consumers discover products and plan travel. AI agents are shifting travel planning away from search and comparison toward guided, conversational recommendations that draw heavily on trusted, first-hand content. According to the Travel Creator Economy in 2026 Report co-written by Stay22 and Travel Massive, a global tourism network, 71% of surveyed creators already use AI tools.

"As AI changes how people search and plan, the creators and publishers whose content those systems rely on will matter more, not less," said Al-Khabbaz. "Our role is to make sure they are visible and fairly compensated across every channel where purchase decisions happen, including social, video, newsletters and AI search."

About Stay22

Stay22 is an intent monetization platform that helps creators, publishers and digital platforms earn from the travel plans their audiences are already making. It connects the moment someone is ready to book with the right places to stay and travel services. More than 10,000 creators and publishers rely on Stay22, generating over 10,000 bookings per day. Stay22's technology has facilitated more than USD $2 billion in travel bookings to date. Now in its 10th year, Stay22 has over 130 employees, the majority of whom are based in Montreal. For more information, visit www.stay22.com.

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SOURCE Stay22