Travel is a way to explore new cultures and create unforgettable memories.

But it can also be expensive, especially when it comes to where you stay.

That’s why hotel affiliate programs are a smart way to monetize your passion for travel. As a hotel affiliate, you can earn commissions by recommending the best hotel booking platforms to your audience.

Whether they’re looking for a luxury family resort, or a quirky boutique hotel, you can help them find their perfect match.

But how do you choose which platforms to promote?

And how much can you make from them? In this post, I’ll share 12 of the best programs in 2024, based on data and real-life examples. You’ll learn what they offer, how much they pay, and how to join them.

Plus, I’ll give you some tips on how to succeed as a hotel affiliate marketer.

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1 Booking.com

Booking.com is one of the most popular and widely trusted hotel affiliate programs out there. It has the world’s largest selection of affordable and luxury accommodation. And it offers almost 30 million bookable rooms in over 2.5 million properties, so it’s no wonder that over 12,500 affiliates have joined its program.

Its affiliate program is run by CJ Affiliate. If you’re new to the platform — which is the 4th-most-popular affiliate network, according to our affiliate marketing statistics — be sure to check out our CJ Affiliate review before registering.

Be aware that there are currently 11 separate Booking.com hotel affiliate programs on CJ Affiliate, each targeting a different market. You need to sign up for the program that caters to your home market — although you’ll still earn a commission regardless of the country where the property booking takes place.

Booking.com pays a flat 4% commission on hotel bookings. And it only has a session-based tracking cookie, so if your referrals leave the browser window and then return later on to make a reservation, you’ll lose the commission.

Given this incredibly short window of time to make a sale, it’s critical that your content meets searcher intent and aligns with the decision-making stage of the journey.

Any commissions you earn will be paid out 60 days after check-out. It’s important to note that you will not receive any commission for cancelled stays and that the number of nights booked affects the commission rate, with longer stays earning more commission.

URL: Booking.com affiliate program
Commission rate: 4%
EPC: $112.50
Cookie duration: Session-based

2 TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor is one of the world’s largest travel websites, containing approximately 795 million reviews and 1.4 million places to stay.

Like Booking.com, this affiliate program is powered by the CJ Affiliate, so you’ll need to sign up with the network before you can apply to join.

Technically, it is one of the travel affiliate programs because TripAdvisor pays commissions on two types of actions. Affiliates can earn a standard 4% commission on “experiences” — such as tours and trips.

But things get more interesting when it comes to so-called “commerce clicks”. TripAdvisor earns a referral fee whenever a visitor “clicks out” to a third-party booking site. You get 40% of the referral fee if you refer the visitor, even if they don’t complete a booking.

TripAdvisor offers different cookie durations for those two actions. You’ll get a 14-day window on hotel bookings and a 30-day duration on experiences.

As with all affiliate programs on CJ Affiliate, you can choose from three payment methods — check, direct deposit, or Payoneer (for international payments). Provided you hit the minimum monthly threshold of $50, you’ll be paid around the 20th of each month for sales generated in the previous month.

URL: TripAdvisor affiliate program
Commission rate: 4% on experiences, 40% of referral fee on hotel bookings
EPC: $12.94
Cookie duration: 30 days on experiences, 14 days on hotel bookings

3 Agoda

Agoda is another world’s largest accommodation booking platform, with more than two million vacation rentals and hotels across the planet. A truly international website, it serves customers in 38 languages.

Once again, Agoda has a CJ Affiliate-based hotel affiliate program. If you want to join it, your first port of call is to create an account with the affiliate network. Confusingly, you can also register via a form on Agoda’s affiliate partner site, with the two platforms offering different commission rates.

For CJ Affiliate, you’ll get a 6% commission rate on bookings once the customers check out of their accommodation, with a 30-day cookie window. According to CJ Affiliate, the program has a three-month EPC of more than $110, so there’s good money to be made here.

On the other hand, the Agoda website promises a sliding commission scale based on the number of monthly bookings you deliver:

Less than 50 bookings: 4%
Between 50 and 99 bookings: 4.5%
Between 100 and 199 bookings: 5%
Between 200 and 999 bookings: 6%
More than 999 bookings: 7%

In other words, if you don’t think you’ll be driving hundreds of bookings a month, CJ Affiliate looks like the best bet.

Whichever version you join, you’ll get access to various marketing assets, including an Agoda-branded search box that allows users to search for properties on your site.

URL: Agoda affiliate program
Commission rate: 4% – 7%
EPC: $110.42
Cookie duration: 30 days

4 Hotels.com

Hotels.com has been in business for a long, long time. They started way back in 1991 as the Hotel Reservation Network but rebranded to Hotels.com when they became part of Expedia in 2001. So that’s approximately 15,200 Internet years in business.

This particular brand has also become synonymous with the idea of booking hotel accommodations online. Hotels.com did it before it was cool…or there were hundreds of impersonators.

A big advantage of promoting them is that their site is available in 35 different languages, and they have 85 localized websites to serve their worldwide audience. So no matter where somebody lives or what language they speak, you can push a Hotels.com affiliate link their way.

You get paid a 1% commission for selling one of their gift cards, but 4% on every room booked.

The 7-day cookie is a pain, although most people who book hotels online already know what they want. So, as long as you send relevant traffic to their landing page(s), you shouldn’t have any conversion problems.

This is also one of the top-performing hotel affiliate programs on Commission Junction, so affiliates are receiving large checks on a regular basis.

URL: Hotels.com affiliate program
Commission rate: Up to 4%
EPC: $74.99
Cookie duration: 7 days

5 Travelocity

Travelocity seems to have a bigger mission than being just another travel site. In fact, they see life as being “…one big journey”. Somebody has been reading their Marcus Aurelius. Either way, it’s a good PR pitch for a company that’s widely recognized in the travel industry, probably because it’s been around since 1996.

Typical of many similar price comparison sites, your visitors can use Travelocity to book hotels, flights, cars, and even cruises. But they make booking holiday accommodation easier because you can choose either adults-only resorts (no kids anywhere) or family-oriented hotels (kids everywhere). That makes their offerings broad enough to appeal to the vast majority of people interested in booking their ideal hotel.

Travelocity’s affiliate commission structure is confusing because they feature many different products. That’s pretty typical of a generic travel affiliate program.

But here’s what the commission structure looks like for “selling” hotel rooms:

3% where customers pay when they check out
4% when customers pre-pay their hotel room

Affiliates get paid for everything from car rental and flights to vacationers booking a cruise, so cross-sell as often as you can within your content.

URL: Travelocity affiliate program
Commission rate: Up to 4%
EPC: $94.68
Cookie duration: 45 days

6 Priceline

Priceline is another well-known price comparison site servicing the travel industry. Something they’ve been doing for over 20 years now.

Today Priceline remains one of the leading hotel price comparison sites, offering savings on trusted brands like Hyatt, Hilton, Intercontinental, Kimpton, and Westin. They provide vacationers and travelers access to 700,000 hotels in 170 countries. Basically, you won’t really have to try to sell your audience by clicking through to Priceline offers because they’re a recognized brand.

It’s really just a case of finding the best angle in your content to pre-sell people on specific hotel offers. Like “The 10 Best Adult-Only Hotels in Central Paris”. Just a thought.

Affiliates are paid 3% – 5% in commission depending on the offer they promote. And this is where you need to be careful because certain types of bookings – like those made using coupons – pay 0% commission.

Always read the fine print, affiliates.

URL: Priceline affiliate program
Commission rate: 3% – 5%
EPC: $78.13
Cookie duration: 30 days

7 InterContinental Hotel Group

The InterContinental Hotel Group is big. And by that, we mean 5,000 hotels, 674,000 rooms, and 150 million guests annually. This international hotel brand encompasses several of the most popular hotel brands, including Crowne Plaza, Regent, Hualuxe, Avid, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, and Candlewood Suites.

And before you scoff at promoting Holiday Inn, I’ve never had a negative experience staying with them. But I’ve had piss-poor service in 5-star hotels, including stained sheets that I still have nightmares about.

Anyways, the core point here is that no matter what type of hotel your visitors are looking to book into, IHG will have one that matches their needs, budget, and destination.

Basically, they have a hotel for every occasion, whether for a family on vacation or a business traveler looking for centrally located accommodation and a name they can rely on.

Yes, a 3% commission rate is pretty small, but it’s also typical of what affiliates make in this industry. But this program’s EPC and ‘Network Earnings’ score tells me that a lot of people are making those bookings through IHG affiliates.

And that means there’s affiliate money to be made.

URL: IHG affiliate program
Commission rate: 3%
EPC: $136.50
Cookie duration: 14 days

8 Derby Hotels

Derby Hotels offers those visiting the main European capitals a more sedate stay in any of their 21 hotels. These are hotels with heart and charm, embracing their home city’s architectural and cultural heritage. Your visitors get a range of truly boutique hotels in Barcelona, Madrid, London, and Paris.

Each hotel in their “Collection” differs from the next, so you never have that “cookie-cutter” hotel room experience. Like when you can find the travel kettle or trouser press in a room, blindfolded.

It’s also worth mentioning that their hotels have been winning awards since 2000 – literally dozens of them. Hipsters and more affluent business travelers will love these hotels.

Affiliates are paid a 4% commission for each referred sale, which equates to about $26 for anyone who books a room through your affiliate links.

There’s a certain type of vacationer who likes to boast about staying in hotels their friends have never heard of. And Derby Hotels are absolutely perfect for that audience.

I hope all of you potential affiliates are taking notes.

URL: Derby Hotels affiliate program
Commission rate: 4%
Cookie duration: 30 days

9 Oberoi Hotels

Oberoi Hotels, at first glance, might look like just another chain of luxury hotels. But their entire business started with M.S. Oberoi earning INR50 (50 Rupees) per month working as a hotel clerk.

He worked hard, learned a lot, and then opened his first hotel in 1934. Since then the business has grown to own 31 hotels in locations as diverse as India, Egypt, Indonesia, Mauritius, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and UAE.

And, what’s even cooler, is that family members still run the business today. So, your visitors get to book luxurious rooms, enjoy exceptional service, and enjoy exotic locations.

There is something very different about staying in a 5-star hotel in India – it’s like you are genuinely welcome there. It’s not just a Vaseline-gummed facade.

Affiliates get paid a 4% commission on an average order size of $332, which will put $13 in your affiliate account. Your only real challenge here is introducing your audience to Oberoi Hotels & Resorts simply because they’re not an instantly recognizable brand for most people.

So work on getting actual testimonials and/or hotel reviews from guests whenever possible. These can be worth their weight in gold for boosting your conversion rate.

URL: Oberoi Hotels affiliate program
Commission rate: 4%
EPC: $73.28
Cookie duration: 30 days

10 BlueBay Hotels

BlueBay Hotels are aimed squarely at those of you who want to get away from it all. And by away, I mean far away. They have hotels in Spain, Italy, Turkey, Luxembourg, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, UAE, Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia, and Morocco. So, your holiday won’t be to any of the more typical destinations in North America, Asia, or Europe.

Their hotels range from family-friend experiences to ones that are better suited to couples looking for a quieter experience. Just for once, you can book a romantic weekend without having to deal with free-range children screaming at you during breakfast, dinner, and lunch. They also offer a range of experiences (location dependent) from golf and cycling to snorkeling and jet skiing.

BlueBay Hotels want to leave your visitors with memories that will last a lifetime.

It’s starting to feel like different affiliate managers are copying each other because this program also pays a 4% commission on all referred sales. They do have promotional codes you can use to get some leverage with your audience, which is always handy.

URL: BlueBay Hotels affiliate program
Commission rate: 4%
EPC: $65.96
Cookie duration: 30 days

11 Red Roof Inns

Red Roof Inns are perfect for people who want to visit a major city but not have their hotel located miles away from anything. There’s nothing worse than realizing you’ll have to travel several miles to access the highlights of your host city.

So Red Roof Inns offers affordable, centrally located accommodations across North America, including Orlando, Houston, Fargo, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, New York, and many other locations. But they also have hotels in Japan and Brazil for international or business travelers.

If you’re looking for a pet-friendly hotel chain, then you’ve found it. In fact, your pet gets to stay with you free of charge. This one facet of their business gives it instant appeal to pet owners, something 90% of hotels don’t bother with.

The Red Roof Collection (their various hotels) focuses on offering guests value, comfort, and affordability.

3% commission is at the lower end of the scale, but there’s enough affiliate traffic on Commission Junction to show their offers convert well.

One definite angle to take is to promote their hotels to pet owners –that’s a sub-niche within itself. There’s also very little competition for those types of localized searches. *Drops hint for potential affiliates.*

URL: Red Roof Inns affiliate program
Commission rate: 3%
EPC: $67.75
Cookie duration: 30 days

12 Avani Hotels and Resorts

If you’re looking for modern, chic, and stylish accommodation in some of the most exotic locations on Earth, Avani Hotels & Resorts might answer your prayers. They offer a mixture of city and resort hotels in locations as diverse as Portugal, Lesotho, Korea, Zambia and Seychelles. That’s just the tip of the iceberg – they have dozens of hotels worldwide.

While many hotels focus on style over function, Avani Hotels work hard to strike a balance that works for everyone. So you’ll never feel like you’re staying in a drab and boring hotel. But you’ll equally also never feel you’re trying to sleep in the middle of a stag or hen party.

Their reviews all have a common thread – the staff go above and beyond the call of duty to make guests feel welcome and valued.

So, how well does their affiliate program pay? Affiliates get a 3% commission for every completed stay. his proviso made me question how many guests bail on their hotel bills each year. Obviously, enough to make this an issue. Apart from that, you’ll make around $53 for every 100 qualified visitors you send to their site.

URL: Avani Hotels affiliate program
Commission rate: 3%
EPC: $53.63
Cookie duration: 30 days

Read more:

How to Start a Travel Blog

Conclusion

You now have a dozen truly worthwhile hotel affiliate programs to work with.

Ones that affiliates are making bank with on a daily basis.

Now, you might wonder what good any of the above information is to you.

And how do you go about finding the right niche, and the right keywords to go with it?

We have the answers to those questions and many more besides.

Just click here, drop in your email address, and we’ll send you an invitation to a free training session on how to build your authority site.

We look forward to seeing you there!