Bloggers in the travel niche might have been hit by the current state of affairs across the world, but they can still make a decent amount of money. In today’s article, we’re looking at some of the top hotel affiliate programs out there.
We will merely note some affiliate networks that can help you join several different programs as easily and conveniently as possible.
What is the best hotel affiliate program?
Booking.com
Booking.com has their own affiliate program, which we reviewed in another article. You can join it through a network such as TravelPayouts, but you can also join their own program.
You get 4% of every commission of completed hotel stays and there’s a one-session cookie lifetime that’s worth noting. There’s a more complicated commission split model that Booking.com has, too. You have to refer approximately fifty customers to be able to make up to 25% of the total amount that these people have spent on their vacations.
In terms of pros, Booking.com is a really well-known brand right now, so your audience is more likely to make a hotel reservation through this hotel affiliate program. Also, there are lots of tools available.
On the other hand, you do have to ensure that 50 people make a reservation in order to get paid through Paypal or wire transfers.
Hotels.com
You can join the Hotels.com affiliate program through CJ Affiliate (previously known as Commission Junction). It has similar features to the Booking.com program and it is a pretty well-known website, too — in fact, it’s been around for way more time compared to Booking.
The platform offers a variety of resorts, condos, hotels, and B&Bs, so you can recommend a wide range of accommodation options. The commission is a flat 4% for each completed reservation and the cookie lasts for seven days.
Agoda
You can join the Agoda affiliate program through networks such as Travelpayouts or on the official website. For every check-out, you get a flat 4% commission, but the commission increases depending on the number of days that the clients complete at the accommodation.
If you get folks to spend (collectively, of course) over 50 stays, the commission value will get to 4.5%, then it goes up to 5% for 100 to 199 days and so on.
We’d say that the biggest disadvantage to using this program would have to be that you are charged $10 for each $200 (which by the way, is the minimum sum that can be paid to affiliates through bank transfers).
Hilton Hotels
There’s not that much to say about this one other than that you should probably consider it strictly because of the wide-world Hilton reputation.
The commission ranges between 4 and 5% and the cookie lasts for a week, which is a cookie duration you’d find in other affiliate programs, including Hotels.com.
Marriott Hotels
Marriott is another hotel brand that’s known by pretty much anyone in the world right now. There are over seven thousand hotels owned by Marriott across the globe and in over 130 countries.
The affiliate program is free to join by anyone and from what we have gathered, this one isn’t available through any affiliate networks (at least not for the time being). The commission varies from 4% and 6% depending on the length of the stay and type of hotel.
Marriott also pays affiliates a flat 3% commission on package reservations. As for the cookie, it lasts the pretty much standard 7 days you’d find in other similar programs.
Accor Hotels
This is perhaps one of the most popular affiliate programs in the hotel niche, partly because they have an excellent commission and also because they collaborate with world-known brands such as Novotel or IBIS.
Since we mentioned the commission rate, we might as well note that it’s a flat 10% of all completed orders. Since most average orders have a value of at least $200, you’ll effectively make about $20 per each.
As for the cookie, it lasts for seven days, which is already a standard for most of the other programs showcased in this article.
Intercontinental Hotel Group
While the commission of this affiliate program might not necessarily be worth writing home about since it’s just 3% on all services, it does have a fair share of well-known brands, such as Candlewood Suites, Crowne Plaza, or Holiday Inn.
Moreover, the cookie lasts for a week, which is not bad at all — especially for those people in your readership that need a bit more time to make up their mind on a luxury resort.
Travelocity
While it is not a hotel affiliate program per se as the variety of other services sold on this website is truly generous, we decided to add Travelocity to our list since their commission structure is quite unique.
For example, you can earn a 4% commission on pre-paid hotels, 3% on package holiday, and a $30 flat commission of every confirmed, paid online, and completed cruise booking. But you also have the option of generating commissions through other activities that your audience can complete, such as 2% on car rentals, $2 per each airline ticket sold, and 3% commissions on stays paid at the hotel.
That does sound very different, doesn’t it? Add to that the fact that the cookie lasts for 45 days, not just a week, like with other affiliate programs, and you’ve got yourself a pretty decent alternative.
In other words, we’d say that Travelocity is at least worth considering.
Sandals Resorts
While this website isn’t nearly as large as some of its competitors, especially since it is geared more toward people who are looking for vacations in the Caribbean, they do have their share of pros.
And the two most significant ones that we’d like to note here are the commissions (4% on all services) and the cookie duration, which is an impressive 60 days.
HostelWorld
Although the services sold through this website are quite affordable (as its name suggests off the bat), there are two main reasons to consider this affiliate program, and they are the commission and the cookie.
The cookie lasts for 30 days, so that’s much more compared to other programs even in this selection, while the value of the commissions can go up to 40%. Also, the average price of most vacations booked through the website is $100, which really isn’t that bad.
Radisson Hotel Affiliate Program
This one can be joined through the Awin affiliate network. The commissions start at 6%, but they’re actually a bit more complicated than that. Since Radisson is a huge chain of hotels, they offer different rates depending on the hotels your audience books rooms at. For example, for Edwardian, your CPA will be 5%, but if a user gets a Park Plaza room, your commission will be just 4%.
On the other hand, all Radisson hotels, whether Park Inn, RED, or Blu reservations will get you a 6% commission. The cookie lasts for 30 days, which is another advantage.
TripAdvisor
While it might be less popular than the likes of Booking.com or Hotels.com, TripAdvisor is still a website that lots of people across the world know and go to for recommendations of accommodation options.
The program can only be joined through affiliate networks such as CJ, Awin, or TravelPayouts, so there is no direct affiliate program currently available.
When it comes to the commissions you can earn, there are several different ones based on the services that people purchase. While you can earn up to 50% of every stay’s value, it needs to be confirmed and paid. There’s also a 4% commission out of every room cost and an 8% commission for tours and attractions.
Since you need a ‘middleman’ to join this program, you can get paid through a variety of methods from cheques and bank transfers to PayPal and Payoneer.
Red Roof
While the commission of Red Roof might not be as impressive as that of other programs here, since it’s a flat 3%, you might still be interested in this option merely because the cookie lasts for 30 days — so the duration is much longer than usual.
They have a number of over 600 properties available across the world, from Japan to Brazil or the United States, so you’ll have plenty of accommodation options to recommend to your readership.
It’s also worth mentioning that Red Roof is one of the few pet-friendly chains that we have come across, so if your audience likes to take their dog or cat with them when they travel, this one is the right way of going about things.
Derby Hotels Collection
This affiliate program can be joined through Tradetracker or Shareasale, so they don’t have their own per se. The commissions are more than decent since you can earn up to 6% on each completed stay.
Also, the cookie lasts for a whole month, which is definitely something worth writing home about since even the cookie duration of well-known programs like Hotels.com lasts for just seven days.
Orbitz
Although it might be less known in certain European countries, the truth is that Orbitz has become quite a reputable website for booking tours and accommodations across the globe right now. They also have a fair share of flights, cars, and holiday activities available, so you will be able to recommend several different services.
What we’d also like to add with respect to this program is that it can be joined only through CJ (formerly known as Commission Junction), so they do not have their proprietary hotel affiliate program.
As for the commissions, their value ranges from 2% to 5% and they also have a flat commission on cruises — $30.
As for the cookie, it lasts for a whole week, which is considerably better compared to that of other hotel affiliate programs we’ve described here.
Intrepid
If you have nothing against recommending tours, then Intrepid should be right up your alley. They offer a flat 4% commission on all tours and adventure travel experiences you’ve referred to and the best thing about Intrepid is that the cookie lasts for an impressive number of 90 days.
They have a number of destinations available and people can also pick their preferred way of traveling. Plus, there’s a number of travel deals that they put up to the site on a regular basis, so you should keep an eye on them.
Choice Hotels
Choice Hotels is one of the other hotel affiliate programs that we had to mention here since it includes over seven thousand hotels in more than 35 countries across the world.
It does not cost anything to join the program and they have a variety of offers available, from regular stays to tour destinations and even quiet B&Bs and hotels in less known locations.
The commissions can range from 2% to 6% depending on the service that your audience gets. The stays on which you will earn your commissions have to be not only confirmed, but also completed, so you’ll get your money after that person’s vacation has ended.
In terms of advantages, we’d say that the best thing about this program is that it accepts affiliates from any country, so there are no limits in this respect. Also, the minimum payment threshold is just $25.
NH Hotel Group
This hotel group has about 300+ hotels in over 25 countries across the globe, so you’ll have plenty of accommodation options to recommend to your audience. There is a significant disadvantage when it comes to this hotel affiliate program, though, and we feel compelled to note it — you have to be either a travel agency or at least a registered travel agent yourself.
Otherwise, you are not going to get any commissions for the recommendations you make. If you are lucky enough to be a travel agent, then you might as well know that the commission is a standard 10%.
Also, you can register for this hotel affiliate program for free.
Which one to pick?
It’s never a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket and as you might have noticed, some of the websites that we have noted in this article deal with different things. Some of the programs can be joined individually while for others, you will need to use CJ or AWin, for example.
Our advice to you is to promote a variety of several different travel-related products and services, and the hotel recommendations that you make should match your audience’s needs as best as possible. This way, your conversion will be better and you’ll generate more commissions.
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