New Alliance with The Travel Institute and Princess Cruises to Elevate Advisor Excellence
Comprehensive, year-long initiative reinforces industry growth through education FRAMINGHAM, MA, March 2, 2026 – The Travel Institute and Princess Cruises announce a new, year-long…
![Investment supports global expansion and new vertical development as Stay22 strengthens the infrastructure connecting travel content to commerce. Montreal, Quebec, February 26th, 2026 — Stay22, an award-winning content monetization company helping creators, media publishers and live experience companies turn travel and retail content into commerce, today announced a USD$122 million minority growth investment from Summit Partners. The funding will support Stay22’s continued global expansion, product innovation, team growth and ongoing investment in the infrastructure and partner ecosystem that connects content to commerce at scale. Founded and headquartered in Montreal, Stay22 is an intelligent, data-driven technology platform that helps travel creators, media publishers and event organizers (including events, ticketing and transportation providers) convert booking intent into revenue. As consumers increasingly rely on creators and other specialized content when planning travel, Stay22 provides infrastructure designed to translate engagement into relevant booking options. Powered by AI-driven decisioning, the platform analyzes real-time contextual and behavioral signals to route audiences to relevant online travel agencies (OTAs), including leading global travel brands such as Booking.com, Expedia Group and Tripadvisor, helping to improve conversion and monetization for partners. In 2025, Stay22 expanded into the retail vertical with strong early traction, delivering USD$80 million in GMV (Gross Merchandise Value). Industry estimates place the global creator economy at more than USD$200 billion1[1], as creators and publishers increasingly influence how consumers discover and purchase travel, experiences and products. Stay22 sits at the intersection of content, commerce and travel, providing infrastructure that helps creators convert audience engagement into revenue. With this new investment, Stay22 plans to expand beyond travel into broader creator monetization infrastructure across retail verticals including food, fashion, DIY, lifestyle and consumer technology, evolving from a travel-centric solution into a foundational platform for the global creator economy. “Creators and publishers now shape how people discover experiences and products, but many lack the infrastructure to monetize that influence,” said Andrew Lockhead, CEO and Co-Founder of Stay22. “Stay22 was built to solve that problem. Summit’s experience investing in category-leading companies across the creator economy and marketing technology stack makes them an ideal partner to help scale our platform, grow our team and expand globally.” Today, more than 5,500 creators use Stay22 to identify high-value affiliate opportunities that help turn content into revenue. The company works with a broad range of partners— from independent creators such as Nomadic Matt, to large-scale publishers including Time Out and Lonely Planet, to global transportation groups like the Travelier Group. Stay22 has processed more than USD$1 billion in annual transactions in 2025 alone. The company’s sustained growth has earned consecutive recognition from Deloitte, ranking 12th on the Technology Fast 50™ Canada list in 2024 and 31st in 2025, and placing No. 69 in 2024 and No. 94 in 2025 on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ North America list. “We believe Stay22 is building essential infrastructure at the intersection of travel, content and commerce,” said Colin Mistele, Managing Director at Summit Partners. “As creators and publishers become more central to demand generation, the need for intelligent, scalable monetization tools has become critical. Stay22’s platform, team and execution stood out to us, and we’re excited to support the company as it continues to grow profitably and expand its global reach.” As part of this investment, Summit’s Colin Mistele and Daniel Kim have joined the Stay22 Board of Directors. As Stay22 enters its next phase of growth, the company has more than tripled its headcount over the past two years and is actively hiring across product development, engineering and partner support. Alongside team expansion, Stay22 plans to accelerate international growth, deepen relationships across its global supplier and partner network and continue investing in AI-powered optimization and product innovation. The Raine Group served as exclusive financial advisor to Stay22 on the transaction. Osler, Hoskin C Harcourt LLP served as legal counsel to Stay22. Choate, Hall C Stewart LLP and Dentons served as legal counsel to Summit Partners. About Stay22 Stay22 is a content monetization company that helps creators, publishers, and brands monetize travel intent by intelligently placing and optimizing accommodation and travel booking links within their content. Stay22 works with partners around the world to connect travelers with relevant places to stay and travel services, helping drive value for creators, audiences, and suppliers alike. In 2025, Stay22 expanded this monetization expertise into the retail vertical. For more information, please visit [www.stay22.com]www.stay22.com. About Summit Partners Summit Partners is a leading growth-focused investment firm. Summit invests across growth sectors of the economy and, since the firm’s founding in 1984, has invested in more than 550 companies in technology, healthcare and other growth industries. These companies have completed more than 175 public equity offerings, and more than 250 have been acquired through strategic mergers and sales. Notable marketing technology investments include Klaviyo, Manychat, Later and StackAdapt. Summit maintains offices in North America and Europe and seeks to invest in category-leading, profitable growth companies worldwide. For more information, please visit www.summitpartners.com or follow Summit Partners on LinkedIn.](https://travelprofessionalnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Stay22-Announces-USD-122-Million-Growth-Investment-from-Summit-Partners-to-Power-Creator-Monetization-at-Global-Scale-150x115.png)
