Travly Offers Travelers the Opportunity to Submit Videos and Earn a 5% Commission on Hotel Reservations

Travly emerges as a pioneering platform uniting social discovery and hotel reservations, specifically aimed at the expanding audience of travelers who find inspiration in short video clips for their travel plans.

This platform stands out by featuring genuine reviews from users through videos, moving away from the traditional and sometimes outdated textual and pictorial information about hotels. Video creators can earn a 5% commission on bookings made through their content submissions.

Founded by travel aficionados Zak Longo (CEO) and Mayur Patil (COO), Travly initially took off as a travel community on Instagram and TikTok. By summer 2022, they had successfully acquired @Travel, amassing a vast social following on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat over multiple accounts (@Cruises, @Hotels, @Resorts, @Vacation), hitting over 1 billion views monthly. The duo manages 45 accounts in total and has rallied around 1,000 creators to collaborate on brand endorsements across these platforms.

Leveraging their insights, Travly ventured into launching a proprietary trip discovery tool alongside a dedicated mobile application, partnering with Booking.com to power an expansive hotel search functionality worldwide.

Longo shared with TechCrunch, “We were intent on creating a product that complements our network, enabling our audience to effortlessly book the experiences they discover through social media.”

Currently, the platform is open to receiving hotel video submissions, rewarding creators with a 5% commission on bookings generated through their videos for the featured hotel. Each hotel is limited to a single video, subject to change based on performance metrics.

Longo explains the platform’s diligence, “If a video doesn’t meet our expected performance for a hotel, we’ll reassess. It’s vital for us to maintain fairness and accuracy, updating content as necessary to reflect new amenities or offerings from the hotels.”

To date, Travly has seen approximately 2,000 registrations and has received 500 video contributions.

A unique offering of Travly is its “Destination Dupes” section, which ingeniously presents similar yet financially accessible travel options compared to more expensive ones, aiding travelers in finding less expensive but equally enchanting locations. This approach enlightens users to cost-effective alternatives with comparable allure, such as contrasting the appeal of a London stay with a more budget-friendly option in Krakow, Poland.

For those pondering their next vacation locale, clicking the “Discover new directions” button initiates a questionnaire, guiding users to tailored travel suggestions based on preferences like budget or activity level through the use of an AI assistant.

Looking ahead, Travly plans to broaden its horizons even further. The platform aims to incorporate a wider array of services, including package tours, dining bookings, and event tickets, enriching the overall travel planning experience. Additionally, discussions are underway about integrating advertisements for supplementary revenue streams.

In a world where the creator economy is booming, projected to burgeon into a $250 billion domain and expected to almost double to $480 billion by 2027, others in the accommodations booking industry, including startups like Plannin, spearheaded by ex-Priceline executives, are also exploring ways to harness the power of travel influencers for monetary gains through hotel endorsements.