KuCoin AMA With Staynex (STAY)
2026/05/06 02:45:02
KuCoin AMA With Staynex (STAY) — Building the Future of Web3 Travel, AI-Powered Booking, and Real-World Token Utility
Dear KuCoin Users,
KuCoin recently hosted an AMA session in the KuCoin Exchange Group, featuring Yuen Wong, Founder & CEO of Staynex, and Michael Ros, CEO Europe & Board Member at Staynex, representing the Staynex team.
Time: April 24, 2026, 12:00 PM - 13:00 PM (UTC)
Official Website: https://www.staynex.vip/
Q&A from KuCoin to Staynex
Q: Now that $STAY is officially live on KuCoin, what’s the first thing holders can do with the token right now, and when does staking or rewards go live?
Michael: There will be a lot of utility for $STAY, and much more is coming. Let me start with what is already available and what is coming soon. To explain where it all started, Yuen and I both saw that the current travel industry is broken. Today, the travel industry faces several major issues:
First, there are enormous commissions, sometimes up to 25%. These commissions are paid by hotels, but ultimately they are passed on to travelers. Second, payment costs remain high, especially credit card fees and foreign exchange fees when users book across different currencies. Third, there is very little flexibility around reservations. In most cases, users do not truly own their booking. The reservation is controlled by large Web2 platforms.
As someone who previously founded a Web2 booking platform, I also saw how common chargebacks and card fraud can be. So yes, the market is outdated and still depends heavily on legacy technology. Blockchain can help remove middlemen, reduce payment fees, and create real ownership of bookings.
And last but definitely not least: loyalty. Today, users collect loyalty points for specific hotel brands. These points often expire, have limited flexibility, and are frequently left unused. With Staynex, users can start collecting $STAY as part of a broader loyalty program across all hotels, not just one hotel brand. Very soon, users will be able to use $STAY for hotel bookings. They can also hold, sell, or stake their tokens — because these rewards truly belong to them and do not expire. The more $STAY users hold, the more discounts and benefits they can unlock. Staking is expected to go live in Q2, while rewards such as lounge access through DragonPass are expected to launch in around two weeks.
Q: As AI becomes a bigger part of the future of travel, many users are curious about next-generation booking experiences. Can you give a concrete example of how AI will integrate with $STAY — through dynamic pricing, trip planning, loyalty, or something else?
Michael: AI is key to our organization and also to how we plan to improve the booking experience. Let’s start with our AI Travel Wingman, powered by Patrice Evra. And here is a bit of alpha: more well-known celebrities are coming very soon. Users will be able to talk to these AI travel assistants, receive help with reservations, get personalized recommendations, and earn $STAY through a travel-to-earn mechanism. The AI will be able to learn from users as travelers and offer better recommendations, instead of forcing people to spend hours searching through filters to find the right hotel. For context, around 72% of people experience stress when booking travel. Travel should be fun, and booking travel should be fun too. We want to make the entire experience more personal and enjoyable.
Now, let’s also talk about pricing. Hotel pricing today is heavily dominated by Web2 giants. These platforms often force hotels into rate structures where they cannot publicly offer lower prices than what appears on large Web2 booking platforms. That is where our membership model comes in. Staynex creates a closed user group of members — our community. With a small membership fee, users can unlock rates that are not marked up with enormous commissions. We can also use AI to compare prices across platforms, show users the difference and savings, and make sure the pricing remains fair for both hotels and travelers. Having worked in travel tech for more than 15 years, I think the opportunity is clear. The technology is outdated, blockchain can solve part of that, and the industry has enormous overhead costs, which AI can help reduce. That is how we believe Staynex can compete and ultimately become a fairer market leader for the Web3 generation.
Q: As Staynex continues expanding its global presence, especially with you as CEO Europe, what is the immediate expansion roadmap for Staynex in 2026? Which regions or hotel chains are next, and how will $STAY drive adoption there?
Michael: I love your questions. Here is a nice fact: it took Booking.com around five years to expand its hotel inventory outside the Netherlands, which is my home country. Staynex has been building for three years, and we already have access to around 2.6 million properties. I believe we now cover approximately 99% of the hotels that users can find on Booking.com or other major platforms. So in terms of hotel inventory, expansion is not the main challenge anymore because our coverage is already global.
Instead, our bigger goal is to make $STAY the strongest loyalty points program and travel utility token in the market. We are here to stay. A major focus will be AI. Our travel planner must be excellent, and we are already in deep conversations to acquire a travel AI company. The combined hotel inventory of Staynex and Sleap.io, which I founded and was recently acquired, gives us strong global hotel coverage.
Beyond hotels, more travel verticals are coming. Flights are already available on Sleap.io and will soon come to Staynex. We are also exploring additional travel services, and for VIP users, a unique travel concierge experience. There is much more on the roadmap, but I probably should not share too much here.
Q: Post-TGE sell pressure is a common concern across the market. What mechanisms in Staynex’s tokenomics, such as vesting, buybacks, or utility locks, are designed to encourage long-term holding and reduce volatility?
Michael: Yes, I understand this concern very well. We thought carefully about these issues and designed mechanisms to help reduce sell pressure. First, there is the buyback mechanism. 20% of Staynex’s net platform revenue will be used to buy back tokens. Second, we have a strong staking program that unlocks more perks and discounts for users. Third, we have strong vesting contracts in place to reduce unnecessary sell pressure.
But I think the most important thing is that Staynex is not just an idea. We have a real working product, a company that has been operating for more than three years, or more than six years if you include Sleap.io, and an incredible team. We are here to grow and become a real alternative to the current Web2 giants. Eventually, our goal is to become a market leader.
Jeff Hoffman, founder of Priceline and Booking.com, joined us as Chairman because he believes Staynex can become the next big thing in travel. So the key is that we must continue to deliver, improve, and grow. If users want better hotel prices, more fairness in the travel industry, real loyalty, and believe blockchain can improve existing processes, then Staynex is building exactly for that. If we can deliver on that promise, we are truly here to STAY.
Q: Looking ahead to the next stage of growth, what is the single biggest milestone Staynex aims to hit within 90 days post-TGE, and how can the KuCoin community help accelerate it?
Michael: Looking ahead, the single biggest milestone for Staynex in the first 90 days post-TGE is driving real, measurable adoption and turning token holders into active users on the platform. That means:
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Scaling actual hotel bookings made with the token
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Activating partnerships across sports, entertainment, and events
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Demonstrating clear utility and real demand, not just speculation
The KuCoin community can help by exploring the platform, following our updates, joining our community, and becoming part of the Staynex ecosystem as both holders and bookers.
KuCoin Post AMA Activity — STAY
🎁 Participate in the STAY AMA quiz now for a chance to win 2,400,000 STAY.
The form will remain open for five days from publishing this AMA recap
Staynex - STAY Giveaway Section
KuCoin and STAY have prepared a total of 6,000,000 STAY to give away to AMA participants.
- Pre-AMA Campaign: 2,100,000 STAY
- Community Voice: 300,000 STAY
- React King: 600,000 STAY
- Flash Mini-Games: 600,000 STAY
- Post-AMA Quiz: 2,400,000 STAY
Sign up for a KuCoin account if you haven’t done so yet, and ensure you complete your KYC verification to be eligible for the rewards.