A guide for properties, DMCs and experiences
How do I find a travel trade rep for my hotel, lodge or DMC?
Decide which source markets you need, have your trade rates, contracting terms and material ready, then shortlist reps who already work those markets and carry no direct competitor of yours. Ask what they will report each month, and call a former client before you sign. RepBud Ready lets you list free and be matched with reps by market and budget — when you both say yes, you are connected.
The short version
Six steps to the right rep
Choose the source markets
Start from where your bookings come from today and where you want the next ones to come from. A rep works a market, so the market comes first.
Get trade-ready
Have trade rates for next season, clear contracting terms, a fact sheet, images and a budget that covers the fee and the costs outside it — shows, travel and hosting fam trips.
Build a shortlist
Look for reps who already sell your kind of property into that market. List free on RepBud Ready to be matched with reps whose markets and minimum fee fit yours, and ask the trade you already know who they rate.
Test the fit
Ask for the current client list and check it for direct competitors. Ask which operators they met in that market last quarter, and what a monthly report from them looks like.
Take references
Call two current clients and one former one. Ask the current ones what they were sent last month.
Agree it in writing
Scope, markets, fee, what sits outside the fee and needs your approval, reporting, term and notice — settled before the work starts.
What a rep does
What a travel trade rep does — and what stays yours
A travel trade rep sells your property or services to the travel trade in a source market you are not in: tour operators, travel agents and travel designers. They visit operators, train agents, carry your brand at trade shows, arrange fam trips and report back on what the market is saying.
Rates, availability, contracting and the reservations relationship usually stay with you. That matters when you measure a rep: they can put your product in front of the right buyer and still not produce a booking because the rate was wrong or the dates were gone. Tourism boards appoint in-market representation too — often called destination representation — and the same questions apply.
Three arrangements get called “a rep”:
Representation company
A business that carries a portfolio of properties into a market, with a team, a trade show calendar and existing relationships with tour operators and agents. It builds demand and hands the booking to you.
GSA (general sales agent)
Appointed to transact as well as sell — quoting, negotiating and issuing on your behalf. The term comes from aviation and is now used in hotels too. The difference from a rep company is authority rather than activity.
Independent rep
One person, usually with deep relationships in a narrow segment and a small number of clients. Often the right fit for a single property in a specific niche.
More in the travel trade glossary.
How reps are paid
Retainer, commission or hybrid
The shape of the fee matters as much as the size of it. RepBud publishes no fee figures: the range is wide because scope varies so much, and a benchmark with no scope attached misleads more than it helps.
Retainer
A monthly fee for an agreed scope of work. It is the most common shape for representation. Trade shows, travel, print and fam hosting usually sit outside it, so compare what a fee includes rather than the headline figure.
Commission
The rep is paid a share of the business they bring. It keeps fixed costs down, but it only works when both sides agree in advance which bookings count — attribution is the part that goes wrong.
Hybrid
A smaller retainer with a performance element on top: a revenue share, a fee per confirmed booking from named accounts, a bonus against a target, or a retainer that reduces as the business grows.
Project fee
A fixed fee for a defined piece of work — one trade show, a roadshow, a market launch. A way to test a rep before a longer appointment.
To put two proposals on the same basis, read how representation retainers are structured.
Before you approach a rep
What to have ready
A rep can only sell what an operator can load and quote. The first conversation goes further when these are in place.
- Trade rates for the coming season, net or commissionable, with the terms that go with them.
- Contracting terms a tour operator can load: validity, cancellation, payment and any allocation.
- A one-page fact sheet, high-resolution images, a short video if you have one, and room or activity descriptions written for the trade rather than for guests.
- A budget that covers the fee and the costs outside it — trade shows, travel, print and hosting fam trips and site inspections.
- The markets you want, based on where your bookings come from now and where you want them to grow.
- Someone at the property who answers trade enquiries quickly. A rep can open the door; the reply to the operator is yours.
- What you want in the first year: awareness with operators, product on programmes, or bookings — and how you will judge it.
How to choose
How to choose the right rep
Markets they work, not markets they list
Ask how many operator meetings they held in that market last quarter, and with whom. A rep working a market can answer at once.
Portfolio fit
The best fit usually sells properties like yours, to the same buyers, without selling the one next door. Complementary beats identical.
Conflicts of interest
Get the client list in writing. If they carry a property an agent would consider instead of yours, talk about how they handle it before you sign, and ask what happens if they take on a competitor later.
Trade relationships
Which operators, agents and consortia do they know well, and at what level — product managers who decide, or reservations teams who book?
Reporting
Agree the shape of the monthly report in the contract: who was seen, what was discussed, what was promised on your behalf, and what is not working.
People
Who will sell you day to day, how many clients each person carries, and what happens when that person leaves.
Then call two current clients and one former one. The detail is in how to choose a travel representation company.
Red flags
Signs to slow down
- They will not share their current client list before you sign.
- They list more markets than they can show recent activity in.
- They promise bookings or a number of bookings. A rep can put you in front of buyers; the rate, availability and reply decide the rest.
- The proposal is vague about what sits outside the fee, or about who approves those costs.
- Reporting is described as "monthly updates" with no agreed content.
- They ask for a long initial term without a review point.
- No former client will speak to you, or they are reluctant to give one.
How RepBud Ready helps
List free, get matched, both say yes
RepBud Ready is where properties, lodges, hotels, DMCs and experiences looking for representation list free, and are matched with reps in RepBud’s network by market and budget.
List free
Tell RepBud Ready what you are, where you are, the source markets you want a rep in and your budget for each. Free for properties, lodges, hotels, DMCs and experiences, with no expiry date.
Matched by market and budget
Your listing is matched with reps in RepBud’s network whose source markets or destinations overlap yours, and whose minimum fee your budget meets. Your budget is used for matching and is not shown on your listing. Reps on all plans are matched, including the free Economy plan.
The rep says yes
A matched rep sees your listing and says yes or passes. When they say yes, you see who they are — name, company and the markets they cover.
You say yes or pass
When you both say yes you are connected, and you can message each other in the RepBud app. Terms are agreed between you and the rep; RepBud takes nothing from the arrangement.
By source market
Finding a rep in a particular market
How the trade buys, what a rep there does, and the trade events held in the market.
Find a rep in the UK
How the UK trade buys, what a UK rep does, and how to find one for your hotel, lodge or DMC.
Read moreFind a rep in the United States
How the US trade buys, what a US rep does, and how to find one for your hotel, lodge or DMC.
Read moreFind a rep in Germany
How the German trade buys, what a rep in Germany does, and how to find one for your hotel, lodge or DMC.
Read moreRead next
For your kind of business
For lodges, hotels and camps
The same route, written for accommodation.
Read moreFor DMCs and inbound operators
Finding representation for a destination management company.
Read moreFor activities and experiences
For day tours, activities and experience businesses.
Read moreHow to choose a representation company
The portfolio test, reporting, and the reference call.
Read moreHow representation retainers are structured
What a retainer buys, what sits outside it, and comparing two proposals.
Read moreGetting your lodge onto an operator’s programme
What moves a tour operator to add a property.
Read moreFAQ
Questions about finding a rep
What does a travel trade rep do?+
A travel trade rep sells your property or services to the travel trade in a source market you are not in — tour operators, travel agents and travel designers. They visit operators, train agents, carry your brand at trade shows, host or arrange fam trips, and report back on what the market is saying. Rates, availability, contracting and reservations usually stay with you.
What is the difference between a representation company and a GSA?+
Authority rather than activity. A representation company builds demand for you and hands the booking to you. A GSA (general sales agent) is appointed to transact as well — quoting, negotiating and issuing on your behalf. Some agreements sit between the two, so read what the contract grants rather than relying on the label.
What does GSA mean in the hotel industry?+
General sales agent: a business appointed to sell and contract for a hotel in a market where the hotel has no office of its own, usually with authority to quote and confirm on its behalf. The term comes from aviation.
How much does a travel trade rep cost?+
Representation is most often a monthly retainer, sometimes with a performance element, and the costs of trade shows, travel and print usually sit outside the fee. The range is wide because scope varies so much — number of markets, which shows are included, how many people touch the account — so RepBud publishes no benchmark figure. Compare proposals on what is included, not the headline number.
Should I pay a rep a retainer or commission?+
A retainer pays for the work — meetings, training, shows and reporting — which lead bookings by months. Commission pays for results but depends on agreeing which bookings count. Many arrangements are hybrid: a smaller retainer with a performance element on top. The right shape depends on how established you are in the market and how much of the rep’s time you need.
What should I have ready before I approach a rep?+
Trade rates for the coming season, contracting terms an operator can load, a fact sheet and images written for the trade, a budget that covers the fee and the costs outside it, the markets you want, and someone at the property who replies to trade enquiries quickly.
How do I choose the right rep?+
Check the markets they work rather than the ones they list, whether their portfolio complements yours or competes with it, which operators and agents they know and at what level, and what their monthly report contains. Then call two current clients and one former one.
Is there a directory or marketplace for finding a travel trade rep?+
RepBud Ready is one. Properties, lodges, hotels, DMCs and experiences list free and are matched with reps in RepBud’s network on source market, destination and budget. A rep says yes to a listing, the property sees who the rep is and says yes or passes, and when both say yes they are connected.
Is RepBud Ready free for properties?+
Yes. Listing is free for properties, lodges, hotels, DMCs and experiences, with no expiry date. RepBud takes nothing from any arrangement you make with a rep; you agree terms directly.
Which reps can see my RepBud Ready listing?+
Reps in RepBud’s network whose markets or destinations match yours and whose minimum fee your budget meets. Reps on all plans are matched, including the free Economy plan. Your budget is used for matching and is not shown on the listing.
Does RepBud guarantee I will find a rep?+
No. RepBud Ready puts your listing in front of reps whose markets fit yours and connects you when both sides say yes. Whether a rep takes you on depends on the market, your product and the terms. RepBud is designed to assist, not replace, your professional judgement.
RepBud is designed to assist, not replace, your professional judgement.
RepBud Ready · Free listing
Be matched with reps in your markets
List free on RepBud Ready. Reps whose markets fit yours see your listing; when you both say yes, you are connected.
List your business free