Technology for rep companies built by people who have been one.
A travel representation company sells and markets overseas hotels, lodges and boards to the trade — so the technology it needs is CRM, client-facing apps, portfolio sites and reporting, not a booking engine. We build exactly that, because we've lived the rep job.
We know the rep business. Completely.
Charnette Labs was founded by a luxury tourism representative with years of experience selling African safari lodges and hotels to the travel trade. We built RepBud — the AI sales companion for travel sales professionals — because we experienced firsthand the gap between what rep companies need and what generic CRM tools offer.
Whether you need a CRM to manage your trade contacts across 500 travel agents, a client portal where your properties can access reports, a mobile app to log meetings at trade shows, or a portfolio website that reflects the quality of the properties you represent — we understand the brief before you even explain it.
Client Reporting
Automated activity reports generated from your interaction logs — ready for lodge owners and hotel groups without manual compilation.
Mobile CRM
Log meetings at trade shows on your phone. Voice notes, photos of handwritten cards — all matched to the right contact automatically.
Portfolio Websites
Professional website representing your full portfolio of properties — with individual lodge pages, trade resources and booking integration.
Built by people who have run the rep relationship.
A representation company is, in essence, a trusted bridge — carrying the brands you represent to the trade buyers who matter, and doing it credibly enough that both sides rely on you. That is a specific and demanding business: you are judged on the strength of your portfolio, the depth of your trade relationships and your responsiveness, all at once. Generic web and software agencies have never lived inside that relationship and build tools that miss what it actually requires.
We have been on every side of it. We build websites and technology for representation companies that present your portfolio with credibility, support the trade relationships you live on, and give your team the tools to manage the rep cycle properly. We also built RepBud, the sales companion for travel reps — which is about as direct as proof of understanding gets.
Portfolio with credibility
Your portfolio is your pitch. We build sites that present the brands you represent with the depth and credibility a trade buyer needs to take them — and you — seriously.
Tools for the rep cycle
Representation runs on relationships and follow-through across shows, trips and long cycles. We build technology that supports that work, so nothing falls through the cracks between your brands and your buyers.
We built RepBud
RepBud is the sales companion built for travel reps, by us. There is no clearer proof that we understand the representation business from the inside — and that understanding shapes everything we build for rep companies.
How is technology for a rep company different?
A rep company is judged on its portfolio, its trade relationships and its responsiveness all at once. The website and tools have to present brands credibly and support a relationship-driven cycle — something generic agencies, who have never run that relationship, consistently miss.
Do you really understand the representation business?
We have been on every side of it and built RepBud, the sales companion for travel reps. The rep cycle, trade relationships and the pressure of carrying brands to buyers are familiar — and shape what we build.
Can you present the brands we represent properly?
Yes. We build portfolio structures that give each represented brand the depth and credibility a trade buyer needs, while presenting your company as the trusted bridge it is.
What technology does a tourism representation company need?
A tourism rep company typically needs a CRM to manage trade contacts and interaction history, a professional website to represent their portfolio of properties, client-facing reporting tools, and ideally a mobile app for logging meetings and following up on the road. Charnette Labs builds all of these — designed around the way rep companies actually operate.
Can you build a CRM specifically for a rep company?
Yes. We build lightweight CRM tools designed for travel sales professionals — with contact management, interaction logging, follow-up tracking, client reports and trade event integration. RepBud, our flagship product, is exactly this — and we can build bespoke versions for representation companies with custom branding and specific workflow requirements.
How much does a rep company website cost?
A representation company site is priced to the size of your portfolio and the trade tools you need, so each is scoped individually. Every project is scoped and priced individually — we tailor a proposal to your operation, audience and goals after a discovery conversation. We work in GBP, USD or ZAR depending on your business. Get in touch to start the conversation.
How does a tourism rep company prove ROI to its supplier clients?
Through reporting that surfaces activity continuously rather than at year-end. The strongest rep reporting includes: trade contact engagement metrics (who attended events, who downloaded press kits, who replied to outreach), sales pipeline by client (which tour operators have requested rates, who's converted to bookings), media coverage capture, FAM trip attendance and follow-up, and increasingly tracked-link booking attribution. Rep companies that report well retain clients longer and command higher fees. Charnette Labs builds CRM and reporting systems that produce this output automatically.
What's the difference between a tourism rep company and a sales agent?
A sales agent typically works on commission per booking and represents many suppliers loosely. A tourism rep company works on retainer for a defined client portfolio — usually 8-15 properties or destinations — and provides a full sales, marketing and PR service. Rep companies host events, produce content, manage trade press, attend trade shows on behalf of clients and report systematically. The economic models are fundamentally different: agents are transactional, reps are relational. Our glossary covers this and other trade-role distinctions.
How do rep companies track which trade contacts have engaged with which client properties?
Through a properly-built CRM. The challenge specific to rep companies is that one trade contact — a tour operator product manager, for example — is typically relevant to several of the rep's client portfolio at different times. The CRM needs to support multi-client tagging on contacts, track interactions per client, and produce a clean per-client activity report at quarter-end. Generic CRMs (Salesforce, HubSpot) can be configured for this but it's painful. Purpose-built rep CRMs are increasingly common — we build them.
Should a tourism rep company have a public website or operate purely via referrals?
A public website. Even for rep companies whose work is entirely trade-facing, the website does three jobs: it confirms credibility to a potential supplier client researching the rep before signing; it provides a single home for the rep's portfolio that journalists, FAM trip applicants and trade contacts can reference; and it ranks for queries like '[destination] rep company UK' that AI assistants and trade buyers now use. The website doesn't need consumer enquiries — it needs to look like the professional outfit you are.
Can tourism rep companies use push notifications for trade contact updates?
Yes — and rep companies are one of the strongest use cases for push in tourism. Trade audiences sit in inboxes more crowded than consumer ones, and a brief relevant push to a tour operator's browser about a new client launch, a FAM trip slot, or a same-day rate update consistently outperforms email. The list is small and high-value, the messages are short and time-sensitive — exactly what push is built for. See our newsletters vs push comparison for the detail.
What CRM features are essential for a tourism representation company?
At minimum: multi-client contact tagging (one tour operator may be relevant to several of the rep's portfolio); per-client interaction tracking; event management for FAM trips, trade dinners and showcases; media list and press release distribution; sales pipeline by client; and quarterly reporting templates that surface activity per client. Beyond minimum: email and push integration for trade communications, automated ROI reporting, and a portal where supplier clients can log in to see their own activity. We build these specifically for tourism rep companies.
Global flagships · regional trade shows · FAM trip · global tourism trade associations · regional trade associations — read the full tourism trade glossary →
Sales, marketing & representation · DMC websites · Tour operator websites · PR & media technology
Your rep company deserves technology that understands the trade.
From a single-person rep operation to a multi-property representation agency — we build the tools that let you focus on selling, not on admin.
hello@charnette.io