It is the question every lodge owner wants answered and few rep companies will discuss openly: what does UK representation actually cost? The honest answer is that there is no rate card, because the work is scoped to the property. But there is a clear way to understand the models and what drives the number — and you should expect a rep to be transparent about both before you sign anything.
The three common models
- Retainer. A fixed monthly or annual fee for an agreed scope of work. Predictable for both sides; the property knows its cost, the rep can plan the activity. This is the most common model for serious, ongoing representation.
- Retainer plus performance. A lower base retainer with an added element tied to agreed outcomes. Aligns incentives, but only works when the outcomes are defined honestly and are genuinely within the rep’s control.
- Commission. Payment as a share of bookings the rep can attribute. Attractive because it feels risk-free, but attribution in the trade is notoriously messy, and commission rarely funds the steady relationship work that representation actually requires.
The commercial specifics of any model belong in the contracting conversation, not in public marketing — and any rep who quotes you a headline number before understanding your property should be treated with caution.
“The most useful question is not the headline fee. It is the cost relative to the room nights it generates — an arrangement that costs a handful of room nights a year and delivers many times that has paid for itself.”
What actually drives the cost
Whatever the model, the number is shaped by the same factors: the breadth of the scope (sales only, or sales plus PR, marketing and trade shows); how many markets and segments you want covered; trade-show attendance and the travel it requires; the seniority of the person doing the work; and the size of the rep’s portfolio, because a boutique giving you genuine attention is a different proposition from a name on a large generalist roster.
How Kusa Connect approaches it
We work on a fixed retainer agreed up front and scoped to your property, so there are no surprises and no attribution arguments. We are deliberately small, which means the cost buys senior, founder-level attention rather than a junior account handler. Before any agreement, we are transparent about exactly what the retainer covers.
If you are still deciding whether representation is the right investment at all, our checklist — do I need a UK rep for my safari lodge? — is the better place to start, and our overview of UK repping companies explains how the models fit the wider picture.
Want a clear, fixed cost for your UK representation?
Kusa Connect works on a fixed retainer agreed up front and scoped to your property, so you know your UK cost from the start. Get in touch for a scoped conversation.
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