trendXmedia | Tour Operator Consultancy — VIP Portals & AI Concierge

About

A software engineering manager who has spent ten years inside travel

Nic Harrison

Founder · Software Engineering Manager

London & South East, UK

Hi, I'm Nic. I'm a Software Engineering Manager with 10 years of deep travel niche expertise, which means I already know your ResTech stack, your seasonality pressures, and exactly where your admin overhead is bleeding revenue.

I've been head of engineering for a bike rental SaaS platform, architected booking-flow systems handling thousands of reservations, and now focus exclusively on one problem: engineering the infrastructure that lets high-growth tour operators stop drowning in manual admin and start scaling direct bookings.

If you're paying OTA commissions, handling waivers by email, or answering the same itinerary questions twenty times a week, I've engineered the solution to each of those problems. The only question is how much it's costing you right now.

18+

Years Experience

30+

Projects Delivered

15+

Tour Operators Served

Core Capabilities

ResTech API Integration

Deep integration expertise with the leading ResTech platforms and tour management systems

Direct Booking Architecture

High-performance frontends engineered to convert visitors and bypass OTA fees

AI Guest Automation

Trained concierge agents that handle pre-trip enquiries without lifting a finger

Guest Hub Portals

Centralised document, waiver, and itinerary portals that eliminate admin email chains

Engineering Management

Enterprise-grade architecture and delivery rigour applied to your tour operation

Travel Domain Authority

10 years exclusively in travel — seasonality, booking flows, and guest psychology built-in

The Three Pillars

Three systems that take admin off your plate

Direct-Booking Engines

High-performance, conversion-optimised frontends engineered to bypass OTA commissions entirely. Your guests book direct, you keep the margin — built with seamless integration to your existing ResTech stack.

Eliminate OTA commission dependency
Real-time availability and instant booking
Mobile-first for operators and guests on the go

The Guest Hub

A branded, centralised portal that eliminates the document email chain forever. Waivers, itineraries, packing lists — all in one secure, automated link sent at precisely the right moment. Bridges the gaps your ResTech platform leaves open.

Automated waiver collection and secure storage
Digital itinerary and document delivery
Integrates with your existing booking platform

24/7 AI Concierge

An AI support agent trained on your specific trip notes, FAQs, and itineraries. It handles the repetitive enquiries that consume your day — kit lists, meeting points, what-to-bring — freeing you to focus on the experience, not the inbox.

Trained on your specific trip data and voice
Handles 80% of pre-trip guest enquiries
24/7 coverage with zero additional headcount

Seamless Integration

Built on the ResTech Your Business Already Runs

No rip-and-replace. No retraining your team. Every solution is engineered to integrate directly with the booking platforms and APIs you already use — so the transition is invisible to your guests and painless for your operation.

Booking Platforms

Seamless Two-Way Sync

Reservation Systems

Live Availability & Pricing

Waiver Software

Automated Document Collection

CRM & Marketing

Guest Data Synchronisation

Why This Works

Why hire me instead of a generalist agency

You're Not Hiring a Freelancer

You're engaging a Software Engineering Manager. The same engineering rigour applied to enterprise SaaS — architecture reviews, delivery discipline, and scalable systems thinking — is applied to your tour operation. Not patchwork. Not templates.

Ten years in travel, already fluent in your stack

Most agencies need weeks to understand your business. I already know booking seasonality, reservation integration gotchas, guest communication patterns, and what makes a tour operator's admin overhead explode. We skip the learning curve.

Every Decision Targets OTA Independence

Commission-free bookings are not a feature — they're the entire point of the engagement. Every architectural decision, every UX choice, every automation is made with one mandate: reduce your dependency on third-party platforms.

Hours reclaimed, measured from day one

The Admin Audit establishes your current baseline — exactly where time is being lost. Every solution is then measured against it. You'll know precisely how many hours you've recovered, not just that things feel better.

Tour operators only — no context-switching

I don't take on e-commerce builds or restaurant websites between your project milestones. This is a specialist practice. Your operation gets the full weight of travel niche focus — not a fraction of a generalist's attention.

No price lists — every engagement is scoped to the operation

Every engagement starts with an Admin Audit, not a package tier. The solution is designed around your specific operation, your ResTech stack, and your growth targets. The investment reflects the value delivered — not a menu pick.

The Engagement Model

1

Admin Audit

We map every manual admin touchpoint in your operation. Where are the hours going? This is the foundation of every engagement.

2

Roadmap Call

A prioritised plan showing exactly which solutions will reclaim the most hours first. No pitch decks — just a clear engineering brief.

3

Engineering & Build

Solutions developed with your ResTech stack in mind from day one. Regular demos and check-ins throughout.

4

Integration & QA

Rigorous testing across all devices. Tour operators are often on mobile — your tools have to be too.

5

Ongoing Partnership

Regular performance reviews, iteration, and strategic advice. Your admin overhead is a moving target — so is the optimisation.

Technologies I Work With

React Node.js TypeScript Python Google Cloud REST APIs Docker React Node.js TypeScript Python Google Cloud REST APIs Docker

ResTech APIs Booking Platforms Reservation Systems Custom Integrations n8n OpenAI AI/ML Integration ResTech APIs Booking Platforms Reservation Systems Custom Integrations n8n OpenAI AI/ML Integration

Testimonials

What Clients Say

"

Following an initial meeting with Nic I immediately knew he was the right person for my Travel Business start-up. I'd met with other companies, but Nic stood out as the firm favourite. He had experience, knowledge, ongoing recommendations and advice but importantly was as excited for my project as much I was.

Neil Pirie Generation Travel Group

"

I have personally worked with Nic for over 6 years. His work is of quality and he is very reliable. Nic has become like family and is a pillar to our business.

Matt Illston Mr Zen

Start Here

Book Your Admin Audit

Every engagement begins the same way: a focused audit of where your operation is losing hours. No pitch decks, no guesswork — just a clear roadmap for reclaiming your week and reducing your dependence on OTAs.

Location