Air Concierge is an Airbnb management company that works in select markets in the US and offers two service packages: 1) End to end management (equivalent to full-service property management) and 2) Offsite management (equivalent to half-service rental management).
Air Concierge is smaller than other top vacation rental managers and offers more boutique services. But is the company worth it for short term rental investors and hosts? The short answer is: No, not really!
Alternatively, Summer, the top-ranked vacation rental manager in the US, sets strict selection criteria about the properties it works with to guarantee an outstanding level of property management and hospitality services. As a result, Summer-managed rentals perform better than at least 95% of local comps in each market. Furthermore, the monthly fee starts at only 20% of booking revenue, excluding cleaning fees.
Air Concierge Company Overview
Air Concierge is a small-scale Airbnb rental property management company that offers both full-service and half-service options.
Air Concierge was founded in 2014 by Ryan and Claire Ranz, two spouses with expertise in the short term rental industry. The team strives to turn every reservation into a successful experience for all parties, including homeowners, guests, and staff.
Air Concierge end to end management services are available in a number of select destinations focused in California as well as a few other major cities. Meanwhile, offsite management is across the US.
Overview of Air Concierge Airbnb Management
Air Concierge was established as a full-service short term rental manager but recently began offering half-service management.
The company specializes in both regular Airbnbs and long term Airbnbs that can be rented out for 30, 60, 90, or more days at a time. Air Concierge works with standard and luxury short term rentals.
Air Concierge has Airbnb Superhost status, and it applies a Zero Party & Good Neighbor Policy to all the listings that it manages.
The advantages that Air Concierge promises to owners include:
- More earnings: Through the optimization of listings and pricing, Air Concierge-managed properties earn 10-40%, on average, more than owner-managed rentals
- No stress: Guests get hotel-style experience without the need for hosts to intervene. Air Concierge delivers around-the-clock responses and operations through local staff
- Total flexibility: The property manager offers customizable management services to meet the exact needs of any rental. Moreover, owners can use their second home as much as they want provided they pay a professional cleaning fee
In addition to Airbnb management, Air Concierge also offers design and furnishing services. These services are aligned with local trends and optimized for the experiences of both guests and hosts.
The company has a flexible pricing model that takes into account the duration of the contract, type of rental, and revenue.
Air Concierge Vacation Rental Management Locations
Air Concierge Airbnb management review shows that, unlike other best Airbnb management companies, the company has a very limited market coverage. End to end management services are offered in:
- Lake Tahoe, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Orange County, CA
- Palm Springs, CA
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco, Marin, and East Bay, CA
- Seattle, WA
- Scottsdale and Phoenix, AZ
Although these locations include some of the best places to buy a rental property for strong Airbnb occupancy rate, there are many top short term rental markets missing from this list.
On the other hand, offsite management is available across the US. However, with half-service Airbnb management, hosts are far from earning passive income from their investments.
Air Concierge Property Type Coverage
Air Concierge defines eligible properties as those that can “provide memorable stays in remarkable homes.” The company does not explain what this means, and there are no specific requirements in terms of property type, size, or amenities. Nevertheless, homes are expected to have a “character.”
Both short term rentals (rented out on a nightly basis) and mid term rentals (rented out for 30-90 or more days at a time) can qualify. Also, the company works with standard properties and luxury ones ($1,000 or more per night).
Interested owners must get in touch with Air Concierge to confirm if their home qualifies.
Air Concierge Airbnb Management Services
Air Concierge offers two styles of vacation rental management as well as design services.
Air Concierge End to End Management Services
Full-service Airbnb property management provided by Air Concierge covers:
- Listing description and copywriting: Air Concierge creates personalized listings that include listing titles, descriptions, and professional photos and videos
- High-resolution photography: All listings are accompanied by professional photos to highlight the best aspects of the property
- Listing distribution: Rentals are listed on the Air Concierge website as well as on top booking websites including Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Google, Hopper, and Homes & Villas by Marriott International
- Targeted digital marketing: SEO optimization for different platforms and other strategies
- Dynamic guest manuals: Air Concierge creates guest handbooks for each property
- Dynamic pricing: Daily prices are adjusted based on seasonality, inquiry activity, comparable rental prices, nearby hotels, actual reservations, and competitor homes’ booking frequencies and amounts. Air Concierge dynamic pricing software can help boost pricing and occupancy by 10-40%
- Nearly around-the-clock guest support and communication: Dedicated reservation agents are available to respond to guest questions before, during, and after stays to increase bookings and 5-star reviews
- Guest screening: Guests are screened and verified before bookings get approved
- Household supplies stocking: Typically, Air Concierge procures the required kitchen, bathroom, and general supplies en masse or per booking
- Damage and claim filing support: In some cases, Air Concierge might help submit damage claims via photos, videos, and write-ups and organize return visits as well as replacement and restoration
- Monthly owner payment processing: Owner payouts are transferred on a monthly basis
Additional services for hosts who need them include:
- Wireless entry keypad installation: Air Concierge can install a smart lock for easy check-ins and check-outs and enhanced security. The team can also manage the activation and deactivation of home alarms
- Noise monitoring: Air Concierge can install noise monitors to detect and prevent noise violations
- Licensing and permitting: Help file for short term rental licenses and permits with the municipality
- Monthly accounting and reporting: Manages monthly reporting and charges, collects, and remits applicable lodging taxes
- Short term rental insurance: Air Concierge requires all properties to have Airbnb insurance, which can be obtained from their partners at Farmers
- Trash take-out and in: The Air Concierge team coordinates trash take-out and in
- Concierge services: Guests can access various concierge services, such as home grocery delivery, baby items, restaurant and entertainment reservations, and special curated events like beach fire pits, barbeques, and hot air balloon rides
- Inspections: Conducts seasonal inspections to check the condition of the home
- Interior design services: Air Concierge founders are hosts of the My House Is Your House show on HGTV, and they offer customizable interior design services tailored to the needs of vacation rental properties. They work with both new builds and remodels
Air Concierge does not offer the following services:
- Cleaning: The company does not clean properties between stays. Air Concierge can continue working with vendors that have already been hired by the owner before onboarding or can help identify and hire professional cleaners. Then, the company oversees the cleaning process
- Maintenance: Similarly, Air Concierge can work with existing maintenance staff or hire a new one, if needed. This covers landscaping and pool and hot tub maintenance, too. However, their team does not implement maintenance and repair works
While Air Concierge markets its vacation rental management as end to end management, many services are offered additionally (for an extra fee), so it’s difficult to estimate how much exactly working with this company would cost.
Air Concierge Offsite Management Services
Recently, Air Concierge introduced a half-service vacation rental management option that includes:
- Interior design service
- Professional listing
- Professional photography
- Dynamic pricing software
- Licensing, permitting, and transient occupancy tax (TOT) information
- Insurance guidance
- Zero Party & Good Neighbor Policy
- Guest rental agreements
- Guest communications
- Scheduling and coordinating of onsite matters, such as cleaning, maintenance, house checks, and others
- Household supply stocking
- After-stay reviews by guests
- Noise monitoring
- Concierge service for guests
- Damage and claim filing
- Access to owner portal
The scope of offsite management services is intended to help streamline and automate many of the aspects of owning and operating an Airbnb business. However, with this option, hosts still need to do a lot themselves, which means that they cannot earn passive income from their investment property. Moreover, while some of the above-listed services are included in the standard offsite management fee, others are charged separately.
How to Get Started with Air Concierge
To get started with Air Concierge, owners need to submit an online form with information about their property and market. After that, they get a free consultation to check if their home qualifies.
If a property qualifies, hosts need to pay an onboarding fee and sign a written agreement. Next, the homeowner-driven onboarding process starts, and it takes a few weeks. By the end of onboarding, the rental must be licensed, permitted, and insured; the wifi must be available and checked; utilities must be on autopay; instructions must be available on power panels and water shutoffs; and there must be third-party vendors in place for cleaning and maintenance.
Air Concierge Airbnb Property Management Fees and Costs
The cost of the end to end management depends on:
- Duration of the contract: 3 months vs 1 year
- Duration of stays: Short term stays vs long term stays of 30, 60, 90 or more days
- Type of property: Standard vs luxury
The standard monthly fee with the 3-month contract is 25% of revenue and goes down to 22% with a 1-year contract. It’s reduced to 20% for luxury properties and can reach as low as 12% for extended stays of 90 or more days. The Airbnb management fee for long term stays with a 1-year contract reaches 10%.
Meanwhile, the universal fee for offsite management is 10% of monthly income.
With both packages, the additional services listed above are charged separately, so the total management fee can easily exceed 30% or more.
Before deciding whether to work with Air Concierge, owners need to get a quote to know exactly how much they will be expected to pay and what services they will get in return.
Air Concierge Property Management Terms and Conditions
After onboarding, owners enter into a 90-day probationary period to determine if Air Concierge is a good fit. Afterwards, there are 3-month and 1-year contracts, with the latter benefiting from discounted property management rates.
It’s important for interested owners to note that the early termination of a 3-month contract is subject to a fee of $3,500, while terminating a 1-year contract before the deadline requires the payment of a $7,500 fee. Generally, these fees are significantly above what other companies in the vacation rental management industry require.
Air Concierge Reviews
There are only a few Air Concierge online reviews:
- Yelp: 4.2/5 stars (96 reviews)
In their reviews of Air Concierge Airbnb management, satisfied hosts and guests comment on the beautiful homes, clean spaces, great locations, good amenities, excellent management services, highly engaged team, attentive staff, and timely and detailed communication.
Other owners and guests complain about terrible experiences, bad services, filthy properties, cockroaches, wrongful charges, no willingness to accept feedback, lack of professionalism, and even racial discrimination.
Due to the small number of Air Concierge reviews, interested owners should try to connect with hosts in their market who have worked with the company and ask about their experiences. This can be done via online real estate investing forums or in-person meetups.
Air Concierge Alternatives and Competitors
While Air Concierge might be able to meet the expectations of some owners in specific markets, the company has very limited geographical presence, somewhat restricted services, and a complicated pricing model. This makes them a suboptimal option for the majority of vacation rental investors in the US market.
The best Air Concierge competitors and alternatives include:
Air Concierge vs Summer
Summer is the best vacation rental management company in the US, evidenced by the fact that Summer-managed properties outperform 95% or more comps in each market. Unlike other Airbnb managers, Summer applies strict selection criteria to ensure that they can provide top-notch services that consistently exceed host and guest expectations.
As a full-service property manager, Summer covers everything from listing optimization and distribution, all the way to cleaning, maintenance, and Airbnb insurance. Similar to Air Concierge, Summer offers vacation rental design and furnishing services that are tailored to the needs of each property and the preferences of each owner. This can include the installation of various Airbnb amenities, such as a mini golf course, a home movie theater, and more.
Summer Airbnb management services are available in all US markets where the company can guarantee quality. The property manager works only with properties that generate at least $50,000 of income per year.
Summer monthly fees start at 20% of booking revenue, excluding cleaning fees. Design and furnishing pricing starts at $10,000.
Air Concierge vs Vacasa
Vacasa is the biggest short term rental property manager in North America and one of the strongest Air Concierge competitors. Just like Air Concierge, Vacasa offers both full-service and half-service management, though the former is the core of the business.
Vacasa covers all the basic services that are expected from an Airbnb management company, but unlike Air Concierge, there are no interior design and furnishing services available. In terms of quality, Vacasa reviews show mixed experiences which might be due to the overstretch of the company that manages more than 44,000 properties in over 400 markets.
Vacasa fees depend on the market and the property size, but the company does not provide a possible range of fees. Owners who have worked with Vacasa report fees that generally exceed 30%.
Air Concierge vs Casago
Casago is another full-service short term rental property manager that competes with Air Concierge.
Casago does all the tasks needed to operate a vacation rental business, from creating and marketing listings, all the way to cleaning, housekeeping, and maintenance. Unlike Air Concierge, this company does not furnish properties. Thus, hosts who would like to work with Casago might need to hire one of the best Airbnb design and furnishing companies.
Casago is managing more than 5,000 vacation rentals in over 60 markets. The company does not explain its fees or how they are determined.
Bottom Line
Based on an Air Concierge Airbnb management review, the company could work out for some hosts in a select number of markets in California as well as in Seattle, Scottsdale, and Phoenix. While fees seem competitive, ranging between 10% and 25% for full-service, there are multiple must-have services that are charged separately. Moreover, Air Concierge charges hefty early-termination fees, so investors need to be absolutely sure it is the right choice for them before opting in.
Meanwhile, Summer offers truly full-service short term rental property management for a monthly fee starting at 20% of booking revenue, with no hidden and additional fees. The company has a strict selection process to guarantee the outstanding quality of provided services. Moreover, owners are free to cancel as soon as they are not entirely happy, without the need to pay penalty fees.
