RedAwning Review: Is It Worth It for Hosts?

Most vacation rental management companies specialize in either half-service or full-service, while RedAwning allows owners to choose between the two models. The company is also one of the largest names in the short-term rental management industry, but does this make it worth it for Airbnb owners and hosts?

This in-depth review of RedAwning assesses the services that the company provides, the processes that it implements, the terms under which it works with owners, and the costs that it charges to investors. Next, we’ll take a look at both host and guest reviews of RedAwning on trustworthy websites to identify the main pros and cons of working with this company. Finally, we’ll offer you three alternative solutions fit for owners with different preferences and needs.

Interested in a new approach to vacation home management that prioritizes owner control without any of the daily operations? Fairly combines the power of technology with the thoroughness of local care and the diligence of owner oversight to provide exceptional services to guests, hosts, and homes. Schedule a consultation to explore further.

RedAwning Company Overview

RedAwning started as a half-service Airbnb management company and has recently expanded into full-service management as well. The company was founded by Tim Choate in 2010 with headquarters in Petaluma, CA. Choate launched the property management solution with the intention to apply hotel-level reservation and guest service standards to vacation rentals. In 2024, RedAwning acquired Awning bringing together the marketing and distribution network of RedAwning with the full-management capabilities of Awning.

In 2026, RedAwning works with thousands of Airbnb properties owned by more than 20,000 hosts across the US market, with coverage in all 50 states. The company has the capacity to handle both smaller and larger properties, standard homes and luxury mansions. RedAwning serves the following categories of customers:

• Individual vacation rental owners looking for half-service or full-service management
• Professional property managers
• Independent hotels and boutique inns
• Guests

The average boost in annual revenue that owners can expect when switching to RedAwning from another management solution depends on the plan they opt for.

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RedAwning Short-Term Rental Management Services

RedAwning offers three distinct vacation rental management plans that cover different services.

RedAwning Essential

RedAwning Essential is the most basic plan provided by the property manager that aims to automate many of the processes associated with owning and operating a short-term rental business. At the same time, a lot of the daily tasks remain the responsibility of the host.

The services covered by RedAwning Essential include:

• Listing creation and optimization
• Listing distribution on 50+ booking channels including Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, Google Vacation Rentals, Agoda, Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy, Trivago, Hopper, Kayak, Orbitz, Travelocity, and others
• Calendar sync across vacation rental platforms to avoid double bookings
• AI-powered dynamic pricing automatically aligned with guest demand, local events, and market conditions
• Damage protection with every booking for up to $5,000 in accidental guest damage and $500,000 in liability
• 24/7 guest communications and support including check-in and check-out assistance, emergency support, issue resolution, and review management
• Owner dashboard to track bookings, earnings, and performance

The services covered by RedAwning Essential make it the right fit for owners who’d like to make more money through the use of technology while retaining a hands-on approach to management.

RedAwning Essential Plus

The RedAwning Essential Plus package offers a more comprehensive package designed to deliver hospitality-grade guest experiences. Still, on-the-ground management remains within the scope of work of the host.

Specific services cover:

• Listing creation
• Photo enhancement and editing
• Professional listing optimization including SEO keywords, expert-written titles and descriptions, a compelling story, and list of all amenities
• Listing distribution on 50+ websites including larger and more niche booking channels
• AI-driven dynamic pricing
• 24/7 professional guest support including everything in Essential plus review response assistance
• Dedicated revenue manager to handle daily pricing optimization, booking gap strategies, competitor monitoring, positioning, monthly performance reviews and recommendations, and direct line of communications with owners

According to the RedAwning website, owners can expect an average increase of 35% of booking revenue with this plan. It could be worth it for hosts who need to improve performance but don’t mind doing the legwork.

RedAwning Full Service

The RedAwning Full Service plan aims to provide a hands-off solution to Airbnb hosting.

The services included in this package comprise:

• Listing creation
• Listing distribution
• Professional photo editing and optimization
• Professional listing optimization
• Revenue management focused on dynamic pricing, implemented by a dedicated revenue manager
• 24/7 guest communication from booking to check-out and beyond
• Guest review management to boost listings’ reputation
• Cleaning and maintenance coordination while the work is performed by the owner’s preferred vendors. RedAwning can provide recommendations for contractors if needed.

RedAwning states that hosts can get a 40% growth in rental income with the help of the full-service property management plan. This package enables largely passive investments in short-term rental properties for investors who don’t mind giving up control.

RedAwning Property Management Fees & Costs

Each of RedAwning’s vacation rental management plans comes with a specific fee. What’s important is that commission rates are fixed and don’t depend on location and property type or performance.

RedAwning charges the following Airbnb management fees:

• Essential: 10% of booking revenue
• Essential Plus: 15% of booking revenue
• Full Service: 18% of booking revenue. While this looks like a very competitive commission compared to the national average of 20-45% for full-service STR management, owners have to pay cleaning, restocking, and maintenance fees and costs additionally. This inflates the total cost of management compared to other nationwide property managers that include the housekeeping fees in the monthly commission.

RedAwning doesn’t charge an onboarding fee when you’re first getting started. Also there is no mention of early cancellation penalty fees on the company website.

RedAwning Airbnb Management Terms

Unlike other Airbnb management companies, RedAwning has published its property management agreement on the company website, so owners can review it when deciding whether to hire them. There is no fixed contract length, and hosts can cancel their agreement with a written notice.

With regard to payments, RedAwning collects guest revenue from all bookings and transfers owner payouts within 14 days of check-out. Hosts, on the other hand, have to pay cleaning and maintenance contractor fees based on the schedule agreed upon with the vendors.

Property owners can block their home for personal use through the online calendar as long as their intended stay doesn’t coincide with already existing reservations.

RedAwning Vacation Rental Management Process

The management process implemented by RedAwning depends on the plan that you choose.

With RedAwning Essential and Essential Plus, the vacation rental manager handles all aspects of listing optimization and marketing, while it is the responsibility of the owner to take care of on-the-ground operations.

With RedAwning Full Service, the company becomes responsible for coordinating housekeeping works, but the host has to select contractors and pay them directly.

Regardless of the plan selected, RedAwning retains responsibility for strategic decisions such as pricing, positioning, and distribution. Owners can choose how much operational work they perform, but they have limited influence over the overall strategy behind their property's performance.

RedAwning Reviews by Owners & Guests

There are thousands of online reviews of RedAwning on reliable third-party platforms like Trustpilot and BBB. Provided by both hosts and guests, they can give you a good idea of where the company fulfills its promises and where it falls short.

You can find RedAwning reviews on:

• Trustpilot: 3.5/5 stars based on 7,411 reviews
• Reviews.io: 1.2/5 stars based on 46 reviews
• Apple App Store: 2.3/5 stars based on 24 reviews
• BBB: 1.17/5 stars based on 23 reviews
• Yelp: 1.1/5 stars based on 22 reviews
• Reddit

Positive reviews of RedAwning written by owners highlight the easy onboarding, the multi-channel distribution, the increased number of bookings, and the reduced workload, broad listing distribution, well-maintained properties, and efficient communication. Happy guests talk about the wonderful properties, the smooth processes, the ability to address guest concerns, and the available customer support team members.

RedAwning Complaints by Hosts & Guests

As RedAwning average ratings on review platforms are generally low, most customer reviews are complaints. Negative feedback provided by hosts focuses on multiple occasions of delayed or withheld owner payouts, lack of transparency, operational deficiencies, and slow processes.

Meanwhile, guests often complain about payment processing problems, unexpected charges, unnecessarily complicated procedures, and poor communication (either too much or none at all). Guests have also faced broken appliances, smelly spaces, dirty properties, garbage not thrown out, and windows that can’t open.

Is RedAwning Worth It for STR Investors?

Based on RedAwning reviews by hosts and guests, RedAwning might be worth it for owners in some locations. The multiple property management packages have the potential to serve the needs of both more hands-on and more hands-off investors. However, the large scale of nationwide operations seems to cause inconsistencies in the quality of services that homes, hosts, and guests receive from one market to another.

Meanwhile, RedAwning can help different types of owners manage their properties according to their preferences, but it doesn’t seem to offer a hybrid model where a host can have control over strategic decisions and management processes without having to do the work themselves. That’s why some homeowners decide to look for alternative solutions.

RedAwning Alternatives & Competitors

For owners for whom RedAwning doesn’t offer the ideal short-term rental management model, there are dozens of other options in the US market.

Here are the top three competitors of RedAwning that offer different solutions to meet the expectations of various hosts.

RedAwning vs Fairly

Fairly: Best RedAwning alternative for owner control without day-to-day operations

Fairly has developed a new approach to managing vacation homes that combines the benefits of self-management (owner control) and full-service management (passive income) while eliminating the main drawbacks (full-time commitment and lack of oversight, respectively). In specific, Fairly combines tech-supported hyperlocal care with owner control to deliver outstanding services to all parties.

Fairly’s philosophy is based on the idea that dedicated care creates 5-star guest experiences, which translates into excellent reviews and outstanding ratings. This allows you to generate more income by boosting occupancy and daily rates simultaneously. In other words:

Dedicated local care → Exceptional guest experiences → Higher ratings → Enhanced long-term home performance

This innovative STR management model is implemented through access to:

• Vacation home management software platform that supports owners in optimizing and automating key aspects like dynamic pricing, listing, distribution, marketing, guest communication, and coordination. While the Fairly software provides you with the insights you need to improve performance, the company doesn’t impose pricing or marketing strategies on you. You are free to adjust your home’s positioning and daily rates as you see fit for your strategy and long-term intentions.
• Marketplace of local caretakers where you can select the most appropriate professional to look after your vacation home and guests. Instead of entrusting housekeeping and maintenance to rotating local vendors, Fairly assists you in establishing a long-term partnership with a dedicated caretaker who gets to know your home, your priorities, and your guests’ expectations to provide outstanding services.
• Vacation Rental Experts who are available to help you strengthen your home’s pricing or marketing or choose the right caretakers when needed. Fairly Vacation Rental Experts don’t operate as account managers but as your partners who support you in improving the performance of your home.
• 24/7 back-up support under which the Fairly team steps in to respond to guest inquiries in case your local caretaker is temporarily unavailable. This is done independently or with your assistance to provide the best possible support to guests at all times.

The average rating of Fairly-managed listings on Airbnb of 4.89 - compared to an average of 4.6 or below for professionally managed properties - reflects the high-quality of services that guests receive and the high standards up to which the company keeps rentals. In their Fairly reviews, guests praise the great homes, the beautiful designs, the high level of upkeep, the fast communications, and the helpful local hosts. Owners, meanwhile, are happy with the smooth transition from other management models, the proactive care provided by local teams, and the unmatched level of professionalism.

The unique model delivered by Fairly ensures that owners experience a minimum increase in annual rental income of $5,000 when coming from self-management or professional management. Meanwhile, your engagement in the management of your vacation home is material, so you qualify for the STR tax loophole, which lets you offset regular income.

Unlike RedAwning, Fairly charges a single, uniform Airbnb management commission of 20% of nightly rates (excluding cleaning fees). This rate covers all services, from pricing and marketing to housekeeping coordination. You don’t have to pay for cleaning separately, unlike with RedAwning. Local caretakers are paid 5% of nightly revenue (taken from the Fairly share) and the full cleaning fee, which you set in collaboration. This payment structure ensures that they do their best to support your property and your guests as their payments depend on the performance of your vacation home.

In brief, Fairly offers the ideal solution for owners who’d like to break from the traditional model of vacation home management where they have to give up their free time or full control over their property. Fairly is ideal for owners who want to remain in charge of the decisions that shape their property's success while leaving day-to-day operations to dedicated local professionals. By aligning the interests of owners, guests, caretakers, and homes, Fairly creates the conditions for 5-star experiences.

RedAwning vs Evolve

Evolve: Best RedAwning alternative for half-service STR management

Evolve offers an alternative to the RedAwning Essential and Essential Plus plans for owners who’d like to explore different options. As a half-service Airbnb manager, Evolve focuses on the automation of repetitive, yet important processes, such as pricing, marketing, payment processing, guest communication, and housekeeping coordination. In terms of pricing, you can add your own minimum and maximum nightly prices, but you can’t adjust daily rates according to your preferences or additional research.

At the same time, housekeeping remains the responsibility of the owner. You can decide whether to do the work yourself, build a local team on your own, or hire some of Evolve’s vetted contractors. Either way, you have to negotiate the terms and fees with them and transfer payments directly, while their work can be coordinated through the Evolve platform.

Similar to RedAwning, Evolve has thousands of online reviews on third-party websites like Manager Review and Trustpilot. They are generally positive with some complaints too. Satisfied customers highlight the good listing distribution system, the easy-to-use online platform, the accurate listings, and the available customer support. Dissatisfied owners and guests complain about declines in income due to bad pricing strategies, poor reservation management, customer issues being ignored, and inflexible cancellation policies.

Evolve charges a range of commission fees starting at 10% of gross revenue income and exceeding 15%. The onboarding fee is $250. Taxation guidance and licensing support is charged separately, where available. On top of that, you have to pay cleaning and maintenance fees.

In sum, Evolve offers a plausible solution to investors who already have a strong local team and need help in improving performance. It’s not the right fit for those who expect passive income while keeping control over strategic decisions.

RedAwning vs AvantStay

AvantStay: Best RedAwning alternative for full-service management of luxury vacation rentals

AvantStay is a RedAwning Full Service competitor that works exclusively with group-travel homes and luxury vacation rentals. The company provides end-to-end management services that include but are not limited to listing creation and optimization, marketing, legal support, smart technology monitoring, revenue management, reservation management, guest support, concierge services for guests, and owner reporting.

When needed, AvantStay also has the capacity to help owners get their properties guest-ready through Airbnb design and furnishing - from small finishing touches to complete refurbishing. This is where AvantStay services exceed RedAwning services.

AvantStay has generated a few thousand online reviews on third-party platforms like Manager Review and Trustpilot. According to positive reviews, the main benefits of AvantStay include the diligent property management services, the well-maintained and well-cleaned houses, the reliable listings, the great guest supplies, and the easy communication. Meanwhile, negative reviews report high management fees, bad maintenance works, dirty properties, reservation issues, and last-minute cancellations.

AvantStay chooses not to publish its vacation rental management fees on their website. Third-party sources quote rates between 20% and 35% of total booking revenue. This is significantly more than what RedAwning charges, but it covers cleaning costs.

In conclusion, AvantStay may work for luxury vacation rental investors in select markets who don’t mind giving up control over their investment in exchange for passive income. However, it’s not suitable for those who want more flexibility and oversight.

How to Get Started with RedAwning

To get started with RedAwning vacation rental management services, you can submit an online form to book a call with the team.

Conclusion

Based on RedAwning reviews by hosts and guests, the company provides flexible property management that ranges from automation support to full-service management. However, even with the most comprehensive plan, owners are personally responsible for hiring and paying on-the-ground vendors. RedAwning is worth it for hosts who don’t mind doing some of the legwork while optimizing performance without having control over things like pricing and marketing. The company is not the right option for owners who’d like to retain control but eliminate daily operations.

How about vacation home management that puts you in charge of strategic decisions but takes care of all day-to-day tasks? Check out Fairly. Get started on your own or book an introductory meeting to learn how hyperlocal care supported by the latest technology and owner oversight brings the best results.

FAQs

What Is RedAwning?

RedAwning is a short-term rental property management company whose services range from half-service to full-service. The company was established with the aim to help hosts improve the performance of their listings through technology, but after its acquisition of Awning, RedAwning also offers comprehensive management. However, even the RedAwning Full Service plan lacks cleaning services as owners have to choose their vendors, which RedAwning coordinates.

What Does RedAwning Do?

RedAwning helps Airbnb owners and property managers optimize listings, distribute them across a wide network of booking channels, improve dynamic pricing, and communicate with guests. With the RedAwning Full Service package, you also get support in coordinating housekeeping operations including cleaning, restocking, and maintenance.

Is RedAwning a Half-Service or Full-Service Airbnb Property Manager?

RedAwning can operate as both a half-service and a full-service vacation rental management company. The company offers three different plans which cover increasingly more aspects of managing a short-term rental. With all plans, you remain responsible for some of the legwork, while you give up control over decisions related to positioning, pricing, and marketing.

How Much Does RedAwning Charge?

RedAwning has three plans with fees ranging from 10% to 18% of booking revenue. There is no onboarding fee. While these commissions look low, it’s important to note that even with full-service management, owners remain responsible for covering payments to cleaning and maintenance vendors.