KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Most Houston STR managers charge 25-35% of the gross booking total — meaning you pay commission on money that never reaches you, like platform fees and cleaning fees.
- Hooray Stays charges starting at 20% of NET nightly revenue, which is the amount after Airbnb’s platform fee and cleaning fee are removed — a structure that saves owners hundreds per month.
- On a single $2,000 NRG event booking, the fee difference between a typical gross-based manager and Hooray Stays can exceed $200 for that one reservation alone.
- Hooray Stays includes consumables, daily human revenue management, in-person quarterly walk-throughs, and local guest communication — all at no extra charge.
- Houston owners should ask every manager two questions before signing: what is your base and what is it calculated on — gross or net?
Most Houston short-term rental owners are quietly losing hundreds of dollars every single month to a fee structure they never fully understood when they signed their management contract. The culprit is not a hidden line item. It is the base number that the commission is calculated on.
💰 Gross vs. Net: The Fee Calculation That Changes Everything
The most important number in any STR management contract is not the percentage. It is what that percentage is applied to. Most Houston management companies calculate their commission on the gross booking total, which includes Airbnb’s platform fee and the cleaning fee. Hooray Stays calculates its commission starting at 20% of the net nightly revenue only, after those amounts are stripped out.
Here is why that matters in plain math. When a guest books your Houston property and Airbnb collects $2,000, a portion of that total is Airbnb’s own service fee and your cleaning fee. A manager charging 30% of gross takes 30% of all $2,000. A manager charging 20% of net takes 20% of what remains after those pass-through costs are removed. The gap is not small.
📊 Real Houston Booking Examples with Actual Numbers
Texas Medical Center Week Stay
A traveling nurse or specialist renting near the Texas Medical Center for seven nights at $150 per night generates a gross booking of approximately $1,050. Airbnb’s platform fee and a cleaning fee of around $100 might bring the net nightly total to roughly $900. A typical manager at 30% of gross takes $315. Hooray Stays at 20% of net takes approximately $180. That is $135 more in your pocket from a single seven-night booking. Multiply that across several bookings per month and the annual difference runs into thousands of dollars.
NRG Stadium Event Rental
Houston’s event calendar drives some of the strongest short-term demand in Texas. During a major NRG weekend, a well-positioned two-bedroom could command $400 per night for two nights, producing an $800 gross booking. After platform fees and a cleaning fee, net revenue might sit around $650. A competitor charging 28% of gross takes $224. Hooray Stays at 20% of net takes $130. That single reservation produces a $94 difference, and owners with multiple event weekends per year feel that gap significantly.
Airport Corporate Housing Stay
Houston’s energy sector, healthcare industry, and port activity generate consistent corporate travel demand. A month-long corporate stay might produce $3,500 gross. After Airbnb’s fee and a cleaning charge, net revenue lands closer to $3,100. At 30% of gross, a competitor collects $1,050. At 20% of net, Hooray Stays collects $620. The owner keeps $430 more from a single booking. That is not a rounding error.
The Comparison Table Houston Owners Should Study
| WHAT MATTERS | HOORAY STAYS | TYPICAL COMPANIES |
|---|---|---|
| Commission base | ✅ NET nightly revenue (starting at 20%) | ❌ GROSS booking total (25-35%) |
| Consumables (soaps, coffee, paper goods) | ✅ Fully included, no markup | ❌ Billed separately to owner |
| Revenue management | ✅ Daily human review of pricing | ❌ Automated software only |
| Guest communication | ✅ Local team, not overseas | ❌ Overseas virtual assistants |
| In-person property visits | ✅ Quarterly walk-throughs included | ❌ Remote management only |
| Contract flexibility | ✅ Month-to-month available | ❌ Typically 6-12 month lock-in |
| Damage protection | ✅ $1,500 waiver on every reservation | ❌ Varies, often extra |
| Operators who own STRs themselves | ✅ Matt and Carissa own and operate their own properties | ❌ Rarely |
🚩 The Pain Points Houston Owners Keep Describing
When Houston property owners call Hooray Stays, the complaints they share about their previous managers follow a remarkably consistent pattern. Understanding these patterns helps you know what questions to ask before signing anything.
- Unreachable managers: Owners describe emailing or calling their management company during a guest emergency and reaching a call center or getting no response for hours. When you call Hooray Stays, Matt answers the phone himself.
- Overseas guest communication: Many large management firms route all guest messaging through virtual assistants in the Philippines or India. Those teams do not know that Houston’s Medical Center traffic peaks during Match Week at the rodeo, or that NRG Stadium guests often arrive late from flights. Local knowledge matters at 11pm when something goes wrong.
- Surprise consumable bills: Owners discover mid-year that soaps, coffee, paper towels, and toiletries are being billed back to them with a markup. At Hooray Stays, consumables are fully stocked and included at no additional charge.
- 12-month contracts with no performance accountability: A manager who locks you into a year-long agreement with no incentive to perform has very little motivation to push your revenue. Hooray Stays offers month-to-month contracts, so the relationship stays because it is working, not because you are trapped.
- Nobody ever visits the property: Remote-only management means small maintenance issues compound into expensive repairs. Hooray Stays conducts quarterly in-person walk-throughs on every property.
- Automated pricing with no human judgment: Dynamic pricing tools are useful, but they do not know that a last-minute FIFA World Cup Fan Festival event just appeared on the East Downtown Houston calendar this week, or that a corporate group is looking for three units simultaneously near Greenway Plaza. Hooray Stays reviews pricing daily with human eyes.
Why Houston’s 2025 Event Calendar Makes This Decision Urgent 🗓️
Houston is entering one of its strongest STR demand cycles in years. FIFA World Cup Fan Festival events are drawing international visitors to East Downtown right now. NRG continues to anchor sports and concert traffic on the southwest side. The Texas Medical Center remains the largest medical complex in the world, generating year-round corporate and travel nurse demand. And mid-year is when most 12-month contracts come up for review.
If your current management agreement is approaching its anniversary, this is exactly the right moment to run the numbers. Pull your last six months of gross booking statements, identify what your manager was actually paid on, and compare it to what you would have paid on net. The difference will likely surprise you.
If you are also considering properties in other Gulf Coast markets, our breakdown of what Bolivar Peninsula owners need to know before hiring applies many of the same fee-structure questions to the Crystal Beach market.
What Hooray Stays Includes That Most Houston Managers Charge Extra For
The true cost of management is never just the commission percentage. It is the commission plus every add-on billed to your account each month. Hooray Stays builds the following into its standard management fee with no markups and no extra invoices:
- Consumables fully restocked: soaps, shampoos, conditioners, coffee, paper goods
- Minut device installed on every property for noise, smoke, and occupancy monitoring
- Signed rental agreement and government-issued photo ID required from every guest before check-in
- Breezeway safety certification
- STR permitting guidance
- $1,500 damage waiver on every reservation
- Quarterly in-person property walk-throughs
- Daily human revenue management
When you add the value of those line items to the commission savings from a net-based fee structure, the financial case for switching becomes straightforward.
The Two Questions Every Houston Owner Should Ask Before Signing
You do not need to be a real estate attorney to protect yourself in a management contract. You need two answers before you sign anything.
- What is your commission rate, and is it calculated on gross or net revenue? If the answer is gross, ask them to restate it as a net equivalent so you are comparing apples to apples.
- What is billed separately? Get a full list in writing of every item that is not included in the management fee. Consumables, maintenance markups, and supply restocking fees add up fast.
Matt and Carissa Codd built Hooray Stays because they own and operate short-term rentals themselves on the Texas Gulf Coast. They know what it feels like to watch a booking statement and wonder where the money went. That personal stake in results is why the fee structure, the contract terms, and the service model are built the way they are.
If you own a property near the Medical Center, Greenway Plaza, the Energy Corridor, or anywhere else in the Houston market and you are not sure whether your current manager is working for you or against you, the next step is a free 15-minute call. Matt will walk through your actual numbers with you. No sales pitch, no obligation, just math. Book your free fee analysis call here. Or call directly at (832) 224-6713.
Frequently Asked Questions ❓
How much do STR management companies charge in Houston TX?
Most Houston STR management companies charge between 25% and 35% of the gross booking total, which includes platform fees and cleaning fees that never actually reach the owner. Hooray Stays charges starting at 20% of net nightly revenue, calculated after those pass-through costs are removed.
What is the difference between gross and net commission for Airbnb management?
A gross commission is calculated on the total amount the guest pays, including Airbnb’s platform fee and the cleaning fee. A net commission is calculated only on the nightly revenue after those amounts are deducted. Owners pay significantly more under a gross structure even if the listed percentage appears similar.
Does Hooray Stays include consumables in their Houston management fee?
Yes. Hooray Stays fully stocks consumables including soaps, shampoos, coffee, and paper goods at no additional charge and with no markups. Most competing management companies bill these back to the owner separately.
Can I get a month-to-month STR management contract in Houston?
Yes. Hooray Stays offers month-to-month contracts, so you are never locked into a long-term agreement with a manager who underperforms. Longer-term contracts are also available and come with incentives like a waived setup fee.
Who handles guest communication for Houston properties managed by Hooray Stays?
Guest communication is handled locally by the Hooray Stays team, not outsourced to overseas virtual assistants. Matt Codd answers the phone himself, which means owners and guests reach a real person who knows the Houston market.
How often does Hooray Stays visit managed properties in Houston?
Hooray Stays conducts quarterly in-person property walk-throughs on every managed property. Most competing management companies in Houston handle properties remotely and do not schedule regular physical visits.
Keep reading 📚
- Best Airbnb Management Companies in Galveston TX: What Local Owners Should Know Before Hiring
- Best Airbnb Management Companies in Crystal Beach TX: What Bolivar Peninsula Owners Need to Know Before Hiring
- Best Airbnb Management Companies in Sargent TX: What Gulf Coast Cabin Owners Need to Know Before Hiring
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Written by Matt & Carissa Codd, owners of Hooray Stays and active Texas Gulf Coast short-term rental operators. Last updated June 12, 2026. Questions? Call 832-224-6713.