Best Beach Vacation Rental Management Companies in 2026: A Side-by-Side Comparison

Beach vacation demand is roaring back. According to AirDNA’s Summer 2025 Outlook, U.S. short-term rentals averaged $169 RevPAR and 58 percent occupancy, with shoreline markets leading every metric. Bigger revenue, though, brings bigger headaches—volatile nightly rates, tighter permits, and those 2 am “Wi-Fi isn’t working” texts. That’s why more owners now hire professional vacation-rental managers who blend local, boots-in-the-sand service with enterprise-grade tech. This guide stacks up six leading companies so you can choose the perfect partner for your beach home—or launch a franchise of your own.

How we picked the finalists.

We reviewed every national manager focused on coastal or resort markets, then ran each through a four-point scorecard built from Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs), industry rankings, and owner interviews.

1. Growth momentum – A brand needed at least 10 active U.S. territories and double-digit unit growth from January 2024 to June 2025, confirmed in its 2025 FDD and Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 data.
2. Cost logic – We totaled royalty, tech, and marketing fees. If that bite topped 8 percent of gross bookings without proof of superior RevPAR, the brand was out.
3. Around-the-clock support – Mandatory onboarding, 24/7 guest response, and documented permitting help were non-negotiable; missing two of the three meant failure.
4. Reality check – Item 19 earnings claims had to match third-party reviews and franchisee retention rates because inconsistent numbers risk FTC violations.

Only six companies cleared every bar. We’ve grouped them by service style, so you can quickly match the right partner to your beach home or franchise goals.

SkyRun Vacation Rentals: local heart, big-brand backbone

SkyRun Vacation Rental pairs neighbor-level service with nationwide tech. Founded in 2004 and franchising since 2022, the brand spans more than 40 independently owned locations and about 1,200 homes across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Every office is run by a local entrepreneur who can check storm shutters before a squall, yet each taps a platform that syndicates listings to Airbnb, Vrbo, Marriott Homes & Villas, and 70-plus booking sites in minutes. Owners see performance through SkyRun’s owner portal, which pulls in bookings, channel mix, and key KPIs alongside monthly statements and 1099s. Across its locations, SkyRun reports an average guest rating of 4.8 out of 5 and more than 30,000 five-star reviews, a useful benchmark when you want to gauge how your beach home stacks up against similar properties in the network.

What owners pay

• Full-service management: 20–25 percent of gross rent for pricing, guest care, housekeeping coordination, and vendor management
• Co-management: about 15 percent when you handle on-site tasks such as light maintenance

Franchise royalties stay lean at five percent of revenue plus a one percent marketing fund, according to the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. Local offices also secure discounted linens, smart-lock integrations, and dynamic-pricing software to widen margins.

Compliance safety net

Beach towns rewrite rules often. SkyRun equips franchisees with permit templates, STR policy training, and on-call legal counsel. Florida offices credit that support with staying rentable during 2025 rule changes that capped occupancy and raised fines.

Contract flexibility

Most markets waive onboarding fees and use one-year agreements with a 60-day exit notice, letting you leave if goals aren’t met.

If you want human touch without 2 am plumbing calls, SkyRun delivers local responsiveness backed by enterprise reach, which makes it an appealing middle lane between DIY and corporate giants.

Grand Welcome: high-octane growth, enterprise muscle

Grand Welcome grows quickly, often outpacing sleepy beach towns. Since franchising began in 2019, the network has reached 73 U.S. territories as of March 2025, a 192 percent jump in three years. That scale gives you leverage: higher OTA placement, bulk-rate linens, and a marketing budget solo operators cannot match.

Headquarters sends each office homeowner leads and runs a 24/7 reservations center that answers every “Where’s the Wi-Fi code?” message. You focus on signing properties while centralized tech handles dynamic pricing, a volume play that keeps vacancies low in coastal markets.

What it costs

• Startup investment: $68,000–$170,000, including a tiered franchise fee that starts at $49,000
• Ongoing fees: 8 percent royalty plus 1 percent brand fund
• Local marketing: required $1,500–$2,500 monthly ad spend

What you might earn

Corporate-run territories averaged $4.18 million in gross bookings for 2023, or about $68,000 per home managed. Franchisees who scale past 60 homes typically net a mid-six-figure income after expenses, according to the same Item 19.

Culture fit

Grand Welcome rewards growth-minded owners who enjoy recruiting staff and listings at speed. If you prefer a boutique portfolio and quiet Sundays, the pace may feel relentless. For investors aiming to dominate a beach market quickly, the brand supplies the throttle, fuel, and pit crew to get there.

Casago with Vacasa: scale meets smart pricing

Casago vaulted to the top on May 1, 2025, when it bought Vacasa’s consumer business for $120 million, adding about 40,000 properties to its franchise network. The combined brand now manages more vacation homes than any other pure-play property-management company in North America, giving you unmatched marketing reach.

Vacasa’s dynamic-pricing engine, trained on billions of historical rate points, now powers every Casago office. Guests see competitive nightly prices, you see stronger RevPAR, and franchisees inherit a tool that once took hundreds of engineers to build.

What it costs

• Royalty: 3.5 percent of gross revenue
• Tech suite: flat $99 per home per month for API distribution, revenue management, and 24/7 guest messaging

Once an office tops 50 homes, the effective bite falls well below the 8–10 percent charged by many rivals, which is why several coastal franchisees offer owner commissions in the 17–19 percent range.

Culture and support

Founder Steve Schwab’s “ORANGE” ethos fuels weekly mastermind calls and an annual summit where franchisees trade playbooks on hurricane prep, red-tide refunds, and local permit battles.

Transition watch-outs

Former Vacasa owners are still evaluating service continuity, so new franchisees should budget extra onboarding time for legacy listings. If you want low fees, enterprise-grade tech, and a peer network that shares hard-won coastal tactics, Casago now offers more scale per dollar than any beach-focused competitor.

iTrip Vacations: boutique feel, national reach

With iTrip, you keep a neighbor-next-door vibe while tapping marketing muscle that pushes listings to more than eighty booking sites.

Founded in 2008 and franchising since 2015, the Tennessee brand has grown to 117 U.S. territories by 2025, a 29 percent jump in three years. Most offices are run by two-person teams working from home. Corporate handles SEO, pay-per-click ads, and a 24/7 guest call center, so you can focus on signing properties.

Money matters

• Royalty: sliding four to six percent of gross revenue, plus one-half to one percent brand fund
• Startup investment: $112,000–$153,000 for the home-office model, which means no storefront

Service style

Many franchisees greet guests in person and answer their own phones; Airbnb and Vrbo reviews often sit above 4.6 out of 5 in beach markets. Quality varies by location, so vet your local office before you commit.

If you want a personal relationship with your manager yet still crave national exposure—or you are an entrepreneur seeking a work-from-anywhere business—iTrip offers a balanced playbook that scales with hustle, not headcount.

Evolve: low-fee freedom for hands-on owners

Evolve fits beach hosts who manage cleaners and repairs yet want a fuller calendar. The Denver firm oversees about 24,000 active properties across 750 North American markets and charges a flat 10 percent of each booking—no setup fee and no long-term contract.

What Evolve covers: listing copy, professional photos, multi-channel distribution, dynamic SmartRates pricing, and 24/7 guest messaging. What stays on your plate: cleaning schedules, maintenance calls, and those 3 am plumbing surprises.

Why the math can work

On $100,000 in annual rent, Evolve keeps $10,000; a full-service manager may take $20,000–$25,000. Owners who live nearby or have reliable vendors often bank the difference.

Contract perks

Evolve’s month-to-month agreement includes a Risk-Free Guarantee—cancel anytime with 15 days’ notice if bookings disappoint.

Trade-offs to weigh

Responsibility never leaves your doorstep. Remote owners, or anyone seeking true passivity, may prefer a higher-fee, full-service brand. If you like controlling on-the-ground tasks and want to keep more of every beach-rental dollar, Evolve’s low-touch model is a simple path to bigger net income.

Property Management Inc.: diversify to defy seasonality

Beach towns boom in July and snooze in January, so PMI’s answer is simple: never rely on a single income stream. One franchise unlocks four divisions — vacation rentals, long-term residential, HOA, and commercial — letting a Myrtle Beach office pivot from summer tourists to year-round leases and association contracts when the boardwalk quiets down.

Investment snapshot

• Startup cost: $77,239–$153,775, per the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document
• Ongoing fees: six percent royalty plus up to two percent tech and marketing fund that supports proprietary software and national ad campaigns
• Network scale: more than 400 U.S. franchises, which secures bulk-buy discounts on insurance, cleaning supplies, and smart-home gear

How it works

New franchisees start with vacation-rental training, then add a pillar—take a short certification course to launch an extra division—without buying a second franchise. Horizontal expansion keeps staff productive year-round and cushions revenue when hurricanes or new ordinances dent short-term demand.

Owner takeaways

A diversified PMI office can feel like a one-stop shop: the team that books summer guests might also manage your condo’s HOA and vet a year-round tenant next door. Confirm that your local operator has enough bandwidth for short-term rentals; breadth only helps when execution stays sharp.

Choose PMI if you value resilience over specialization. When tourist traffic dips or regulations tighten, multiple income streams create the safety net most pure-play managers lack.

Quick comparison at a glance

Below is a side-by-side snapshot of startup cost, fees, and unique strengths for each brand.

Company	Founded / Franchising	U.S. territories*	Typical startup cost	Ongoing fees	Stand-out edge
SkyRun	2004 / 2022	40+	$105k–$155k	5% royalty + 1% brand fund (owners pay 15–25% commission)	Local owner-operators with national tech
Grand Welcome	2019	73	$68k–$170k	8% royalty + 1% brand fund + $1.5k–$2.5k local ads	24/7 call center and corporate lead funnel
Casago + Vacasa	2001 / 2021	50+ franchises + ≈40k legacy homes	$83k–$329k	3.5% royalty + $99 per home tech fee	Lowest fees at scale; enterprise pricing engine
iTrip	2008 / 2015	117	$112k–$153k	4–6% royalty + 0.5–1% brand fund	Hands-on boutique offices; work-from-anywhere model
Evolve	2011	n/a (≈24k homes)	$0	10% commission	Month-to-month contract; owner handles operations
PMI	2008	400+ franchises	$77k–$154k	6% royalty + up to 2% tech and marketing fund	Four-pillar diversification model

*“Territories” refers to distinct franchised or company-run service areas as reported in each brand’s 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document or latest public filing.

How to choose your perfect match

Begin with brutal honesty: which problem keeps you up at night—the 3 am guest call, a shrinking bottom line, or the fear that new rules will shutter your calendar? Your answer points to the right partner.

• Need time freedom? Choose a full-service model such as SkyRun or iTrip; local teams handle plungers, permits, and pricing while you sleep
• Chasing net income? Compare Casago’s 3.5 percent royalty or Evolve’s 10 percent flat commission against your property’s six-figure gross. Lower fees add up quickly when you have volume, but you will manage cleaners and repairs
• Want to scale fast? Grand Welcome provides homeowner leads, a 24/7 reservations desk, and playbooks that take you from zero to one hundred homes quickly if you are ready to hire staff
• Worried about seasonality or new ordinances? A diversified PMI office spreads risk across long-term rentals, HOAs, and commercial units

Due diligence still rules. Talk with at least three current owners or franchisees in your market. For a side-by-side snapshot of startup costs, support offerings, and long-term ROI across today’s leading franchises, see this comparison of vacation-rental franchise opportunities.

Ask when they hit break-even, what surprised them after month six, and whether Item 19 numbers matched reality. Flag any mismatch between their stories and the FDD or management agreement.

Finally, confirm territory availability. Prime beach ZIP codes are filling for 2026, and once a brand locks a region, it is gone.

Match the model to your risk tolerance, lifestyle, and revenue goals, and next summer you will be counting bookings instead of troubleshooting toilets. For deeper benchmarks on fees and occupancy, see our companion data dashboard.