Vacasa vs AvantStay: Which Full-Service Manager Delivers Better Returns?

Vacasa and AvantStay are both full-service, high-fee vacation rental management companies — but that's where the similarity ends. Vacasa is a scale player that serves any whole-home property across the country. AvantStay is a selective operator focused exclusively on large, luxury group-travel properties in premium markets. Whether either one is right for your property depends almost entirely on what you own. See Awning's top Airbnb management companies review for the full market comparison.

Vacasa: National Scale, Full Service

Vacasa manages tens of thousands of properties across North America, making them one of the largest vacation rental operators in the world. They offer genuine full-service management — listing, pricing, guest communication, cleaning, local operations — and have local teams in most major leisure markets.

What Vacasa Does Well:

•        Full operations handled — owners hand off everything

•        Presence in virtually every major STR market in the US

•        Large booking volume and brand recognition drives occupancy

•        Established local vendor networks in most markets

Where Vacasa Struggles:

•        Significant operational restructuring in 2023–2026 has impacted service quality in some markets

•        25–35% fee is high, and additional fees may apply

•        Individual property attention can be limited at this scale

•        Mixed owner reviews across platforms — customer service consistency is a known issue

AvantStay: Premium Focus for Group Travel Properties

AvantStay operates in a fundamentally different tier. They target large luxury vacation homes — typically 4–10+ bedrooms — designed for group travel, family reunions, corporate retreats, and milestone celebrations. Their management approach includes interior design consultation, premium guest experience design, and marketing specifically to high-value group travelers.

What AvantStay Does Well:

•        Specialized expertise in large group-travel properties

•        Premium guest experience and marketing that drives higher nightly rates

•        Interior design and property optimization consulting

•        Strong RevPAR performance for qualifying properties in premium markets

Where AvantStay Struggles:

•        Highly selective — most properties don't meet their criteria

•        25–35%+ fee is significant

•        Smaller market footprint than Vacasa

•        Not appropriate for standard homes, condos, or smaller properties

Head-to-Head Comparison

If your property is a 5+ bedroom luxury home in a premium leisure market, AvantStay is worth evaluating. For everything else — including most vacation rentals — neither Vacasa nor AvantStay is the optimal choice on fee structure alone.

The Revenue Validation Step Most Owners Skip

Both companies make revenue projections to close deals. Always validate independently using Awning's Airbnb market data, the income estimator, and third-party tools like AirDNA before signing anything.

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📎  Related Reading

→ Top Airbnb Management Companies Reviewed

→ Airbnb Market Data Tool

→ Airbnb Income Estimator

→ Awning Full-Service Management

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