Short Term Rental
Management

Surge offers local full service vacation rental management for busy vacation rental owners and Airbnb hosts in Sedona, Arizona

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Sedona, Arizona Short Term Rental Overview

Airbnb Market
Sedona's short-term rental market presents exceptional revenue opportunities for property owners, with average daily rates consistently exceeding $300-400 during peak seasons due to the city's unique red rock formations and year-round tourism appeal. The destination's limited hotel inventory of approximately 3,000 rooms cannot accommodate the over 3 million annual visitors, creating sustained demand that drives occupancy rates above 75% for well-positioned properties. Properties within a 10-mile radius of popular attractions like Bell Rock and Cathedral Rock command premium pricing, with successful Airbnb hosts reporting annual revenues of $60,000-$120,000 for modest 2-3 bedroom homes, representing gross yields of 8-15% depending on property value and management efficiency. The market benefits from diverse revenue streams throughout the year, capturing wellness tourists, outdoor enthusiasts, and spiritual retreat visitors during shoulder seasons when traditional resort destinations experience significant drops in demand. Additionally, Sedona's strict development regulations and limited buildable land ensure supply constraints that protect property values and rental rates, while the city's affluent visitor demographic demonstrates consistent willingness to pay premium rates for quality accommodations in this internationally recognized destination.
Short Term Rental Regulations
Sedona's short-term rental regulations are intricate and constantly evolving, with strict permitting requirements, zoning restrictions, and compliance obligations that can result in hefty fines, legal action, or forced closure of your rental operation if not properly managed. The city requires specific business licenses, adherence to occupancy limits, noise ordinances, parking regulations, and timely payment of various taxes including transient occupancy tax and state transaction privilege tax, while neighboring jurisdictions like Coconino County may impose additional layers of regulatory complexity depending on your property's exact location. Navigating this maze of local laws, staying current with regulatory changes, and ensuring continuous compliance can be overwhelming and time-consuming for property owners, with the financial and legal risks of non-compliance potentially devastating to your investment. However, when you partner with a professional short-term rental management service, you can rest assured that all licensing requirements, tax obligations, permit renewals, and legal compliance matters are expertly handled on your behalf, allowing you to enjoy the benefits of your investment while professionals manage the complex regulatory landscape and protect you from costly violations.
Occupancy Rates
Sedona's Airbnb market experiences distinct seasonal patterns with peak occupancy rates typically occurring during spring (March-May) and fall (September-November) when mild temperatures and stunning red rock vistas attract the highest visitor volumes, often achieving occupancy rates of 80-90%. Summer months see moderate demand despite higher temperatures, while winter represents the slowest shoulder season with occupancy rates dropping to 50-65% due to cooler weather and reduced outdoor activity appeal. Professional revenue management becomes crucial in this market as it enables hosts to capitalize on peak season demand through strategic rate increases while maintaining competitiveness during slower periods through targeted discounts and promotional pricing. Dynamic pricing algorithms that account for local events like the Sedona International Film Festival, hiking season peaks, and holiday weekends allow properties to automatically adjust rates based on real-time demand fluctuations, ensuring optimal revenue capture throughout the year. Without sophisticated pricing strategies that respond to Sedona's pronounced seasonality, Airbnb operators risk leaving significant revenue on the table during high-demand periods while struggling to maintain acceptable occupancy levels during the challenging winter months when leisure travel to this outdoor recreation destination naturally declines.
Vacation Rental Management
Managing a vacation rental in Sedona presents unique operational challenges that can quickly overwhelm property owners and damage their reputation if not handled professionally. The area's remote location and limited local service providers make emergency maintenance responses difficult, especially when dealing with common issues like HVAC failures during extreme desert temperatures, plumbing problems from hard water deposits, or urgent repairs needed between same-day turnovers that are standard in Sedona's high-demand market. Guest communication becomes particularly complex as visitors often lose cell service in the red rock canyons and expect immediate responses to questions about hiking trail access, weather conditions, or local emergency services, requiring 24/7 availability that spans multiple time zones as guests book from across the globe. The rapid turnover between guests—sometimes with only 2-3 hours between checkout and check-in during peak seasons—demands flawless coordination of professional cleaning teams, maintenance crews, and restocking services, all while ensuring each property meets the elevated expectations of travelers paying premium rates for Sedona's luxury market. Without full-service property management handling these intricate logistics, owners face constant interruptions, emergency situations, and the inevitable negative reviews that destroy both search rankings and revenue potential in this fiercely competitive destination market.
Attractions and Amenities
Sedona's primary tourist magnets include the iconic red rock formations like Cathedral Rock and Bell Rock that attract hikers and photographers, the mystical vortex sites such as Airport Mesa and Boynton Canyon that draw spiritual seekers and wellness enthusiasts, the vibrant Uptown Sedona arts district with its galleries and shops, and the numerous world-class spas offering rejuvenating treatments against the stunning desert backdrop. To effectively serve guests visiting these attractions, vacation rental properties must provide essential amenities including secure gear storage and drying areas for hiking equipment, early morning coffee stations and grab-and-go breakfast options for sunrise hikers, meditation spaces or quiet outdoor areas with red rock views for vortex visitors, high-speed Wi-Fi and comfortable workspaces for digital nomads extending their stays, outdoor seating areas and fire pits for evening relaxation after full days of exploration, spa-like bathrooms with soaking tubs for post-hike recovery, and detailed local guides with trail maps, vortex locations, and insider tips for navigating Uptown's busy streets and finding the best photo spots during golden hour.

Why choose Surge?

Surge is local Airbnb management that’s reliable, affordable and the best for your property.
Cost
Guest communications
Host Communications
Insurance
Contract
Cost
Starting at 15% fee
Guest communications
Guest response within 10 minutes, 24 hours a day
Host Communications
Designated host call in phone line
Insurance
Full damage protection for every reservation
Contract
No annual agreements
Other Property Mangers
Cost
25-40% fee
Guest communications
Sporadic guest communications
Host Communications
Bot response assistants
Insurance
Unreliable insurance coverage
Contract
Contract lock-ins

Understand Your STR Income

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Surge is geared towards maximizing potential

Be at ease with the knowledge that your vacation rental is being optimized to its fullest potential.
30%
In gross revenue
150 M
Potential guests
4.9
Superhost status
7+
Booking platforms
1
Property manager
The house was great. It accommodated our large group nicely. The owner was responsive and checked in on us throughout the trip. The gate around the home added privacy and security. The beds were comfortable as well. Extra linen, towels and washcloths. We are looking to book this home in the future!
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers
We really appreciated Surge. He was responsive, attentive, and went above to make sure our stay was seamless. You can tell he takes pride in providing a clean/organized place. Everyone loved the pool table and shuffleboard. This place is also very close to great restaurants. The place we went to had the best catfish. Would definitely rent from Surge again!!
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers
Our group really enjoyed our long weekend stay here! The property was very clean and spacious but also provided some privacy to accommodate our large family. Surge was responsive when we reached out to them and also accommodated an early check-in. We felt secure given that the property was gated and had smart locks on both entry doors. We strongly recommend this property and would love to stay here again!
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers
My family and I were here for my daughter’s graduation from UofH. Surge was very upfront, kept us informed and accommodating. The place was clean and fit my entire family comfortably. We have already made plans to come back. Great location, private and safe environment. Would highly recommend! Thank you Surge for making this stay memorable and stress free for our family!
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers
Great stay that accommodated all our needs for a successful for trip to Houston, i hope to Book in the coming future.
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers
The host was great, he responded quickly when needed and checked in on us from time to time throughout the whole day. He was awesome and the place was great for my family of 16. Definitely will book with him in the future.
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know about the product and billing.
Does Surge Property Management allow pets in its short term rentals?
Surge Property Management leaves that decision to the property owner. While allowing pets can be a big perk for some guests, Surge does not have any requirements for the property owner to allow it. Service animals are a different case. Surge is prohibited to refuse a reservation, charge pet fees, hold guests to different rules, apply differential treatment or use discriminatory language if a guest is accompanied by a service animal. A guests service animal must not be out of control, un-housebroken, left alone at the listing without prior approval, allowed into areas that are considered unauthorized by the guest and allowed in a public space without being harnessed, leashed, or tethered and not under the guests control.
Do I get access to an owner portal?
Surge Property Management has a tech leading owner portal to keep its property owners in the loop, instead of on the outside looking in. In the owner portal you can reserve days for personal use, see pending reservations, nightly pricing rates, owner statements, expense receipts, guest messaging and more!
Do you screen the guests that are staying in my property?
Our intelligent Guest Screening technology allows us to screen vacation rental guests before they enter your property, making it easier to keep bad guests out. We proactively assess the risk posed by each guest, through legal, non-discriminatory checks. Guests will be asked to submit some personal details including their name, date of birth, physical home address and contact details. We then verify by having the guest take a live selfie and submit a photo of their ID(either a drivers license or passport). This information will then be processed to determine the true identity of your guest, including whether the ID is fraudulent and if the provided details match those on the ID. This process will generate a risk report for us to review before the guest arrives.
Do you provide insurance for guest damages?
We partner with the premier provider of short term rental protection also offering guest screening and comprehensive insurance coverage. Our partner brings confidence and peace of mind to both Surge Property Management and its clients(homeowners). Our third party partner has protected over 60 billion in homeowner liability coverage and 1 million guest nights. Ask your Surge sales representative for more details.
What happens if there is guest damage to my property?
Each guest is required to make a $500 security deposit. Any damage above $500 we are able to document, submit, and follow a claim through on your behalf with our short term rental insurance partner covering up to $5,000,000.
How does Surge compare to a national provider like Vacasa?
While both Surge and Vacasa both have a full service model designed to be hands off from the property owner, Surge stands out above the rest by being more intentional and selective with the properties we decide to accept into our management portfolio. This allows us to give the required attention to the properties we manage instead of just "setting it and forgetting it" like the other property managers do. Once you go onboard with them you just become another number.
Does Surge handle the maintenance of the vacation rental?
Yes, Surge is able to handle any property maintenance(including hot tub & pool) for your property. We have a large network of service providers, additionally, if you have a preferred vendor we can assign and coordinate maintenance with them as well.
What services does Surge Property Management offer?

Surge is a full-service property manager and provides the following service to property owners:

  • Listing creating and management across multiple channels
  • Calendar management
  • Cleaning
  • Laundry
  • Restocking
  • Maintenance
  • Dynamic Pricing
  • Lock automation
  • Guest Portal
  • Owners Portal
  • Listing optimization
  • Photography
  • 24/7 guest communication
  • Check-in/out support
  • and more!
Is Surge Property Management a Superhost on Airbnb?
Yes, Surge Property Management is a Superhost on AirBNB. Airbnb defines a Superhost as a Host who goes above and beyond to provide excellent hospitality. Guests can easily identify a Superhost from the badge that appears on their Airbnb listing and profile. Superhosts have more visibility and earning potential.
How and when do I get paid?
Surge Property Management initiates ACH payment to its property owners once a month by the 10th day of the next month. Along with the ACH deposit sent to you, you also receive a highly detailed statement for review.
Are there any hidden fees?
Surge Property Management has the most transparent pricing in the industry. Our property owners are our Partners in business which is why we hold transparency at a very high standard. With your monthly statements you will be able to trace every dollar from when the guest paid for their reservation to when it was deposited into your bank account. Contact your Surge sales rep for a personal walk through of our statement structure.
Can I still use my property?
Yes of course. The biggest perk of a vacation rental is still retaining personal use of the property for your personal use. Inside of our Owner’s Portal you can reserve days for personal use.
How do you market my property?

We list your property on the major platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, Google Vacation rentals and more! We also allow direct bookings very popular among returning guests. Our integration technology is second to none and was awarded the following:

  • Airbnb Preferred + Software Partner
  • VRBO Elite Partner
  • Booking.com Premier Connectivity Partner
How do you handle complaints or disputes?
We aim to resolve issues quickly and fairly, protecting both the guests and the property owner’s interests. We mediate disputes and ensure a smooth resolution process.
How do I get started with your service?
Contact us to schedule a consultation. We'll discuss your property, our services, and how we can help you achieve your rental goals.
How do you handle waste management?
We coordinate with local services to ensure proper waste disposal and recycling, maintaining cleanliness and environmental responsibility.
What safety measures do you implement?
We ensure the property has functional smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, and complies with all local safety regulations.
What does Surge’s full service property management mean?
Surge's comprehensive property management service allows property owners to be completely hands-off with the daily operations of their Airbnb properties. Surge takes care of all the daily tasks, including listings, guest interactions, cleanings, restocking, and maintenance, ensuring a stress-free experience for the property owner.

Still have questions?

Can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Please chat to our friendly team.
Get in touch
(713) 853-9573