Boutique hotel management
We run your hotel.
You keep your earnings.
Tech-enabled boutique hotel management for California owners, built on radical transparency and a flat 10% fee. No reserve accounts. No hidden markups. No surprises.
Already operating boutique hotels across Santa Barbara, South Lake Tahoe, Solvang, and Santa Cruz, for properties we own and for outside investors alike. Backed by GTB Group, the firm behind some of California's most thoughtful hospitality conversions.
The honest pitch
Their fee looks small. The bill doesn't.
Traditional hotel management companies advertise a low base fee, usually just 3–5% of revenue. Then the real costs arrive: a full GM and front-desk payroll, separately licensed software and tech, and a stack of pass-through charges layered on top.
Add it all up and a 10–30 room hotel can pay far more than 10% all-in, often enough that, after staffing and fees, it makes almost nothing. ZenStay's 10% is genuinely all-in: it replaces the GM, the front desk, customer service, and the software, with nothing billed on the side.
“ZenStay operates our property like they own it. From day one, they've combined hospitality expertise with sharp revenue management, and they've been thoughtful, responsive, and cost-conscious every step of the way. It's the kind of partnership that lets us focus on capital allocation rather than day-to-day operations.”
Matt · 6-unit hotel, Santa Barbara · with ZenStay since 2025
See the math
What could your hotel earn?
Choose your market and the number of rooms, then adjust the rate and occupancy to match your property, a starting point, not a quote.
Presets reflect typical performance for this market — edit them to model your own property.
Does not include property tax. In California, property tax is based on the owner's purchase price, so it is different for every owner and is not estimated here.
No reserve accounts; you're paid within two business days of each stay.
How we do it better
One model. Six advantages.
One flat, all-in fee
10% of booking proceeds. No tiers, no add-on charges, no surprise line items.
Your money stays yours
We never hold a reserve account. Earnings hit your bank account two business days after each stay.
Every expense, pre-approved
You're notified of all costs before they're incurred. Nothing is spent without your knowledge.
Front-desk-less hospitality
Self check-in and 24/7 remote support by phone or text replace on-site GM and front-desk cost, without losing the guest experience.
We fight for margin you keep
A direct-booking strategy reduces marketplace fees, protecting revenue that stays yours.
Tech runs the back office
Automated check-in, dynamic pricing, messaging, and live reporting, at a fraction of a full team's cost.
Total transparency
Where every dollar goes.
We charge 10% of booking proceeds, full stop. Here's exactly how that splits, and what stays with you.
5%: Technology & Automation
Booking and property-management software, smart check-in automation, dynamic pricing, guest messaging, and live reporting that keep your hotel running and earning.
5%: Hospitality & Operations
Everything a GM, front-desk staff, and customer-service team would do: guest communication, 24/7 guest support by phone or text, turnover and maintenance coordination, without a full on-site payroll.
That's the entire management fee. 10%, split evenly between the technology that runs your hotel and the people who care for your guests.
What “transparent” actually means
No reserves. No markups. No surprises.
No reserve accounts
We never hold your funds. Your revenue moves through your own bank account, not ours.
Payouts in 2 business days
After each guest checks out, your share is remitted within two business days. Not monthly. Not "eventually."
Expenses disclosed up front
Cleaning, supplies, repairs: you understand and approve every cost before it happens. No bundled markups.
One number to remember
10%. If you can't trace a charge back to that fee or a pre-approved expense, something's wrong and we'll make it right.
Side by side
ZenStay vs. traditional management.
| ZenStay | Traditional hotel manager | |
|---|---|---|
| Headline fee | Flat 10% of booking proceeds, all-in | 3–5% base fee |
| GM & front-desk payroll | Included | Billed on top, full salaries |
| Software & technology | Included | Licensed & charged separately |
| Other pass-through fees | None | Common (accounting, procurement, etc.) |
| True all-in cost | 10%. Period. | Often far higher for small hotels |
| Result for a 10–30 room hotel | Stays profitable | Margins often disappear |
| Your funds & payout | Your bank account, 2 days after each stay | Their account, periodic distributions |
Getting started
Four steps to a better-run hotel.
Talk to us
A quick call to understand your hotel, your market, and your goals.
We set it up
Listings, distribution, pricing, automation, and guest systems - handled.
We host your guests
Self check-in, 24/7 guest support by phone or text, and turnovers, fully managed.
You get paid
Earnings to your bank account two business days after each stay, with a clear breakdown every time.
Owner FAQ
It runs the hotel day to day for the owner. At ZenStay that means daily pricing by room, season and channel, distribution across every major booking channel plus direct booking, 24/7 guest support with self check-in, housekeeping and maintenance, lodging tax filing, and monthly room-level reporting.
A flat 10% of booking proceeds, and that is the only money we make on your hotel. Supplies and vendors are billed at exactly what they cost. We cover the property management software and pricing tools ourselves. There is no technology fee, setup fee, marketing fee or per-booking charge.
No. On channel bookings the fee is on what the channel pays out after its commission, not on the gross booking.
Month to month. Either side can end it at any time with 30 days' written notice. No term, no penalty, no tail.
Payouts go out after each stay completes, not on a monthly cycle.
No. Guests check themselves in and our team supports them around the clock. There is no manager on your payroll.
We set the hotel up on our pricing, channels and guest systems, and arrange photography and a 3D tour, billed at the vendor's cost. We apply for the lodging tax permit, hold it in ZenStay's name and handle the monthly filing from then on. You sign only where the city requires an owner's signature.
Let's talk
Boutique hotel management for
5 to 75 keys.
A flat 10%, your own bank account,
and full transparency from day one.