Emily R.
Guest · 1 week ago
★★★★★
Easiest check-in we've ever had — code arrived the morning of, and the house was immaculate. Someone texted to make sure we found everything. Felt looked-after the whole trip.
Luxury Vacation Rental Management
Find out what your home should be earning — a free estimate, walked through by your personal account manager.
★★★★★ 2,500+ five-star reviews on Airbnb alone$0-deductible damage protectionZero setup feesLive in ~2 weeks
Appointment confirmed —
Pick a time for a free call — a personal account manager will walk you through your earning estimate.
You're all set.
Your consultation is booked and your details are in. Your account manager will review your property and call you at the scheduled time.
Want to talk sooner?
Text us for a faster responseManagement consultations by appointment only
Cardo vs. the market
We consistently out-perform the competition by 15%, month, after month, after month.
That's not marketing fluff, it's fact.
Cardo VRSan Diego market
RevPAR by month
San Diego · Mar–Aug 2025 · USD per available night
Source: Cardo internal RevPAR vs. San Diego market benchmark, 2025.
HomeSafe™ damage protection — $0 deductible.
Your home is covered on any platform, with high coverage limits and immediate payouts. An accident is never yours to chase — we handle the claim and the repair.
We only earn when you do.
A straight 20% of booking revenue — no setup fees, no monthly minimums, nothing until your home is earning.
Case studies
Home design and project management.
Our in-house design team furnishes and styles your home end to end — sourced, shipped, installed, and photo-ready — so it commands a higher nightly rate from day one. Every home below was designed by Cardo, then went on to beat its market.
Figures are illustrative of recent San Diego performance. Your projection is built from your home's location, size, and finish.
Management options
Premier management, for less.
Cardo provides a premier level of management, for less than other full service companies. We can do this because we earn more top revenue than the other companies, so we share from a bigger pie.
| Best valueCardo | Standard STR Manager | Airbnb Cohost | Self-Managing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner time required | Near zero | Low | High | Very High |
| Gross revenue | Highest | Above average | Market average | Market average |
| Zero-hassle damage insuranceThe Cardo HomeSafe protection ensures you're covered on ANY platform. $0 deductible, high coverage amounts, and immediate payouts. | ||||
| Real-time owner portal | Sometimes | |||
| AI-driven operations managementOur in-house ops software is designed for speed and transparency from the ground up. You'll know what's going on in your home at all times. | ||||
| 5-star cleanliness guaranteeWe guarantee a quality clean for every guest, or else Cardo covers their cleaning fee. | ||||
| Dedicated property managerYou have one person who knows your property inside and out — literally. | Sometimes | |||
| In-depth revenue managementWe combine data from 10,000 STRs with AI, a real dedicated human, and a weekly team call to make sure your home is priced perfectly. | ||||
| Listing on 10+ distribution channelsProfessional managers get exclusive access to the highest-ROI channels, so you get more views and don't need to rely on Airbnb alone. | Sometimes | |||
| Social media & ads marketingGet seen on Instagram and TikTok. Your home could be the next viral sensation. | ||||
| Direct-booking website | ||||
| Permits/TOT guidance & reportingAlthough the permit must be in your name, Cardo will walk you through every step of the way. | ||||
| 24/7 guest support | Sometimes | |||
| Interior design & staging | Sometimes | |||
| In-house cleaning & white-linenWe own the entire cleaning and laundry process — hotel-grade linens supplied and laundered in-house, never subcontracted. | Subcontracted | You arrange | You | |
| Luxury amenity restockingHotel-grade toiletries, coffee, and guest essentials curated and restocked for every stay. | You | |||
| Rapid maintenance responseVetted local vendors and fast response — small problems get fixed before the next guest ever arrives. | Sometimes | You | ||
| Management cost | 20% | 18–35% | 10–20% | — |
Comparison reflects typical service models. Your exact scope is confirmed in your free property analysis.
Marketing & sales strategy
How we beat the market.
True marketing that reaches your guest before they book — targeted ads, sales pros who close, and direct bookings that earn you more.
- 01Exclusive travel-agency partnerships
- 02Airbnb Superhost & VRBO Premier status
- 03Insurance agency partnerships
- 04Decor-first content
- 05Editorial photography & video
- 06Always-on social media
- 07Travel-influencer campaigns
- 08Paid ads & retargeting
- 09Airbnb listing SEO
- 10Direct-booking website
- 11Realtor referral network
- 12Past-guest email funnel
— …and that's just the marketing.
By the numbers
The proof is in the KPIs.
2,500+
5-star reviews
On Airbnb alone
+15%
Higher RevPAR vs market
San Diego average, 2025
$80M+
Revenue managed
For San Diego owners
3 min
Guest response
24/7, every day of the year
10+
Marketing channels
Selected for the most visibility
Since 2013
San Diego Superhost
A decade of five-star hosting
Our partners
ZillowHopper100+ reviews
ZillowHopper100+ reviewsDon't take our word for it
What guests say about a Cardo stay.
Real, verified reviews — straight from Google and Airbnb.
Reviews
Sean M.
Guest · 1 month ago
★★★★★
Our second stay with Cardo and somehow even better than the first. Spotless, beautifully styled, and the local recommendations they left were spot-on. This is the only way we book San Diego now.
Jordan K.
Guest · 2 months ago
★★★★★
No nickel-and-diming at checkout — the price we saw was the price we paid. The home was even nicer than the photos. We've already booked again for next summer.
Allison P.
Guest · 3 months ago
★★★★★
A dishwasher issue came up mid-stay and someone was there within the hour. We barely noticed. That kind of responsiveness is rare — we felt taken care of.
Airbnb
4.95★★★★★Guest-favorite · 2,500+ reviews
Cleanliness4.97
Accuracy4.93
Check-in4.99
Communication4.98
Location4.92
Value4.90
Megan
★★★★★
Five stars isn't enough. The place was exactly like the photos, check-in was effortless, and the host's local guide pointed us to the best little taco spot we'd never have found. Already planning our return.
David
★★★★★
Communication was instant from booking to checkout. The home was spotless and beautifully designed — felt like a boutique hotel with the space of a house. Superhost status well earned.
Sofia
★★★★★
A small hiccup with the AC was fixed within the hour — someone local came right out. That responsiveness made all the difference. Honestly the smoothest stay we've had on Airbnb.
Guest Favorite homes Top 5–10% worldwide
1 / 34Modern Retreat | Gym, Pool Table
Guest favorite34 reviews
1 / 28Walk to Park | Close to Zoo & Downtown
Guest favorite51 reviews
1 / 22Cozy Living | Steps to Bars & Restaurants
Guest favorite
What owners say
Owners who switched, and never looked back.
★★★★★
“Switched from a national manager and my net was up double digits in the first quarter. The statements are so clear I stopped second-guessing.”
★★★★★
“Their design team restyled the whole house before launch and the photos are unreal. Booked 26 nights the first month at a rate I didn't think was possible.”
★★★★★
“A pipe let go at 11pm. Someone was there within the hour and I found out after it was fixed. That's why I sleep at night.”
Owned & operated in San Diego
Meet the people that lead Cardo's success.
Rich Scherf
Chief Executive Officer
Krissy Hunter
Owner Services Manager
Brandon Rivera
Property Manager
Our humble beginning
"It started as one experiment — a single home listed on Airbnb while I was still working a full-time job. I had no idea it would become my life's work."
Then COVID hit. Two hundred–plus cancellations came through in a matter of weeks, and everything I'd built was suddenly on the line. We didn't fold. We rebuilt — moved to a straight commission model so owners only win when we win, tightened every part of our operation, and came out the other side stronger than we went in. That "no-fail" attitude is baked into how we run every home today.
Everything since has been in service of one desire: to build a brand owners trust, with homes they can be proud of.
Rich ScherfFounder & CEO, Cardo Vacation Rentals
For investors
Building a portfolio, not just listing a home?
We work with investors growing their footprint across San Diego — underwriting new doors, onboarding fast, and running each one to the same standard. One partner as you scale from one home to many.
Simple onboarding
From first call to first booking in about two weeks.
We do the heavy lifting. You approve the plan, and we take it from there.
01
Free consultation
We walk your home, talk through your goals, and deliver a data-backed revenue projection — no cost, no obligation.
02
Design & setup
In-house styling, professional photography, listing build-out, dynamic pricing, and your owner portal — you approve everything before launch.
03
We go live
Your home lists across Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia, and Hopper. We handle every guest and every detail from day one.
04
You get paid
Monthly payouts with transparent, itemized statements. We only earn when you do.
Questions, answered
The owner FAQ.
A straight 20% of booking revenue — no setup fees, no monthly minimums, and no charge until your home is earning. Other full-service managers run 18–35%. Your exact scope is confirmed in your free property analysis.
Most homes launch within a few weeks: onboarding and permitting, in-house design and photography, listing build-out, and pricing setup before your first guest.
Always. Block owner stays anytime from your dashboard. It's your home — we keep it performing when you're not using it.
Yes — STRO licensing, compliance reporting, and transient occupancy tax filings so your home stays fully compliant.
A real-time owner dashboard plus itemized monthly statements. Every booking, payout, and expense, whenever you want it.