Short Stay Parking

$20 per day gets you Short Stay Parking steps from Hobby’s terminal

Figure a 5-minute walk from your car to the William P. Hobby (HOU) Terminal 1 doors when you park in Short Stay Parking. This is the on-airport short stay option sitting directly next to the terminal, so you roll your bag, skip shuttles, and head straight to TSA. Daily rates run $20.00, and a 7-day stay works out to $140.00 at the weekly rate.

Short Stay sits in the same tight on-airport footprint as the garages, and the airport has an 85% capacity rule where they may redirect drivers once things fill up. During peak periods and holidays, travelers report on-airport spaces going faster than expected, so showing up 20–30 minutes earlier than you normally would is smart. If the lot is full, you may be pushed to a different on-airport option or off-airport alternatives.

Frequent HOU flyers sometimes skip Short Stay and use nearby hotel lots at roughly $3.95–$5.95 per day instead of the official $20.00 daily rate. Those off-airport spots usually involve a short shuttle ride or a quick rideshare, which can add 10–20 minutes each way. For a 2–3 day business trip, many regulars still pay the on-airport premium just for the 5-minute walk and no waiting around for vans.

Watch out for: during big travel weekends, the on-airport supply feels tight and Short Stay can hit capacity earlier in the day than you’d expect. If you’re landing late at night, factor in that you may need a backup plan if the airport signs show garages at or near full. Keep an off-airport address with $5-ish day rates bookmarked in your map app before you leave home.

Pro tip: check the live parking status on the HOU site before you leave, and if Short Stay is already flagged as near full, drive straight to the airport but have a hotel lot with shuttles running past midnight in mind as Plan B.