Scaling a short-term rental business: How to grow from 10 to 20 properties without falling apart
Getting to 10 listings is a hustle. Getting past it is a different game.
Somewhere between 11 and 20 properties, one of two things happens. Your operation professionalises, with systems, standards, and a team. Or it quietly erodes. Reviews get patchy, replies get slower, one cleaner leaves and three turnovers go sideways.
In episode five of the STR Growth Curve, the Host Planet × Hospitable series mapping all 12 stages of short-term rental growth, we spoke to someone living this stage right now. Brian Seelos is Head of Customer Success at Hospitable. He and his wife have also run Athens Vacation Rentals in Georgia since 2018, managing 10 properties with two more on the way. The episode focuses on scaling a short-term rental business.
Catch the full episode on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.
The STR Growth Curve series is powered by Hospitable. Click here to get 25% off Hospitable for the first three months.
Key takeaways about scaling a short-term rental business
Professionalising means repeatable systems and standards, built up over time.
Hiring is a trade-off between time and money. Don't hire too soon or too late.
Décor can vary by property, but amenities, messaging tone, and branding shouldn't.
Protect reviews by setting honest expectations and checking in early in every stay.
Hand off maintenance and routine guest messaging first.
What does professionalising actually mean?
For Brian, it comes down to systems and standards. "Having a repeatable process you can rely on," he said, whether it's a guest issue, an owner issue or anything else.
Those systems don't arrive fully formed. Brian and his wife built theirs over six or seven years, fixing pain points as they appeared. Even their rental agreement still evolves when a guest finds a problem nobody saw coming.
Should you build a team or use freelancers?
Brian calls it "time versus money". He still checks every property personally before guests arrive. That's manageable in a small town at 10 listings. At 15 to 20, he expects to bring someone in.
The most expensive mistake at this stage, he says, comes in two forms:
Too much, too soon. Hiring a CFO, revenue manager, and operations manager when you only have 5-10 listings.
Too little, too late. Running 20+ listings alone, doing the cleaning, pricing and messaging yourself, until burnout forces desperate decisions.
Which brand standards should never change?
At 15 properties, your standards need to live somewhere other than your own attention.
Brian's properties all look different, and that's fine. What stays the same is how they feel: the same amenities, the same TVs, the same local coffee, and the same check-in messages in the same tone of voice. The guest portal, owner portal, and owner statements all carry one consistent brand.
How do you protect your reviews at scale?
Brian's review playbook has four parts:
1. Be honest in your listing. Don't edit photos to show something guests won't find.
2. Message proactively. Send directions, expectations, and local tips before arrival.
3. Check in the day after arrival. It gives guests time to spot issues while you can still fix them.
4. Set expectations for five stars. Many Airbnb guests are first-timers who think five stars means the Ritz. Brian explains that five stars means the stay was as described, clean, and well looked after.
It works. His business has more than 1,000 Airbnb reviews, averaging 4.95.
What should you stop doing first?
Maintenance and manual guest messaging. Brian now has two or three trusted people he can send to a property the same day. And AI messaging handles the random late-night questions, from restaurant tips to "I can't find the property".
"I don't have to keep my phone on while I'm playing with my daughter," he said.
Get the full STR Growth Curve e-book
This is just one of 12 stages. The STR Growth Curve e-book maps every one, from before your first booking to exiting your business, with insights from operators who've been there.
It's free, and you can read it in a single evening.
FAQs
When should I hire my first team member?
When the time you spend on a task costs more than paying someone else to do it, without hurting the guest experience. For Brian, that point is around 15 to 20 listings.
What brand standards matter most?
Consistent amenities, guest messaging tone, and branding across every touchpoint. Décor can vary.
How can I avoid bad reviews?
Set honest expectations, check in early in every stay, and fix problems before checkout.
What is the STR Growth Curve?
A free e-book and podcast series from Host Planet and Hospitable covering the 12 stages of short-term rental growth.
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