Is independent short-term rental profitable? Comparison with the operator model

Is self-managed short-term rental profitable? Comparison with the operator model.

Many apartment and flat owners consider short-term rental as a source of additional, and often primary, income. Especially in locations such as Kołobrzeg, Świnoujście, Międzyzdroje or Warsaw, the earning potential is enormous. But the question is: is it worth managing everything yourself, or is it better to entrust the apartment to a professional operator?

1. Time is money – and self-management consumes it

Guest service, replying to messages, coordinating cleaning, managing calendars, breakdowns, keys, complaints. In theory, it is only "apartment management," but in practice – daily logistics and full-time customer service.

➡️ With an operator: Everything is automated. Your involvement? Checking transfers.

2. Seasonal variability = uncertain income

A common problem of owners – poor adjustment of price and availability to the season, demand, and local events. The effect? Reduced income in the high season and emptiness outside it.

➡️ With an operator: A revenue manager monitors the market and automatically adjusts prices – you earn more, even while you sleep.

3. Contact with guests = contact with problems

Password not working, TV not working, washing machine frozen, "can you allow a late check-out?", "where is the shower gel?" – welcome to the world of 24/7 customer service.

➡️ With an operator: The reservations department, support, and technicians handle it. You never answer calls at night. Ever.

4. Cleaning and standards – Booking rating depends on the mirror

A bad cleaning team = a rating of 8.2 instead of 9.3. And this means 25% fewer bookings. Seriously. Maintaining a consistent standard is one of the biggest challenges for self-managing owners.

➡️ With an operator: Dedicated HSK, checklists, quality control, and quick replacement of the team. The standard maintains itself.

5. Invoices, taxes, settlements – chaos?

Do you use Excel? Do you have invoices for laundry, towels, soap, liquids? Can you handle PIT and apartment depreciation settlement? Or do you still issue invoices to guests?

➡️ With an operator: You get everything in a consolidated statement. One file. One transfer. And your accountant is happy.

6. How much do you earn "alone" and how much "with an operator"?

This is the key question. Self-managing owners often earn less despite "saving" on commission. Why?

• Weak pricing strategy

• Low conversion on OTAs

• Poor photos / lack of reviews

• No distribution (only Booking / Airbnb)

• Emptiness off-season

➡️ With an operator: You earn not only "more per night" but also more often. Occupancy, ADR, RevPAR – these are the keys.

Summary: who benefits from cooperation with an operator?

Short-term rental operator (like Solarento) is a solution for those owners who:

• do not have the time, patience, or knowledge to manage everything themselves,

• consider the apartment as an investment, not a hobby,

• want peace of mind, predictability, and maximum profit with minimum involvement.

Thanks to apartment management by the Solarento team, you can have full control without the need for personal involvement – both in Kołobrzeg, Świnoujście, Międzyzdroje, and Warsaw.

Want to know the exact numbers?

Fill out a simple form – no obligations, and you will receive an analysis of how much you can earn with us.

👉 Discover Solarento's offer