Why Airbnb Management Software and Management Services Weren't Built for Independent Hosts
Self-managed hosts are stuck between overpriced PMCs, bloated PMSs, and fragmented tools with no platform built for how they operate.
The Harsh Reality for Self-Managed STR Hosts
Most of the systems powering the short-term rental industry were built for property managers. Independent hosts, those who manage one to three Airbnb listings, the ones who built the foundation of this industry, have been left out of the equation.
Self-managed operators opened their homes, refined their craft, and turned hospitality into a profession. Today, they make up more than 65 percent of the global vacation rental market. Yet most are still working around software and services that were never designed with their needs in mind.
If you've ever felt like you're doing too much with too little support, you're not imagining it. The industry still hasn't evolved to serve the people driving it forward.
Hosts Are Still Choosing Between Three Broken Models
This is the quiet tax of the current system.
Self-managed hosts are still forced to choose between software platforms that weren't built for them, management companies that take too much, or fragmented co-hosting setups and tools that only solve a piece of the puzzle.
The failure isn't in how hosts decide, it's in what they are forced to choose from.
At the root of it all is one simple truth: nothing in this ecosystem was designed for independent, self-managed hosts.
It's a truth now being echoed across the ecosystem.
1. PMS Platforms: Built for Scale, Not for Hosts
Property Management Software (PMS) was never designed for independent hosts.
These platforms were designed to help professional managers operate at scale, enabling those who oversee hundreds of vacation rental properties or Airbnb listings to manage large teams effectively. But in chasing scale, they lost touch with the people who built the industry in the first place - small hosts.
If you have ever tried using one as a host, you would have felt it instantly: convoluted menus, bloated workflows, a lack of strategic guidance, and the need to juggle disconnected tools that offer minimal real support.
The PMS Trade-off:
Confusing dashboards designed for portfolios, not hands-on operations
No guidance on pricing, guest messaging, or day-to-day decisions
Essential features locked behind expensive paywalls
A user experience built for scale, not simplicity
2. PMCs: Convenience With Too Much Compromise
Property Management Companies (PMCs) promise peace of mind, but they come at a steep cost.
Most charge between 20% and 40% of your revenue. In exchange, they take control of your listing, your guest messages, and your pricing. Hosts are often locked into rigid systems that strip away autonomy and reduce visibility into what's actually happening.
What starts as a time-saver often ends in frustration as hosts are left in the dark.
The PMC trade-off:
You pay high fees, often 20-40%, with unclear breakdowns and added markups
You surrender control and have little say in how your property is run
You get limited visibility into bookings, performance, and payouts
You are locked into rigid contracts that reduce earnings and autonomy
3. Co-Hosts and Scattered Tools: Helpful but Fragmented
Airbnb's Co-Host Network model has perfectly validated what hosts have needed all along: operational support. But while well-intentioned, it offers only a partial solution. It adds cost, reduces control, and introduces new layers of complexity.
The same is true across the broader tool ecosystem. Many products are genuinely helpful, but they solve narrow problems in isolation. Without a unified system, hosts are left to manage fragmented workflows across multiple platforms and teams.
What begins as help often turns into more work. Instead of clarity, hosts are left coordinating chaos.
The co-hosting and tool-stack trade-off:
You juggle disconnected tools with no unified system
Airbnb's Co-Host Network is only available when listing with Airbnb
You spend more time coordinating than getting clarity
You stay busy managing tools instead of focusing on hosting
What Hosts Actually Need
What self-managed hosts actually need isn't more software, it's alignment across the models they're already forced to use
The current options each offer something useful, but none deliver the needed solution. PMS platforms provide structure but lack simplicity; PMCs offer support but require too much; and Airbnb co-hosts and short-term rental automation tools solve microtasks but fail to address the system's issues.
What hosts are still waiting for is alignment across those models: a new layer built specifically for self-managed hosts and how they actually operate.
Here's what that should look like:
Purpose-built software for self-managed hosts
One system that connects everything
Smart automation that simplifies the work
Full control, with no compromises
Expert help, only when you want it
Clean, intuitive design without complexity
No need to juggle extra tools or platforms
Transparent pricing with no feature paywalls
We're Building Toward That Future
We believe self-managed hosts deserve more than workarounds. That's why we're building Consolia, a Host Assistance Platform designed entirely around how independent operators actually work.
Still in development, Consolia brings together intelligent systems, vacation rental automation tools, real support, and host-first design to create a platform that simplifies the work, surfaces what matters, and keeps full control in your hands.
We're building it in collaboration with the people it's for. Every feature is shaped by host feedback, real conversations, and a shared belief that this industry can do better.
If that sounds like something worth building, we'd love to have you involved.
Still Have Questions?
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions we receive from hosts, especially those who are curious about what makes Consolia different and whether it's right for them.