The news just broke last week: Sonder—one of the biggest “big box” property management companies in the STR world—has filed for bankruptcy.

For years, companies like Sonder promised scale, systems, and sleek branding. They raised millions. They dominated major markets. They were the darlings of venture capital.

And yet…
they couldn’t survive.

So what happened? And what does this mean for hosts, investors, and the future of short-term rental management?

Let’s break it down.

1. Big Box Property Management Isn’t Built for Real Life

Big box operators look great on paper. They rely on algorithms, automation, and blanket policies designed for thousands of units across dozens of cities.

But hospitality isn’t just numbers—it’s people.
It’s guests.
It’s owners.
It’s community.

The bigger you get, the harder it is to care deeply about the details. And in short-term rentals, details are the business.

Sonder built a system that worked when markets were booming and investment money was flowing. But real-world hospitality requires nuance, boots on the ground, and an ability to adapt property by property—not city by city.

2. Scale Without Soul Will Always Collapse

Large operators optimize for one thing: growth.

More doors.
More markets.
More speed.

But when you chase scale without anchoring in guest experience, owner experience, and local expertise, you end up with:

• Generic, copy-and-paste units
• High staff turnover
• Inconsistent guest stays
• Slow response times
• Poor maintenance oversight
• Zero emotional connection to the properties

Scaling “sterile hospitality” might work for hotels.
It does not work for STRs.

Airbnb guests want memorable.
They want personal.
They want human.

Boutique companies can deliver that.
Big box companies usually can’t.

3. When a Company Gets This Big, Owners Become Numbers

Ask any property owner who’s worked with a large management company and you’ll hear the same complaints:

• “I never talk to the same person twice.”
• “They don’t know my property.”
• “I feel like a ticket, not a partner.”
• “Decisions were made without informing me.”
• “Maintenance issues took forever.”

Big box companies build systems that treat owners like datasets, not individuals.

But boutique management—true boutique management—does the opposite:

• Custom revenue strategies
• Tailored design input
• Local expertise
• Relationships, not rotations
• Clear, personal communication
• Accountability and oversight at every touchpoint

When things get tough in the market (and they have), the hands-on operators win.
The distant corporate ones sink.

Sonder is proof.

4. Boutique Companies Can Pivot Fast—and That’s Why They Survive

Big companies move like cruise ships.
Boutique companies move like speedboats.

Market shifts in regulation?
Boutique adapts. Big box delays.

Cleaner shortage?
Boutique solves. Big box bureaucratizes.

A guest problem at 11 PM?
Boutique jumps. Big box escalates to a department that’s off the clock.

Investors today want resilience and responsiveness, not a corporate hierarchy.

5. Your Property Wasn’t Designed for a Template—And Neither Should Your Management Be

Sonder proved that scaling standardization works…until it doesn’t.

Your property is unique:
Your design.
Your market.
Your revenue strategy.
Your ideal guests.

Boutique operators thrive because we create property-specific strategies, not a one-size-fits-all approach.

In a world where differentiation matters more than ever, generic management is a recipe for mediocre returns.

The Lesson: Big Box Doesn’t Always Win. Boutique Does.

Sonder’s collapse is the industry’s wake-up call.
Hospitality is returning to its roots:

Personal. Local. Human. Intentional.

Boutique isn’t “smaller.”
Boutique is smarter.

Owners want a partner, not a corporation.
Guests want an experience, not a commodity.
And the market is rewarding companies who prioritize excellence over scale.

This isn’t the end of big box property management—but it’s proof that size alone does not equal sustainability.

If you’re an STR investor looking for:

✔ higher ROI
✔ a trusted partnership
✔ real communication
✔ boots-on-the-ground expertise
✔ elevated design + guest experiences
✔ systems that scale your property, not the manager’s ego

…boutique is the way forward.

And companies like JETSETTER are exactly why this industry is shifting back toward craftsmanship over corporate.