How many (STRs) is too many?

[Abe DeHart]

I've noticed that many of the seasoned operators on this forum have between 5-10 STRs. @Paul Sandhu notably has 23, and 83 bedrooms (I think?). Is the # of doors a fair assessment, and if so, why not scale further? I'm guessing owners fall in a couple buckets:

- Don't automate and can't handle the repetitive tasks of more than a few rentals (probably not most of the pros here)

- Buy several STRs, achieve financial freedom, and are content to stabilize the properties and cashflow

- Focus on new revenue streams outside of STR

Is there any reason not to scale STRs like LTRs? For context I have 43 LTRs, 1 STR, and a 6 unit STR under contract. It seems like scaling STRs could work as long as you can get help with managing the "details".