One unit is a real starting point. Plenty of corporate furnished operators run a single property, and the model doesn't need scale to work the way a hotel does. What it needs is a client source, which is the part that's harder with one unit than with five.
On the cash before a tenant, count four things. Furnishing, which for a studio or one bed runs roughly 6,000 to 12,000 depending on how deep you go on housewares and whether you buy new. Setup, meaning internet install, utility account transfers, and a lockbox or smart lock. A photography and listing setup, because corporate placements often start with a coordinator forwarding your photos to an employee. And a reserve, because your first gap between stays comes with the utilities still in your name. I'd want two months of full carrying cost sitting aside.
The two-bedroom claim you heard is partly true and partly market specific. Relocation placements for a family need space, and some corporate clients do place two workers in one unit. Traveling medical staff, consultants on solo assignment, and project engineers are often single occupants who are happy in a well-located one bed.
What catches single-unit operators is that a corporate client wants a backup. If a relocation coordinator has one placement and your unit is occupied, they call someone else and often don't come back. That's why single-unit operators often partner informally with another local owner so they can hand off overflow and keep the relationship alive.
