We're David & Claire. This is our condo, not our portfolio.

We bought Lani Kai 218 because we couldn't stop coming back to Gulf Shores. We'd vacation here, post about how nice the trip was, then talk on the drive home about how much better it'd be to own a place. So we did.

Why we don't use a property manager

We considered it. Property managers in this town typically take 20–30% of revenue, plus they manage 50 to 200 units at a time, which means a guest who has a question gets a call-center answer. We didn't want that for our place.

So we built the systems ourselves: messaging, cleaning, maintenance schedules, restock checklists. If something breaks, we know about it within minutes. If a guest wants a recommendation, they're talking to the people who know which restaurant's hush puppies were good last Tuesday.

The renovation

When we bought it, the unit was tired — old appliances, dated finishes, towels that had seen a lot of beach days. We gutted it down to studs and rebuilt: new kitchen with quartz counters and full-size appliances, new bathrooms, new flooring, new everything that touches a guest.

We picked the tile. We picked the towels. We argued about which paint chip looked closest to the Lani Kai building's original siding, which is where the brand color comes from.

The way we think about hosting

The bar we set: when you walk in, the unit should feel like the hotel you wish hotels still were. Stocked the way you'd stock your own kitchen. Towels you'd actually want to use. WiFi that works the first time. A beach wagon you don't have to buy.

We think about it like this: every guest's first night is the same — they're tired, they're sandy, they want to take a shower and have a glass of wine. The place should be ready for that exact moment.

Where we live

Not in Gulf Shores. We come down regularly, but our day jobs are elsewhere. That means: we're available by message any time, and we have a small, trusted team in town who handles cleaning and maintenance to our standards.

How to reach us

The fastest way is the message function inside the booking widget at the listing page. Once you've booked, you also have a direct line via Hospitable. We answer ourselves, and we answer fast.