South Carolina Couple Revives Brooklyn Brownstones as Boutique Airbnb Guesthouses

Immigrating from Albania as a child refugee, Laureta Gjata built a career in hospitality before trying acting, while James Gale spent decades in energy-sector risk management. Their complementary skills led them to purchase a neglected Brooklyn brownstone in 2019, fixing burst pipes and installing heating to launch the Madison Guesthouse within three months, even as the COVID-19 pandemic struck. After a brief relocation to the Finger Lakes, they invested savings in a second brownstone, the Macon Guesthouse, navigating complex building-code approvals and hiring architects, which delayed its opening until mid-2022.

The couple now works on the Halsey Guesthouse, a limestone building nearing completion, and hints at additional projects. Their goal remains to restore historic homes for travelers while eventually moving back to Brooklyn from South Carolina.