‘We Transform Abandoned New York City Buildings into Stunning Guesthouses’

An abandoned New York City building with bricked-up windows, rotting plywood, and rusted chains on the front door would make most prospective buyers run in the opposite direction. But for South Carolina couple Laureta Gjata and James Gale, these forgotten structures are pure gold.

Today, Gjata and Gale operate Gale Guesthouses, a hospitality business dedicated to restoring historical properties across the city and converting them into unique rentals on Airbnb.

Long before either of them picked up a sledgehammer, both founders developed the resilience needed to tackle ambitious goals through vastly different life paths.

Gjata, 39, has a background in customer-facing hospitality. She immigrated to Greece from Albania as a young refugee during the war in 1997. While she remembers feeling embarrassed as the kid in school who didn't speak the language, she credits those challenging years with laying the foundation to overcome tough renovation challenges.

"Back then, it seemed like the worst thing that could happen to a kid," Gjata explains. "But looking back, some of the skills that I have have been useful to our journey restoring these buildings."

Gjata eventually moved to New York to pursue acting, supporting herself from age 17 as a server and bartender.

Originally from Connecticut, Gale, 49, spent roughly 25 years working in the energy industry, specializing in physical natural gas trading and risk management.

While corporate risk management seems distant from historical home renovation, it provided the precise skill set required to evaluate intimidating real estate deals, structure finances, and manage daily operations.

"We both have those qualities that we need for each half of it," Gale says. "I can't do the things she does on the hospitality side, and I think she doesn't have any interest in doing the other aspect of it."

Together, the couple balance both halves of the business seamlessly, taking their role as hosts deeply to the heart.

"If someone comes to my table and I'm going to wait on them, or they come to our building and we're going to host them, it's like a mission," Gjata explains. "You're here for a good time. I don't know what problems are going to come up, but we got it."

An accidental start

The transition into property management didn't happen overnight. Around 2015, while living in Astoria, Queens, Gjata found herself responsible for the full rent of a three-bedroom apartment after her roommates suddenly moved out.

To cover costs, a friend suggested listing the spare rooms on Airbnb.

"It was incredible ... meeting all these people from all over the world," Gjata explains. "That's where the idea started, of what if I can find a place, make it my own, and host all these people and cook for them, and share my favorite spots of the city."

Later, Gjata experimented with rental arbitrage in Hell’s Kitchen, taking over a neglected unit from a property management company. She agreed to fix up the rundown apartment at her own expense in exchange for listing rights. That project solidified her calling.

"I want to fix places that are not in the best shape and make them nice for people to come and stay,"Gjata shares.

A shared love of architecture

When Gjata and Gale met, their shared love of historic architecture quickly became the focal point of their relationship. The couple spent their early weeks together riding bicycles through Brooklyn and touring open houses.

While Gale evaluates every potential deal through building codes and financial metrics, Gjata relies on an emotional connection.

“I'm the romantic. I'm not the numbers person,” Gjata says. “But you cannot really explain [it]. It's almost as if we don’t really choose the houses. They choose us. The minute you see it, you know.”

Renovating properties

The couple purchased their first property, a Brooklyn brownstone, in 2019. The project—dubbed the Madison Guesthouse—proved to be a true trial by fire.

The abandoned structure suffered from frozen, burst pipes and lacked functional heat and water. Aside from major plumbing work, the couple and their family completed the entire renovation hands-on while living onsite in a ground-floor studio. Through sheer grit and determination, they managed to welcome their first guests within just three months.

While Madison Guesthouse was intended to serve as both their personal residence and a guesthouse, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic made it challenging to balance life and work. Gale was working remotely in the hallway of their tiny studio apartment, guests were knocking for fresh towels, and the couple had just welcomed their first child.

The family relocated to the Finger Lakes to save money while planning their return to the city. In late 2020, they poured their savings into a second Brooklyn brownstone: the Macon Guesthouse.

“The house [was] calling us,” Gjata says. “We saw it, and there goes again the dream of getting our home.”

This second renovation took significantly longer, largely due to needing specialized architects and Department of Buildings permits. Although hiring professional contractors eased the physical burden, the overhaul took nearly two years before it was opened in mid-2022.

Though Macon didn't become their permanent residence either, the couple cherished the process and the growth that came with it.

“You get into your eyes, you get into your mind what can be done, and I think that grows on you,” Gale explains. “So each iteration has been a better version of the one before, with a bigger eye on detail, a bigger eye on historical significance, a bigger eye on the pieces of what we can do to bring back the old into the new.”

A new project

The couple are currently working on their third major renovation: a Brooklyn limestone they are transforming into the Halsey Guesthouse. Even as this project nears completion, another is likely right around the corner.

“I've always wanted to tell stories,” Gjata says. “I didn't know it [was going to be] telling the stories of these old historical buildings. But here we are, and I'm so so happy that we're doing that.”

While their ultimate goal is to renovate a permanent dream home and relocate back to Brooklyn from South Carolina, Gale admits it isn't easy to slow down:

“It's hard when the next project keeps calling.”