Portfolio / Case study

    Kris Moran · Destin & the Emerald Coast

    Beach Stays Vacations: from a small portfolio to 100+ properties

    A small portfolio. A long-term partnership. A business that grew—and was later sold.

    Beach Stays Vacations is a vacation rental management company in Destin and Florida's Emerald Coast, founded by Kris Moran. Villa Marketers and Knokx provided its brand, OwnerRez-connected website, marketing, SEO and owner-acquisition support over a multi-year relationship that began when the portfolio was small. The company grew to more than 100 properties and was later sold, as John Moran's independent profile confirms.

    By Jay William · Villa Marketers / Knokx

    100+

    Properties before sale

    OwnerRez

    PMS during engagement

    Multi-year

    Client relationship

    Sold

    Documented client outcome

    The original work

    A coastal brand, built for Beach Stays.

    View the Knokx portfolio source
    Original Beach Stays Vacations website by Knokx and Villa Marketers — coastal brand, rental search and Emerald Coast property cards, before acquisition
    Original website designed by Knokx / Villa Marketers, before acquisition. Original portfolio artwork—not a capture of the current post-acquisition website.

    The starting point

    The relationship began before the portfolio was large.

    Kris came to Villa Marketers / Knokx while Beach Stays was still a small portfolio. The assignment was broader than a website: establish the brand, connect the guest experience to OwnerRez, and support the marketing and owner acquisition work around a growing management company.

    In the Destin-area market, the same business has to earn two kinds of confidence. Travelers want a place they can picture staying. Property owners want a manager they can trust to represent their investment. Our work supported both sides of that presentation across a multi-year relationship.

    Work delivered

    A connected foundation, not a standalone design.

    01

    A recognizable management brand

    Brand development gave Beach Stays a coherent identity across its guest-facing website and owner-facing presentation. The original design pairs a restrained coastal palette with a boutique collection of real properties, rather than treating every rental as an interchangeable listing.

    Branding

    02

    A website connected to OwnerRez

    Knokx delivered the website and its OwnerRez integration. The original design brings destination storytelling, property discovery and the reservation search into the same experience. OwnerRez was the PMS during our engagement; this case study describes that historical build, not the company’s technology after acquisition.

    Website design

    03

    Owner acquisition, marketing and SEO

    Villa Marketers supported owner acquisition alongside marketing and SEO during the multi-year relationship. These were connected contributions: the guest-facing brand showed how Beach Stays presented its rentals, while owner-facing marketing supported Kris's efforts to grow the management portfolio.

    Owner acquisition

    04

    The confidence to make independent updates

    Delivery included training so Kris could add properties and make changes herself. Her testimonial speaks directly to the functionality of the two websites and the value of being able to maintain them without web-design skills. The handover was part of the work, not an afterthought.

    The documented outcome

    More than 100 properties. A subsequent successful sale.

    Beach Stays grew to more than 100 properties during the multi-year relationship and was later sold. John Moran's independent real estate profile corroborates the outcome: he and his wife, Kris, built a vacation rental management business serving more than 100 properties before successfully selling it.

    For the wider playbook behind growing a management portfolio, see our guide to property management marketing.

    Read John Moran’s account

    What this proves—and what it does not.

    This is a documented client outcome alongside a defined body of work. Villa Marketers / Knokx contributed brand, website, OwnerRez integration, marketing/SEO and owner acquisition support. Kris and John built and operated the business.

    We do not claim that our work alone caused the growth or the sale. The outcome is not a promise of equivalent results for another management company, and no booking-revenue metric, buyer or sale year is asserted here.

    Beach Stays Vacations team

    Beach Stays Vacations team

    In Kris’s words

    “Created 2 websites from my property management companies. We worked together well, and they were able to bring my vision to life! I am so pleased with both sites and their functionality - they also trained me to add new properties and make changes which was very helpful as I have zero web design skills! 10/10 recommend!!”

    Kris Moran

    Owner, Beach Stays Vacations

    Read the original Knokx testimonial

    Related work

    Other brands. Their own stories.

    Jupiter Vacation Rentals

    A coastal Florida brand and direct-booking experience.

    Read case study

    Northern Door Vacations

    Brand, website and local search for a growing Door County portfolio.

    Read case study

    Ocean City Vacation Homes

    A Maryland coast management brand built from its first properties.

    Read case study

    A serious management brand deserves a serious foundation.

    Talk through the brand, website and owner-acquisition priorities for your management company—on the terms of your market and your business.

    View the Portfolio