About Kate Alexander Accommodations
Local hospitality, modern systems, real people.
Our Story
About KAA
Airbnb didn't invent vacation rentals.
John's dad rented a house on Lake George in the summer of 1975 without an iPhone.
For a while, the platforms worked: guests loved the experience, owners loved the income. Then, like most things the internet touched, short-term rentals got swallowed by big channels and national management brands optimizing for margin at the expense of everyone else.
Before all that, vacation rental management was a local business. Technology is great, but hospitality is a real-life experience. It might start on an app, but it lands when the guest enters the door code. We use the tools available to professional hosts to run a high-touch, locally owned operation.
That combination puts us in a sweet spot: we can deliver the kind of stay that attracts guests who appreciate our clients' properties and treat them with more respect than Duncan was getting on that dock back in '75.
Kate Rowles
The "Kate" in Kate Alexander was born to it.
She started at the patio bar of The Stonebridge in Milford, CT in high school. After college, and even after she got a real job, she was a server at Scales & Shells, Newport's iconic seafood restaurant. That's where she learned the rhythm of hospitality: anticipating what guests need before they ask, keeping composure when everything's happening at once, and making the kind of connections that bring people back.
When she and John bought a two-family property on Newport's historic Point, they lived in the loft and turned the front house into Gladding Court, an Airbnb Guest Favorite. Kate's eye for the details that matter earned them Superhost status and a steady stream of referrals from other owners around town.
The couple moved to Vermont in 2020, and Kate stepped into regional STR management, overseeing operations and building relationships with homeowners from Moretown to Killington. Eventually, enough of them asked "Why aren't you doing this on your own?" that it became impossible to ignore. Kate Alexander Accommodations was born.
John Alexander Rowles
The "Alexander" in Kate Alexander (because "Kate John" just doesn't have the same ring to it).
John has been in eCommerce for as long as it has existed. His background in digital strategy, automation, and online sales, most recently as Global eCommerce Director for Swiss geospatial tech company Leica Geosystems, is what he puts to work building the systems that let a small STR business operate like a much bigger one.
Along the way he picked up, and has mostly learned to use, an array of power tools that went into a 100-year-old house in Newport and then a home in Fayston, VT. When he's not behind a keyboard, he's often behind the wheel of his truck with those tools and his skis or bike in the back, keeping KAA properties running.
He rode the dot-com startup wave in the early 2000s before landing at Leica. That experience shapes how he sees the STR landscape: technology makes a management business stronger, but only when it supports the human side of hosting, not when it's used to replace it.
Kate Alexander
...keeps a pitcher of mimosas chilled in the fridge seven days a week, just in case a friend pops by for breakfast.
...has coffee and croissants with Addison West at The Three Mountain Cafe every other Tuesday.
...inspired Ben Folds to write the song "Kate".
...advises Vera Wang and the late Lilly Pulitzer on what to wear on the slopes.
...skis FIS at North with Mikaela Shiffrin on powder days.
How We Work
What Sets Us Apart
Local Ownership
We live here, know the region, and build lasting relationships with owners and guests.
Rooted in Mad River Valley
Direct relationships with owners
Long-term community focus
Thoughtful Hosting
Anticipating needs, solving problems, and making genuine connections that earn trust.
Attention to detail
Responsive support
Guest-first approach
Modern Systems
Technology that enhances the human connection instead of replacing it.
Streamlined operations
Data-driven decisions
Frictionless guest experience