- March 29, 2025
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Want waterslides, oversized bunk beds, double dishwashers and a PlayStation in your vacation rental?
These things and more amenities come standard with rental homes from Vunique Vacations.
Putt-putt, pickleball courts and a two-story waterslide may beckon outside, while golf simulators, multiple TVs and a game room offer up entertainment inside mansions within walking distance of the beach. Garages are stocked with Vunique Vacations-branded bicycles and cornhole sets, as well as coolers for those who may be making beach trips.
The Sarasota-based company owns dozens of high-end, custom-built vacation properties in areas zoned for transient rentals on Siesta and Lido keys. Despite the upheaval on the barrier islands with three hurricanes in 2024, the leaders of Vunique Vacations see sunny skies ahead, with its current portfolio of 34 homes near the water even growing in 2025. In addition to expanding in the Sarasota area, it is entering the Clearwater market this summer.
Data backs up the growing popularity of the high-end vacation rental concept, according to the company's leaders: Vunique Vacations saw a 73% increase in revenue from rented nights between February 2024 through January 2025, according to Adam Mott, an operating officer with Vunique Vacations.
Vunique Vacations was founded in 2021 and has been acquiring sites and properties since then that it can redevelop. While it doesn't advertise or promote the connection, Vunique Vacations is a subsidiary of Casto, a real estate firm out of Columbus, Ohio, that developed Main Street at Lakewood Ranch and Center Point at Waterside, also in Lakewood Ranch, among other projects in the area. The vacation rental company's legal name is Casto Vacation Properties LLC. One of Vunique Vacations' operating officers, John Hutchens, is the son of Casto Southeast President Brett Hutchens.
One Vunique Vacations property, on Sabal Drive, was purchased in 2022 for $1.35 million, while another on Peacock Road was bought that same year for $1.9 million, property records show. (Both are on Siesta Key.) They were purchased at or close to land value, because houses that may have been there were improved decades ago and were not up to current standards, according to Mott.
"FEMA regulations and local/state building codes really force or encourage the re-development of these properties ... as there is a significant benefit in having conforming structures on Florida’s barrier island, as it is a much more resilient and sustainable type of construction," Mott says in an email.
In fact, after the hurricanes this past fall, Mott says, all of Vunique Vacations' rentals were back open within six weeks.
In 2025, the company is moving forward with its expansion plans. Vunique Vacations is bringing eight new properties to the market in the first half of the year in Sarasota and Clearwater, according to Mott, who says more are possible "but with so much variability in construction it’s too early to make any predictions."
Each Vunique Vacations home contains five to eight bedrooms and has been built in the past couple of years. The entire property is designed with the vacationer in mind. Guests are welcomed by custom-built pools — nearly all have a waterslide — and curated outdoor spaces. Various seating areas allow people to gather outside, and while each house is close to the beach, the pool provides a private oasis that does not require people to go anywhere to feel like they are somewhere special.
Vunqiue Vacations has 20 to 30 employees, from reservation agents to maintenance technicians. One staff member meets guests upon their arrival to give them a walk-through of the house, explaining things like how to work the pool remote control; people may not use the amenities the house offers if they do not know how, Hutchens explains.
Inside, special touches like stair lighting are built in to allow people to navigate unfamiliar terrain, Hutchens says, and closets are designed to accommodate suitcases and other luggage. Each house also features an elevator.
For the most part, guests are groups of large families and friends, with a celebrity mixed in from time to time. (Company officials are mum on just who those celebrities might be.)
About 14 to 15 people usually stay in each property, according to Mott, who says the average daily rate is $1,770. He points out that booking four hotel rooms at $800 a night would cost more than a stay at a Vunique Vacations property, which provides amenities beyond traditional lodging.
Homes are decorated by Inside Eye Designs, a Sarasota interior design agency that creates a vacation vibe while also inviting guests to make themselves at home in gathering spaces.
“My kids are not going to want to watch the same football game or movie that I do, and so we need to create the ability for different dynamics within a group to enjoy spaces separately,” Mott says. In one area, there may be beanbag chairs with a giant movie screen, while in another, there is a couch custom-built for large groups in front of a television.
Each house is equipped with a PlayStation and Nintendo in the gaming area. Some have golf simulators, pickleball courts and putting greens as well. Bikes, coolers, cornhole and an electric vehicle charger are available in the garage, which is also equipped with a fridge.
"We try to make [the houses] different, but also consistent," Mott says. "Being vertically integrated and having consistency in our brand is key."
While things like decorative tiles and rooftop decks create an aesthetic that makes each house feel unique, certain design elements were incorporated with efficiency in mind.
For example, rather than offering bedside tables that are difficult to clean, Hutchens says, Vunique Vacations commissioned custom tables that could be bolted into the wall. Charging ports are above them so guests do not need to reach around behind the table, and the surfaces can be more easily managed by the cleaning staff.
All Vunique Vacations properties include a “bunk room” with custom-built bunk beds, made up of queen or king beds with ladders designed for ease of use and for cleaning staff as well.
Sometimes guests may leave at 10 a.m, and the house can be ready for the next visitors by 4 p.m., according to Mott.
“So we have to really be focused on efficiencies,” Hutchens says, adding it starts with the design. “The better we can turn these properties and keep them clean … it makes a huge difference for our guests.”
Over the years, the business has incorporated a variety of ways of ensuring it can turn around houses while maintaining the highest standards, like using a commercial laundry service off-site to handle linens.
“As much as the house is the ‘wow factor,’ that’s as important,” says Hutchens, referencing how everything else is presented.
Once people stay with Vunique Vacations — which they may discover on Airbnb, VRBO and Plum Guide — they frequently choose to book with the company directly thereafter.
“We get a lot of return guests,” Mott says, adding that in 2024, 31% of reservations were from return guests and referrals.
Visitors can book a stay starting at three days, which is somewhat unusual in an industry that encourages weeklong bookings. On the flip side, someone recently submitted a booking with Vunique Vacations for a month, Hutchens says.
In 2024, the average stay was 5.6 nights, while so far this year it is trending toward 5.8 nights, according to Mott.
Generally, he says, Vunique Vacation’s houses are at 73% occupancy.
“Christmas to August is our season,” Mott says, with high points between Presidents Day and Easter and Memorial Day to the start of school.
