When the Storm Changed Course, So Did the Salt Water Crew

Hawaiʻi weather isn’t always subtle. Most days, a rainbow appearing over your lunch or a passing shower turning into a quick dash from the car to the front door is the norm. But every so often, the islands remind us just how powerful nature can be.

In mid-August, that reminder had a name: Lala

As Tropical Storm Lala strengthened and its path shifted toward Hawaiʻi Island, the Salt Water Hawaii Crew began watching the storm closely. What started as something to monitor, quickly became a serious concern. Power was lost across the island, trees fell, homes were damaged, and flooding conditions along the coast became increasingly dangerous.

For our Salt Water Crew, it wasn’t a weekend to simply close the windows and wait for the storm to pass. We had guests on the island who were counting on us—and one family was staying in a beautiful oceanfront home directly in Lala’s path.

That’s when our plans changed.

As storm waves threatened to crash over the cliffs and lap at the doors of the house the Halpern family reserved, our Salt Water boss, Jessica Gauthier, sprung into action. She readied another property to move the family into as soon as the extreme weather became eminent. She and her team triaged all the 40 plus properties they manage and she delegated tasks like delivering water, calling scared visitors, confirming cancelled reservations, and generally calming fears.

We got a review this week from Ben Halpern that we haven’t been able to stop smiling about, so we want to share it — not because we’re fishing for compliments (okay, maybe a little), but because it’s a good example of something we don’t say out loud often enough: at Salt Water, taking care of guests doesn’t come with an asterisk that says “unless there’s a hurricane.” If anything, that’s when they lean in.

Here’s some of what Ben wrote:

“This company, especially Jessica, one of the owners [actually the only owner!], really looks out for their clients! My family had a booking when hurricane lala popped up, and not only did Jessica move us from a home on the coast to a more secure location for the storm but she gave us her personal phone number to stay in communication to make sure were safe and taken care of. One of her staff also delivered extra water and checked in on us. All of this on a weekend and while her own team had NO POWER OR WATER d/t the storm!! Both properties we stayed at were beautiful, and while it was not the stay we planned on we could not have felt better about the care and service we received from Jessica and her team! Would book with them again anytime we visit the island, thank you again!!”

Let’s just sit with that “no power or water” line for a second, because it’s doing a lot of work. Jessica and her team weren’t watching the storm on the news from somewhere dry and comfortable — they were living through the exact same power and water outages the Halperns were. And their response to “our own houses are dark and water if out” was apparently “great, let’s go check on the guests.” That’s either extremely good customer service or a mild superhero complex. OK, it’s BOTH.

This is really the whole point of being a boutique brokerage instead of one office in a national chain. When you book through a giant corporate rental platform, “customer support during a natural disaster” usually means a chatbot and a hold-music playlist. When you book with a locally owned small business, it means an actual owner relocating your family to somewhere safer and then handing you her personal cell number like it’s the most normal thing in the world — because to her, it is. That’s individualized real estate service in its most literal, sleeves-rolled-up form: not a slogan on a listing flyer, but someone showing up with bottled water in the middle of a hurricane.

Here’s the part that might surprise you: this wasn’t a one-time miracle. It’s just what happens when your “emergency plan” is actually a group of people who already know and like each other and who have over 60 years of combined hospitality experience. Our vacation rental team, Salt Water Vacations, keeps an eye on the forecast the same way we keep an eye on the market — closely, and with the assumption that Hawaii will eventually do something dramatic. When it does, the plan isn’t complicated: move people out of harm’s way first, keep the lines of communication wide open, and worry about the paperwork later. Candles and cell service optional; showing up, not optional.

Our motto around here is Salt Water Heals Everything. We genuinely treat it as an operating principle, not just a vibe. It’s a salt water healthy lifestyle commitment — to our guests, our clients, our agents, and to each other — and that commitment doesn’t take a weekend off just because the barometric pressure dropped. If a hurricane can’t talk our team out of checking on their guests, we’re not sure what could.

We won’t pretend the Halperns got the vacation they planned. They did get a memorable experience, and we’d take “that wasn’t the stay we planned, but we felt taken care of” over a perfectly sunny week where nobody ever finds out what our team is like under pressure. Both homes the Halperns stayed in were beautiful, because out managed properties are cared for just like our people. And our extraordinary crew is just as dedicated as their boss who gives you her cell number during a natural disaster.

So, thank you, Ben and family for the kind words, for being such good sports about the whole detour, and for trusting us enough to say you’d book with us again! Stories from clients like you are the fuel that keeps us going. Anyone can look good in a listing photo on a sunny day; it’s the Saturday/Sunday/Monday with no power that actually tells you who you’re dealing with.

Hurricane Lala was a reminder that taking care of people means going beyond what is expected. It means being available. It means paying attention. It means making the hard call when necessary and staying connected until you know everyone is okay.

Saltwater heals everything, sweat, tears, or the sea….

Sometimes it’s the ocean itself, or the salty sweat on your brow from moving to another house, tears from the release of feeling safe, the sun coming back out after a storm.

And sometimes, it’s knowing that when the unexpected happens, someone is there to help you weather it.

At Salt Water Hawaii, that’s the kind of hospitality we believe in.

Saltwater heals everything.