Case Study: White Spider achieves scalable growth and streamlined guest communication with Guesty

How This Seafood Saleswoman Became an Exclusive Airbnb Designer & Launched a Property Management Company Employing 95% Women

White Spider, founded by Mel Hignell, grew from a single Instagram-worthy Airbnb into a property management and design company managing hundreds of listings across cities like Portland, New Orleans, Palm Springs and Nashville. Rapid expansion — a remote team of almost 100 (95% women) and dozens of unique properties — created pain points around guest communication, booking coordination and maintenance administration, so White Spider needed a centralized platform such as Guesty to maintain its high standard of “guest management.”

White Spider implemented Guesty’s tools — notably the Unified Inbox, automated messages and the Multi‑Calendar with dynamic pricing — to centralize messaging, consolidate bookings and optimize occupancy. Using Guesty, the team saved hours every week, scaled their portfolio without sacrificing service, and enabled a dispersed team to work as one unit; that time savings has let them pursue ambitious projects (including renovating a 200‑year‑old New Orleans synagogue) and explore new opportunities like boutique hotels.

White Spider

Mel Hignell

Chief Executive Officer & Founder