Monroe Oasis

More than just a set of rooms, this local Airbnb is a gateway to Monroe’s hosting potential and future growth. Bayou Long Beard, owned and operated by Joy Hale and Clay Caissie is an eclectic Airbnb in the heart of Northeast Louisiana.

article by VANELIS RIVERA and photography by KELLY MOORE CLARK

“WE HAVE BEEN CALLED TO HOSPITALITY, without a doubt,” writes Joy Hale Caissie, particularly about the eclectic Airbnb rental she owns and manages with husband Clay Caissie. The heartfelt message, posted on the rental’s Instagram page, serves as a caption to the image of a wooden recliner, embellished with snug throw blankets, and an ottoman displaying a coffee mug and journal, subtly illustrating the comfort and charm of a space still undiscovered by many in Northeast Louisiana. Though Joy acknowledges that they have been graced with exceptional spaces and resources to provide a primo travel experience, her idea of hospitality is not one mutually exclusive with luxury. “You don’t HAVE to know how to cook or have a fancy house or beautiful tablescape… Initiate simple invitations,” she finishes. The couple has been extending such invitations to their flagship Airbnb in the form of outdoor yoga classes, kayak tours, and interactive social media posts. More than just a set of rooms, this local Airbnb is a gateway to Monroe’s hosting potential and future growth.

As a former guitar tech and band manager, Clay would often live off of other people’s hospitality as he toured the world. “I was literally homeless for seven to eight years,” he says, recalling his nomadic days living on couches and hopping from home to home. “I felt like that’s where I really got to see hospitality at its best and worst.” He’d always been keen on wanting somewhere people could stay, like his place in Nashville that often served as a rotating door for musicians. In a similar vein, Joy’s curiosity about the service industry peaked at nineteen, when for the first time she stayed at a “true” bed and breakfast in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. There, her host made breakfast and even put chocolate chip cookies on her pillow. “I’ve never experienced anything like that,” she recalls. Since then, she had casually kept owning and running a B&B on the back burner. Though drawn to service, she didn’t quite believe the dream to be an attainable one, even though she had a Pinterest page brimming with aesthetics. “Instead, I got married. I had three kids. I stayed home and took care of my children for ten years,” she says. But when Joy and Clay reconnected, their shared enthusiasm for creating a space for entertainment and good cheer developed into what would eventually become Bayou Long Beard, an ode to Clay’s long, grey bristles and industry nickname “the bearded wonder.”

“The people on this stretch of the bayou are very much in love with the area and consider it the best kept secret in Monroe,” says Clay. His parents leased-to-own the property in 2000 when there was just a river-side house sans the B&B extension, which was added around 2004. “This place was built for my grandparents to finish out their years,” he says, adding “So when you think about it, this place that we’re in was built to take care of people.” Clay’s grandfather passed as he began to court Joy, so the once retirement place soon became their riverview love nest. Joy describes it as “hearts colliding” on the bayou. “We’re falling in love here and we’re talking about what to do with the space. We just put our heads together and went for it. We spent a lot of time on the water on the pontoon boat and canoe, and really just fell in love with this stretch of the bayou, which I had never seen,” says Joy.

Encouraged by Clay’s parents, Joy eagerly stepped into the managerial role of modernizing the home. Though they had been advised to skimp on sheets and towels because they get easily worn or ruined by guests, the couple were resolute about going above and beyond. “I want people to get in that bed and go ‘Oh my God. I love this bed’,” says Clay. In 2017, as he was in a hotel in Australia and racking his brain for someone that could take his grandparent’s place and turn it into a testament of Monroe, his thoughts turned to Libby Gifford, a friend he considered “trendy and cool,” and whose apartment interior he admired. “I wanted someone that gets Monroe,” he says. Unfortunately, Gifford had moved to Nashville, but revealed that she was sharing that rented space with Heather Land, a modern-day home and lifestyle maker. Perpetually up for a design challenge, Land was all in, asking the couple to clear the space so she could sit, feel, and get-in-touch with each room.

Inspired by the place’s ability to welcome natural light and some of the personal trinkets belonging to Clay’s grandparents, Land set about reconceptualizing. Construction projects ranged from the obvious removal of the popcorn ceiling to the more demanding addition of double doors at the entrance. Though the structure was kept the same, most of the home improvements were cosmetic and utilized Land’s ability to translate her personal aesthetic, which is “layered in texture, warmth, and welcome,” Land explains. In the kitchen, an exposed brick wall pairs with traditional cabinetry and minimalist wood shelves from Ouachita Antique Woods. The custom dining table boasts a wood top with antique sewing machine bases for the legs (an ingenious paring). Land also custom-made the living room’s coffee table, the bedroom’s pipe clothing rack, as well as the bed’s headboard (made from burlap coffee sacks). Overall, the style is vintage with mid-century modern accents, and earthy tones with hints of dark red and yellow.

The big reveal occurred in October 2017. Land covered the front doors, lit some incense, and put on some ambient tunes on the record player. As Joy and Clay walked up the ramp to their new endeavor, they had no idea, in spite of all the meticulous planning, what Land had arranged behind the curtain. “She touched all five senses, which is what we wanted,” says Joy, adding “Everything was amazing. It really was above and beyond our expectations.” The goal, a result of great communication and collaboration, was for the place to seem “as though it had been effortlessly layered over the years,” says Land. In this way, approachability was key and it takes form in the living room. Two large windows allow for natural light to flood the space and, thanks to the view, act as ever changing picture frames. The austere fireplace doesn’t take away from the view, which is why the television is reserved for a separate nook to the right wing of the apartment. Clay was particularly taken by the work desk in the bedroom. Land, resourceful and mindful, had not only handmade the desk, but also included the added detail of scattering some of his family photographs–Clay as a happy toddler in a bathtub, grandparents smiling on a couch, a graduation snapshot–on the table top, sealing it with a glass table cover. “It has been a great desk for people that are in town to work. We put a journal in there for guests to leave a note,” says Joy. As she details the notes of gratitude left over by guests, her voice breaks. “I think that’s my favorite,” she says emotionally.

Though Land did a lot of the heavy lifting, she credits Joy with making the place come to life. “She was the breath,” Land asserts. Clay seconds this, acknowledging that even if they didn’t get married his mother would still have asked Joy to run the B&B: “It makes Joy come alive.” Regardless of whether you are a guest or a guest of a guest, Joy and Clay don’t want you to have a typical Airbnb experience. They enjoy greeting every guest that comes in, wanting to personally show them around, taking time to hear their story. “We get giddy about trying to find out what people like when they come,” says Joy, disclosing that for a recent guest who is a Topo Chico aficionado, they filled two shelves of the fridge with the refreshing Mexican beverage. “We just want people to feel like we like to feel when we stay in an Airbnb or bed and breakfast,” emphasizes Joy. Clay has added his personal touches based on his favorite travel experiences. One that guests would be hard pressed to ignore are the Biltmore towels, compliments of Clay’s travels through Asheville, North Carolina–they are as soft as they are absorbent. And he just had to have them. He also insisted on the electric blinds so that you can effortlessly see the view of the garden and bayou from anywhere in the space.

Even then, Joy would still get questions like who comes to Monroe? Her short answer: “All kinds of people.” They have had an architect, with houses all over the coast, stay multiple times. He disclosed to the pair that Bayou Long Beard is the best place he has ever stayed. They’ve had people come in for Duck Dynasty, University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) related events, and even locals in dire need of a staycation that doesn’t feel like a staycation. Their reputation as Airbnb Superhosts is solid and they have had multiple bookings from the same travelers. One in particular, a ULM parent of a student athlete, has booked the guest house in advance for every home football game this year, which fills Clay with a lot of pride because not only are his parents alumni, but his grandparents met on the last day of the semester in their years at ULM. They currently have ULM volleyball athletes staying in the adjacent house as they wait for the completion of brand-new dorms. Additionally, when the vacation rental is unoccupied, current Miss Taste of the Twin Cities and ULM graduate student, Asja Jordan, takes residence as the in-house public relations representative.

“This is our baby. We created it, we birthed it, we watched it grow, and now it’s multiplying,” says Joy, hinting at future expansion of their B&B properties, which will take the name of Bayou Joy upon completion. Drawing from the requests they have gotten from prospective travelers, the pair wants to make sure they can offer spaces that cater to specific needs–family friendly, single occupancy, and small parties. Joy is particularly enthused about taking the design reigns and applying her vision to an aesthetic she admires: southwestern desert chic. “I’m so drawn to all of the things of the desert and the way that they incorporate the outdoors inside,” she says. They want people to walk into a space and feel like they’re not in Monroe, or whatever their impression of Monroe may be. Each of the pending properties is chock-full of possibilities, and Joy and Clay are open to discovering what Bayou Joy will encompass by the end of the year.

“Almost ninety percent of the people who have come here have become our friends to the point that they’ve asked us to stay at their place,” reveals Clay. When Hurricane Laura ravaged the Twin Cities, Joy received messages of concern and well wishes. “So, it’s more than just a place without a face,” Clay adds. Joy and Clay are ready to show you their personal brand of hospitality, which at times looks like sunset cruises on their pontoon boat and making breakfast in bed. From the get-go, Clay emphasized they are up for being ambassadors for the town, providing visitors their first taste of Monroe.

Follow Bayou Long Beard on Instagram and Facebook, and don’t wait to book your stay via Airbnb at this in-demand Monroe oasis.