What type of flooring did Cavalieri Flooring install at Vista Cay Resort?

We installed a light gray wood-look luxury vinyl plank (LVP) in the resort condo units using a floating click-lock installation. The hallways received commercial-grade porcelain tile rated for heavy commercial traffic, precision-cut at every doorway and elevator landing across all four stories.

Why is LVP a good choice for vacation rental properties in Florida?

LVP is ideal for vacation rentals because it is 100% waterproof, highly resistant to scratches and dents from guest use, easy to sanitize between stays, and looks premium in listing photos — which directly affects booking rates and ratings. It also performs exceptionally well in Florida's humid climate without warping or swelling.

Why was porcelain tile used in the Vista Cay hallways?

Porcelain tile was selected for the Vista Cay hallways because it can handle heavy luggage, housekeeping carts, and constant commercial traffic while providing strong moisture resistance and long-term durability. It was the right fit for common areas that needed to stay serviceable and presentable through continuous resort use.

Can Cavalieri Flooring handle commercial resort or multi-unit projects in Orlando?

Yes. We regularly work on resort renovations, vacation rental communities, multifamily housing, and commercial properties throughout Central Florida. Our team is experienced in coordinating multi-unit schedules and meeting HOA or property management requirements.

Vista Cay Resort Flooring Renovation

Vista Cay Resort vacation rental condo with new light gray LVP flooring — Orlando, FL

Vista Cay living and dining LVP installation

Vista Cay Resort commercial porcelain tile hallway installation

Project Overview

Vista Cay Resort is a busy vacation rental community right by Disney, Universal, and the Convention Center. The units see non-stop turnover — guests rolling in with heavy luggage, coolers, strollers, and kids. The old carpet and laminate was getting wrecked. Stains, wear patches, the works. Property managers were catching it in reviews.

The property manager called us and said they needed something that could take a beating, still look clean in listing photos, and not turn into a maintenance headache every few months. We quoted the job, ordered materials, and got to work.

Cavalieri Flooring completed two major flooring scopes at Vista Cay Resort: luxury vinyl plank installations throughout 42 vacation-rental condo units and a separate 7,416-square-foot porcelain tile installation across four stories of common-area hallways.

Each hallway level measured approximately 1,854 square feet, for a combined hallway tile scope of 7,416 square feet. The condo units received light-gray LVP with a floating click-lock installation, while the hallways received commercial-grade porcelain tile with precision cuts at unit doorways and elevators.

The Challenge: 42 Units + 4 Stories of Hallways

Vacation rental units get destroyed fast. One unit at Vista Cay sees 40–80 guest groups per year. Every group drags luggage across the floor, spills drinks, tracks in pool water, and drops sunscreen bottles. The cleaning crew hits it with industrial chemicals between every stay. Carpet soaks it up and stains. Laminate swells at the edges and chips. Within a year it looks tired. Within two it looks ruined.

The hallways were a whole different animal. Four stories of corridor connecting 42 units, plus elevator landings and stairwell access. Every guest rolls a suitcase through. Housekeeping pushes carts through all day. Maintenance runs equipment. The old hallway flooring was getting chewed up and the property manager knew it would not survive another rental season.

The constraint was the timeline. The four-story hallway phase—from ordering materials through final completion—was required within 45 days. No option to push back — the property had peak booking season coming and every day of downtime meant lost revenue. We had to hit the schedule or the hallway scope was off.

Vista Cay hallway before — worn old flooring in high-traffic corridor

Before — Hallway Wear

Vista Cay hallway after — new porcelain tile installed with precision at doorways

After — Porcelain Tile Hallways

Our Approach: Two Different Products for Two Different Jobs

We split this into two material choices because the units and the hallways face completely different abuse.

Condo units — Light gray LVP, floating click-lock. We picked a light gray wood-look plank because it photographs clean and bright for Airbnb and VRBO listings. That matters — better listing photos equal more bookings. The floating method meant we could knock out a unit in a day or two and move to the next. If a plank gets damaged later, we can swap just that piece without tearing up the whole room.

Hallways — Commercial-grade porcelain tile installed with a professional mortar system. Hallways needed something that could take a suitcase wheel all day, every day. We ran porcelain tile rated for heavy commercial traffic across all four stories. Each level is 1,854 square feet of tile, precision-cut at every doorway to the units and at every elevator threshold. No lippage, no gaps, no uneven joints — every cut was measured and dry-fit before the mortar was applied.

The porcelain tile was installed over the prepared slab using the appropriate commercial-grade mortar system. We checked flatness on every level before we started. Any high spots got ground down, low spots filled. That prep is what makes the difference between a floor that lasts five years and one that starts cracking at the grout lines in year two.

Vista Cay condo unit before LVP installation

Before — Condo Unit

Vista Cay bedroom and bathroom area after new LVP flooring

After — kitchen and living room

Results: Two Scopes Delivered for Resort Use

The four-story hallway phase—from ordering materials through final completion—was delivered within the required 45-day timeline. The hallway tile was cure-tested and signed off floor by floor so the property could open corridors as soon as each level was done rather than waiting for the whole building.

The property manager told us the guest feedback shifted almost immediately. Cleaner reviews. Fewer complaints about the look of the unit. The light gray LVP photographs bright in listing photos — one owner said their booking rate bumped up after updating their photos post-install. That is the kind of return that pays for the floor in a single rental season.

Maintenance got simpler too. No more carpet extraction. No more laminate edge swelling from pool water. The housekeeping crew hits the LVP with a damp mop and moves to the next unit. The porcelain hallways get mopped nightly and still look brand new months later.

7,416 sq ft of porcelain tile across four hallway levels
42 condo units completed with floating LVP
4 stories of commercial porcelain tile hallways (1,854 sq ft per level)
45-day hallway phase from material order to final walkthrough
Precision tile cuts at every unit doorway and elevator landing
Zero guest displacement — phased scheduling kept units rentable

★★★★★

"I'm a property manager in Orlando and use Gustavo's crew for all my vinyl plank remodels! He buys great product at an even better price."

Daniel Waldron Local Guide · 138 reviews · 98 photos

Review from Google · 4 years ago

What This Job Taught Us

Every big multi-unit job teaches you something. On Vista Cay, the lesson was simple: schedule discipline beats everything. We had four stories of hallway tile and a strict 45-day deadline for that phase. One delayed material delivery, one missed floor prep step, one crew showing up late — any of those blows the deadline. We built the schedule backwards from day 45, padded each phase with a buffer, and kept a standby crew ready if a unit needed rework.

The other lesson: hallways are not afterthoughts. In a resort, the hallway is the first thing guests see when they step off the elevator. It sets the tone. We treated those 4 stories of tile with the same precision we would bring to a high-end residential install — because to the guest walking down that corridor, there is no difference.

If you manage a vacation rental, resort, or multi-unit property in Orlando and your flooring is costing you reviews or maintenance hours, get a free estimate. We will walk the property, measure every space, and give you a real number — not a guess.