The Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce team had the amazing opportunity to tour the Buxton Hotel renovation last week.  The team at Tr!be, Ashley Stiles and Alana Stiles, was our host for a tremendous walk around and conversation.

Tr!be Founder and CEO Ashley shares this observation of the project:

“This project is more than a hotel to us. It is emblematic of where our founder comes from, it tells the story of feeling welcomed and a sense of belonging. We are developers with design roots, hospitality specifically. While this is the first hotel under the Tribe umbrella, it definitely won’t be our last!”

The full renovation and reimagining of the former Best Western University Inn into a vibrant, design-forward boutique hotel that celebrates the creative spirit and culture of Fort Collins has not been an easy task for our friends at Tr!be.  The project started with a challenging site, followed by many twists and turns through City processes and expectations – most of which came with added cost and delay.  And yet, the team persevered and kept clients on site through the renovation and is set to open all of the renovated hotel rooms for CSU Graduation weekend while continuing progress on The Caldwell—a signature bar inspired by Ashley’s grandfather’s love of classic Western flair. With a nod to the “Rhinestone Cowboy,” The Caldwell blends old-school country glam with modern edge, offering a lively atmosphere where mirrored finishes, leather, and honky-tonk charm meet craft cocktails and local flavor.

The Chamber has been a long-time advocate for comprehensive and creative change to policies, processes and expectations of our local City entitlement and building systems – so that creative community investors like Ashley can have success that then increases the vitality of our economic ecosystem.

We have been working with elected and appointed officials alike to share your stories, your experiences and your voice.  We will be joining, on your behalf, the Fort Collins City Council Ad Hoc Workshop on Wednesday.  Created by our City Council to address one of their key priorities:  Affordable & Sustainable Growth – Promote affordability and sustainable growth by making development predictable, efficient and cost-effective; this work could be the game changer that we have been calling for.

We invite you to follow-along the conversation here: https://ourcity.fcgov.com/city-council-committee-on-affordable-and-sustainable-growth and to continue to share your thoughts, experiences and recommendations for positive change.  We need your voice – drop me a line anytime you want to share!  Contact me at: [email protected].

I’ll be sharing added updates and insights in this space – I look forward to bringing good news!