Before The Buxton was a hotel, it was a feeling: a pink house in Oklahoma, supper around the table, peonies in the garden and evenings watching Hee Haw and Dallas, a feeling of being expected, included and cared for.
For Ashley Stiles, that feeling lived at her grandparents’ home in Hominy, outside Tulsa. Growing up in an oil-and-gas family meant moving often and rarely staying anywhere long enough to call it home. Nina Belle Buxton and James Caldwell Davis became her constant.
Their names now live at the property’s center. The Buxton Hotel honors Nina Belle, while The Caldwell carries James’ name, celebrating the people who taught Ashley what it means to be welcomed.
“Every time I went back there, I knew I would be well cared for,” Ashley says. “They were this grounding force in my life.”
On South College Avenue, Ashley has translated that love into a pink boutique hotel created to make visitors and locals feel like family.
And if Nina Belle could see it today? Ashley smiles. “She would say she was tickled pink.”
A Familiar Place, Reimagined
Ashley is founder and CEO of Tribe Development, a Fort Collins-based, female-founded and Native-owned real estate development firm. A member of the Chickasaw Nation, she built the company around a belief rooted in her heritage: community over the individual.
For nearly three decades, Ashley drove past the former Best Western without seeing its potential. Built in 1962, it had welcomed generations of families, CSU visitors and travelers.
That changed on a flight home from a Colorado State University board meeting. Inspired by a hotel pairing imaginative design with genuine hospitality, Ashley considered what Fort Collins was missing. Her mind returned to the College Avenue property, and she imagined its future.
Before landing, Ashley asked the owner to meet for coffee. They discussed the hotel’s history and Ashley’s vision for preserving rather than replacing it.
The owner recognized that Ashley saw a place worth reimagining. “I think you are the one to buy this from me,” she told her. Over the following year, they worked toward the purchase.
There Was No Way It Wasn’t Going to Be Pink
Dusty pink, jewel tones, playful patterns and leopard carpet replace the neutral palette common in modern hotels. The Buxton was destined for pink: Nina Belle’s house was “pink on pink on pink.”
“So much modern design has become neutral,” Ashley says. “We wanted The Buxton to feel different, to inspire people and spark joy.”
A mixed-media portrait Ashley created of Nina Belle hangs above the lobby fireplace. Every artwork either depicts a woman or was created by one, extending that celebration throughout the hotel.
A Little Honky-Tonk Glam
The family story continues at The Caldwell Bar, named for Ashley’s grandfather. A proud Chickasaw man, James was strong without being hard. He taught Ashley to fish, wrestle, love classic country and appreciate a good knee-slapper. Ashley once imagined giving his name to a son. “We didn’t have more kids, so we had a bar,” she jokes.
James did not drink, making a bar named for him all the more playful. Still, he would recognize himself in its rugged cowboy spirit and warmth. One visitor called the style “honky-tonk glam,” a description Ashley considered the highest compliment.
Southern-inspired dishes and family recipes carry Ashley’s childhood memories into the menu, while a partnership with The Mishawaka brings live music and curated evenings down the mountain. The result is a gathering place for hotel guests and the Fort Collins community.
Style You Can Feel
At The Buxton, style extends beyond what guests see. A sandalwood-forward signature scent, Italian linens and carefully selected mattresses make comfort part of the aesthetic. Its 69 rooms, all-season pool and recovery-focused wellness space carry that intention.
Locals are invited to experience it through coffee, dinner, live music, pool days, wellness or a staycation around a Rams game. The point is not merely to stay. It is to belong.
Ashley credits the team with bringing that belonging to life. A culture guide, not simply an employee handbook, defines how staff care for guests and one another. When someone goes above and beyond, teammates recognize it with what they call “the extra cookie.”
Three Generations, One Vision
The Buxton is ultimately a story of women creating across generations. Nina Belle inspired its heart, Ashley transformed that love into a place, and Ashley’s daughter, Alana Stiles, helps carry its story forward through marketing, brand management and social media.
“Getting to watch my daughter thrive in this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Ashley says. “We get to create this thing that pays tribute to our family and is something we can all be proud of.”
For Ashley, success will mean more than industry accolades. It will happen when The Buxton becomes the place where people meet friends, hear a favorite band, celebrate something meaningful or welcome someone they love to Fort Collins.
Nina Belle once created that feeling around her own table. Today, her granddaughter, Ashley Stiles, has made the table bigger, and painted the whole thing pink.
“There was no way it wasn’t going to be pink.” - Ashley Stiles