About Us

Ashley brings over 15 years of experience in lifestyle and boutique hospitality, with a career spanning development, operations, and global brand leadership at the world’s largest hotel company, and now as the founder of AEP Consulting. Having sat on all sides of the table, she brings a rare combination of strategic insight, cross-disciplinary thinking, and industry relationships to the earliest and most critical stages of hospitality development.

Ashley’s work is rooted in guiding ownership through the decisions that define a project. She partners with hotel owners and developers from the outset, shaping vision, refining concepts, and establishing the strategic direction before design and construction begin. Her ability to bridge creative thinking with disciplined development strategy allows her to translate early ideas into clear, executable hospitality concepts.

Her approach is both strategic and deeply hands-on. She works across concept development, market positioning, brand affiliation, and team assembly, ensuring every decision supports a cohesive and differentiated outcome. Acting as a trusted advisor to ownership, she ensures alignment among stakeholders and maintains continuity from early vision through execution.

The projects she helps shape are not only well-positioned but purposeful. They are designed to resonate within their markets, create lasting value for ownership, and stand apart in an increasingly competitive hospitality landscape.

A recognized voice in the industry, Ashley speaks at leading hospitality conferences and contributes to top trade publications. Based in Memphis and working nationally, she partners with developers and ownership groups looking to build thoughtful, distinctive hospitality projects.

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Rocky Waters Motor Inn

About
OPENED
June 2024
MARKET
Gatlinburg, Tennessee
PROJECT TYPE
Full Renovation Repositioning
CLIENT
Aatmos Hospitality
KEY COUNT
36
The Opportunity
THE OPPORTUNITY
Rocky Waters Motor Inn was more than a motel; it was a generational landmark on the Little Pigeon River. When ownership engaged AEP in 2021, the challenge was delicate: modernize a legacy asset without losing the “soul” that brought visitors back for decades. The goal was to pivot from a nostalgic roadside stay to a market-leading luxury destination.

Existing
Conditions

The Vision
To define a new category of “Mountain Luxury” for Gatlinburg. The team envisioned a retreat that felt unmistakably rooted in the Smokies — approachable and cozy — yet elevated through sophisticated design and high-touch service. Tactically, the vision was to establish the property as the clear market rate leader, driving ADR through exclusivity, distinctive culinary offerings, and a world-class guest experience.
*Inspiration Imagery
Our Role
Services
For a property this personal — one with decades of history woven in to its community — ownership needed more than a project manager. AEP served as a true strategic partner: the connective tissue between vision, execution, and the soul of what Rocky Waters was destined to be.
  • Conversion assessment and site planning
  • Proforma and feasibility analysis
  • Concept creation and market positioning
  • Team selection, contract negotiation, and onboarding (including interior design, procurement, branding, and art)
  • Owner representation and project oversight
  • Interior design and related consultant management
  • Anticipatory value engineering exercise
  • Budget and timeline accountability
  • Brand creation, including strategy, website development, and training, in partnership with The Saturday Crowd
  • Programming and operational planning
  • OS&E specificationInterior and exterior signage direction
  • Interior and exterior styling
Our Role
Services
For a property this personal — one with decades of history woven in to its community — ownership needed more than a project manager. AEP served as a true strategic partner: the connective tissue between vision, execution, and the soul of what Rocky Waters was destined to be.
  • Conversion assessment and site planning
  • Proforma and feasibility analysis
  • Concept creation and market positioning
  • Team selection, contract negotiation, and onboarding (including interior design, procurement, branding, and art)
  • Owner representation and project oversight
  • Interior design and related consultant management
  • Anticipatory value engineering exercise
  • Budget and timeline accountability
  • Brand creation, including strategy, website development, and training, in partnership with The Saturday Crowd
  • Programming and operational planning
  • OS&E specificationInterior and exterior signage direction
  • Interior and exterior styling
The Outcome
Since its 2024 reopening, Rocky Waters has redefined the Gatlinburg hospitality landscape. The transformation of a dated motel into a Michelin-recognized boutique destination, driving the highest ADR in the market by a significant margin. With its acclaimed restaurant, Heirloom Room, the property has secured its place as a premier Southeast destination and a proud member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World — attracting a higher-income guest who may have previously overlooked Gatlinburg entirely.
Accolades & Press
More Work