Their First Date Was at Ralph Lauren. Years Later, They Built a Hotel Inspired by the Iconic Brand
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It would be easy to assume Hotel Burg has occupied its corner of downtown Leesburg, Virginia, for generations. The Colonial facade looks as though it has always belonged on historic King Street, while inside, antique furniture, eclectic artwork, and shelves of design books suggest the collected comforts of a home assembled slowly over decades.
"When people walk by," says co-owner Remington Ash, "they'll often comment, 'I never realized these buildings were here. When did you renovate them?'"
Then comes the surprise: Construction of this 39-room boutique hotel was completed in 2025, and it celebrated its first anniversary last month.
As I discovered when I stayed at Hotel Burg for three nights in June, creating something new that feels timeless was the guiding philosophy behind the project—a labor of love for its owners, Kevin and Remington Ash. Here's how they turned their passions—and personal style—into a one-of-a-kind retreat in the heart of Virginia's Hunt and Wine Country.
Hotel Burg owners Kevin and Remington Ash.Courtesy of Abby Jiu Photography
Looking Back: The Hotel's Story
For the Ashes, Hotel Burg is more than just a business venture; it's an extension of a life they've built together. The couple met in Leesburg, but their first date—at the Ralph Lauren mansion in Manhattan —hinted at the aesthetic sensibility they would later share.
Bonding over a mutual love of architecture, travel, and classic design, they spent years cultivating those influences in their own home before translating them into the hotel, which their children jokingly describe as "a bigger version of our house."
"We've been very intimately involved in all the different details of the hotel," Remington says. "We just wanted to create a place where we wanted to hang out."
The facade of Hotel Burg includes an original Colonial house, flanked by a newly built Federal-style building and a porte cochère with Italianate details.Kate Thompson
Looking Around: The Hotel's Architecture
The idea began with a property that Kevin, a longtime builder and developer via his company Madison Dale , had always thought would make a great hotel. The site included a Colonial house that had previously served as an AT&T switching station and later offices, along with an eyesore addition that had little relationship to Leesburg's historic streetscape.
Rather than simply restore what remained, the Ashes used the original house as the starting point for a larger architectural composition. Today, the property brings together three styles prevalent in historic Leesburg: the original Colonial house, a newly constructed Federal-style building, and a porte cochère with Italianate details.
Though passersby often assume the entire complex is historic, it was actually shaped by Kevin over several years. "I tell people that one day, when I grow up, I'll be an architect," he jokes. An avid drawer who began his career as a carpenter, Kevin filled sketchbook after sketchbook with floor plans, elevations, stair details, and other ideas before working with Michael Graves Architecture to translate them into architectural plans.
"Most everything that's here, I drew by hand," he says. "I'm probably on sketchbook number five or six now."
The lobby and reception desk at Hotel Burg.Courtesy of Hotel Burg
Looking In: The Hotel's Spaces
The Interiors
Rather than ordering a hotel's worth of identical furnishings, the Ashes approached Hotel Burg much as they had their own home: collecting things they loved and trusting they would eventually find their place.
Remington laughingly calls herself "the Facebook Marketplace queen," and the couple scoured estate sales, the inventory at Bucks County Estate Traders , and local antiques shops like Middleburg Antique Gallery .
Antique furniture, rugs, artwork, and even pieces of taxidermy mingle with custom furnishings created with Woodbridge Furniture and Taylor King . (Woodbridge liked Kevin's vanity design so much that it now sells it on its website.) Kohler supplied the plumbing fixtures while lighting by Visual Comfort illuminates the richly textured interiors.
Nearly 450 works of art appear throughout the property, roughly a third of which the Ashes sourced themselves. (Many of the pieces are by artists from the region and can be purchased on the hotel's site.) The couple also collaborated with local design firm wldwst , which helped coordinate many of the finishes and textures—including the fabrics, wallcoverings, and paint colors—for the hotel.
The bedroom looking into the living room of the Sugar Maple Suite.Kate Thompson
The Rooms
Hotel Burg's guest rooms continue that collected sensibility. Rather than feeling stamped from a standard floor plan, their slight variations are part of the appeal: Unique artwork, differently scaled furnishings, and architectural quirks give each the character of a bedroom in a private home.
The hotel includes eight suites named for trees native to Virginia, including the Dogwood and Sugar Maple. During my visit, a friend stayed in the Dogwood, and with its spacious layout—including two fireplaces and a palatial bathroom with a clawfoot soaking tub—the effect was a romantic Cotswolds cottage within a hotel.
The bathroom of the Dogwood Suite features a clawfoot tub and separate shower, as well as a dressing table, chaise, and fireplace.Kate Thompson
While the larger suites incorporate separate living spaces, I was pleasantly surprised to find that even my Classic King Room felt deluxe. The layout was spacious, and I loved the spa-like, black-and-white bathroom—but the best part was the little details that gave the room personality.
For starters, a perfectly curated selection of books— Ralph Lauren: In His Own Words , Garden Secrets of Bunny Mellon , and local designer Lauren Liess's Feels Like Home —beckoned me to curl up in an armchair instead of reaching for my phone.
Water carafes and a thoughtful curation of books contribute to the guestroom ambience.Courtesy of Hotel Burg
Adding to the sense of place, many of the in-room snacks, wines, and spirits are made in Virginia. In the bathroom, Orange & Bergamot bath products by Molton Brown were selected for an even more personal reason: The fragrance was a favorite of Remington's mother when she was growing up.
Even something as simple as water was considered. Rather than stocking rooms with single-use plastic bottles, the Ashes chose glass carafes—one of my favorite details—that can be refilled throughout the day and at turndown. It's a small gesture that helps make a stay at Hotel Burg feel more like spending a night in the guest room of an exceptionally thoughtful friend.
Diana Lounge serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a relaxed setting.Courtesy of Hotel Burg
The Restaurants and Bars
The same attention to detail extends to the hotel's gathering spaces. Its signature restaurant, The Huntōn , takes its name from an Old English word for "the hunt," but the Ashes interpret the idea broadly. "Whether you're hunting for connection, hunting for your food, or hunting for inspiration," Remington says, the theme provides a narrative thread through the property.
Chef Vincent Badiee brings experience from Michelin-starred kitchens to an elevated menu of locally sourced ingredients—including wild game and foraged herbs—served amid a handsome interior accented by monogrammed floral chargers. The hushpuppies with honey butter are a local favorite, and I especially loved the Huntōn Martini Service, which includes a martini, a sidecar on ice, and a bowl of pickled garnishes, all brought to the table on a small wooden tray.
Fireside dining at The Huntōn.Kate Thompson
Nearby, the soaring Diana Lounge occupies the property's original historic structure. Kevin removed its second floor to create the room's dramatic volume, while its name references Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt.
"The lounge is dedicated to strong women," Kevin explains. In addition to a statue of the goddess herself, "we also have five lithographs of indigenous women who represented their different tribes, all from this region, at treaty," Kevin says.
"We wanted to honor those that were here before us," Remington adds. "We're very intentional in everything we do—everything is thought out."
Travel added another layer to the hotel's dining spaces. The courtyard at Huntōn takes inspiration from Ralph Lauren's Paris flagship, while a seasonal rooftop restaurant takes its cue from The Principal Madrid , where Kevin admired how wood floors, fountains, trees, and greenery created an unexpectedly serene retreat in the center of the city.
Yet the Ashes weren't interested in recreating Europe in Virginia. Instead, those references are filtered through the architecture, equestrian traditions, and natural landscape of Hunt Country.
The library at Hotel Burg.Kate Thompson
The Chase Club
Hotel Burg was originally planned with 50 guest rooms. When the Ashes received approval for only 40, an unexpected opportunity emerged: What should they do with the remaining space?
Their answer became the Chase Club , a private social club conceived as an alternative to the traditional country clubs that dominate the region. Rather than centering the experience around golf, the Ashes wanted to create a place where people from different professions and backgrounds could meet, work, eat, drink, and participate in experiences together. Member programming ranges from networking events to pasta-making classes and outings to the Virginia Gold Cup steeplechase races.
Membership also includes access to exclusive spaces in the hotel. For club members and hotel guests who purchase day passes, the second-floor Business Commons functions as a sophisticated coworking space—complete with conference rooms and a wood-paneled library for quiet reading.
Tucked away downstairs, a moody speakeasy offers another place to retreat. Inspired in part by research trips the couple took to private clubs in New York, the intimate space features private booths, wine lockers, and a humidor, while dark colors, low lighting, and layered rugs complete the cozy vibe.
Looking Ahead: What's Next
The Ashes aren't finished with Hunt Country. In nearby Middleburg, they are developing another Chase Club location with two restaurants and a speakeasy, while farther south in Warrenton, they are returning an 1875 building to its original purpose as a boutique hotel. A historic former bank across the street will become its restaurant and club complex—complete with a private room behind an old bank-vault door.
In addition, the couple also runs The Manor 1858 , a farm that can be rented for weddings and retreats, and has begun work on Knightsbridge Estates , a new community of artfully designed luxury residences that, like Hotel Burg, were inspired by the way they live in their own home.
For Kevin, new ideas still tend to begin the same way: with pencil and paper, sometimes while sitting on an airplane or in a hotel lounge halfway around the world. For Remington, the next great discovery might be waiting in a gallery or antiques shop—or sometimes, even on Facebook Marketplace.
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