Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron And Jessica Dennington.
Hi Aaron and Jessica, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Jessica and I honeymooned in Fredericksburg way back when, and then for many years, we returned for our anniversaries to stay in various bed and breakfasts all over town. Many of those visits gave us the itch to one day run our own bed and breakfast because we enjoyed the celebration that always surrounded that stay in Fredericksburg and the relationship with our hosts so much that we wanted to be able to offer that experience to others. So, in late 2019, we decided that dreams can’t wait for the perfect circumstances, so we refinanced our house and put our chips on the table as we started looking for an opportunity to run our own bed and breakfast, and the obvious choice for us, with its proximity to our home in Round Rock, the fertile and growing hospitality industry, and our personal history with the town, was Fredericksburg. In early 2020, we found the perfect spot just on the edge of town, near enough for our guests to be less than a mile from Main Street, but far enough to offer the peace of open spaces overlooking a wet-weather reservoir. In need of some TLC, it was such a hidden beauty and held so much potential, we couldn’t believe our luck in finding the property. Being just outside of the city limits also allowed us to have more freedom in the design and remodel of our guest houses as we were able to avoid all of the restrictions and ordinances that hamstring so many of the rental units in-town. Our family of five began our renovations just as Covid struck, and we found the isolation working to our advantage as we could work remotely and live in the house we were renovating. We tackled the barn-turned-guest-house first, pouring our passion and creativity into the cozy and versatile unit, Glowing Embers, which we opened in August of 2020. Then we moved our focus to the main house, which we eventually named, The Rockwood. Originally built in 1895, we wanted to maintain and even highlight the historical nature of the house while adding our sparkle to each room, giving our guests an Instagram-worthy photo in every space they would enter. Since the Round Rock schools were working with their students exclusively remotely while the Fredericksburg schools were continuing in-person, mask-mandated attendance, we transferred our two daughters to the Fredericksburg Middle and High School, while keeping our son in his Round Rock school to continue the more custom curriculum that didn’t easily transfer to Fredericksburg. Sleeping in sawdust, with an air compressor waking us up at night a few times a week, and working every evening and weekend around our day-jobs, we finally finished the renovation to The Rockwood, opening it to guests in May of 2021. Invigorated by our initial dream becoming a reality, a few months later, we developed plans and started the process of building our own, custom one-of-a-kind guest houses, inspired by fairytales and castles we had previously only imagined. We could write a book of the story of that construction adventure, filled with ideas, problem-solving, creative creations, learning experiences, contractor collaborations, and further family projects. In the end, we were able to open up Tower Charmant in April of 2024 and, finally, The Storybook in April of 2025. The newest units were as well-received as the first two, receiving glowing remarks from one guest to the next. We’re so proud to now be able to share them with our guests, providing them with the same magical experiences that initially sparked our fire during our own early trips to Fredericksburg.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s a very difficult question to answer, because struggles on the path of building a dream, whether that be an actual building like ours or chasing some other passion or form of success, so often take the shape of a villain in opposition to the hero. And we all see ourselves as the hero in our story, so everyone or everything that opposed you would naturally be the villain, while seeing themselves as the hero. But each of us is trying our best to succeed in each of our stories, and from our perspective, it so often felt like the success of others came at our expense. All of this points to higher powers fighting for or against us. So our struggle was not against flesh and blood but against the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. We felt we were fighting the spiritual forces of evil so many times, whether they took the form of a person, an entity, an unfortunate mishap, a financial challenge, or any number of other opposing forces that darkened our path from the beginning and even up until now. But we did have a great spiritual force on our side bringing light to the darkness, and because of Him, we are still here and working to bring that same light to others in any way we can.
As you know, we’re big fans of Rockwood Waters. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Our mission statement is, “To provide each guest with a unique, memorable, and cared-for experience where they are impressed by our responsiveness and receive value beyond what they paid, exceeding their expectations.” This starts from the ground up, with each and every design decision in our houses keeping our guests and future guests in mind – what will make this room memorable, this feature special, this amenity helpful or unique? So everywhere you look in any of our houses has an element that has been deliberated and often custom-designed and built with the guest’s experience or impression in mind. We brought in an Antique Coke Machine to Glowing Embers, a custom 17,000-game Arcade Machine to The Rockwood, a dual-EV charger and a hot tub for all units on the site, a circular tower with a turret and balcony for Tower Charmant, and, in The Storybook, a delightful open wet room shower and restroom hidden behind an armoire that allows guests to discover it like they are in “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe”. A dock on the wet-weather reservoir, a reading nook, a circle fireplace, custom, hand-built vanities everywhere, special bathtubs, rain-head showers, unique light fixtures wherever you look, handmade tables, a floating stairway in one unit and a wood-inlayed staircase in another, and custom-built beds in each house to offer something that our guests would not be able to experience at home. Without the funds to purchase these or hire them to be done, we spent countless hours in the woodshop or market-hunting to build or procure each item ourselves, all to present that special experience to our guests and “exceed their expectations.” And then we follow that up with an approach to hospitality that puts our guests’ enjoyment as our top priority, emphasizing throughout our team the importance of responsiveness, which begins with answering every phone call, text, or message immediately or as soon as possible, and then taking action to resolve any questions or issues as quickly and completely as we can. Providing a supreme guest experience is not just a slogan or company-speak with us – it’s, indeed, our highest priority.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Boom lifts are expensive. Another important lesson learned: Accomplishing or building something great requires sacrifice, understanding, communication, compromise, and dedication towards a common goal from everyone involved. No one can do this alone, and when you work with a team, it’s vital to consider everyone’s needs, desires, opinions, and input or else you’ll find yourself walking a lonely road, ultimately unable to reach your destination.
Pricing:
- All pricing is dynamic, depending on weekend/weekday, time of year, special events, occupancy of units in the area, etc. and usually require a 2-night minimum stay.
- Glowing Embers: $85 to $450 per night plus cleaning of $125 per stay
- The Rockwood: $125-$425 per night plus cleaning of $150 per stay
- Tower Charmant: $115-$435 per night plus cleaning of $130 per stay
- The Storybook: $115-$425 per night plus cleaning of $130 per stay
Contact Info:
- Website: https://RockwoodWaters.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rockwood_waters
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1729szDygi/?mibextid=wwXIfr
