David has been most responsive and helpful to my inquiries as an investor. He and his team take excellent care of my cabin and keep me updated on every situation. I highly recommend David as a manager of short-term rentals.”
Cabin owner & investor
Vacation Rental Management · Smoky Mountains
Your cabin,
Ascend is a cabin rental management firm serving the Smokies market. We bring a systems approach to improve the performance of your investment property across every aspect that drives results — so you get more bookings, more great reviews, and more revenue.
Occupancy above market, every year
Average guest rating across platforms
Onboarding fees to switch
Your property should be
profitable and passive.
If you’re like many owners we meet with, you’re here because you want to make a change. Maybe revenue is sliding and the calendar has gaps. Maybe your manager is slow to respond and short on ideas. Or you’re doing it all yourself and running out of hours. Maybe the upkeep is slipping into your reviews. However it shows up, your “passive income” is taking more and more of your energy.
We can help.
The Ascend System
Elevate your property.
There is no silver bullet to a high-performing vacation rental. Instead, you need a system.
Attractive presentation
Restaged interiors, professional photography, and well-written listings that make the right first impression.
Stellar guest experience
Hotel-grade linens, spotless turnovers by our in-house teams, and stays that earn five stars.
Client reviews
Every review is handled by a person — a tool to win your next guest, and a signal of what to improve next.
Effective & proactive maintenance
Quarterly preventative inspections that catch wear before it shows up in a review. Labor is free.
Numbers-based pricing
Market-matched pricing, actively managed across 30, 60, 90, 120, and 180-day windows. Data-driven, never set-and-forget.
Dynamic listing enhancement
Ongoing optimization across Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com — because staying visible is not a one-time project.
The Properties
A range of cabins across the Smokies.
From cozy one-bedroom retreats to large group lodges.
The Ascend Difference
Why work with Ascend.
We keep our portfolio small so every property gets real attention. Here’s how it works
Free onboarding — a $3,000 value
Some managers charge thousands to onboard your property. Switching to Ascend costs you nothing. We absorb all costs, so switching is easy.
Free in-person assessment
We personally walk every property before we bring it on. You’ll get practical feedback and ideas for how to improve your property’s performance.
Free quarterly maintenance
Our team walks every property four times a year. Labor is free — you pay materials only. Problems get fixed before a guest ever sees them.
Free smart locks & secure access
We purchase modern smart-locks for every property. No lockboxes, no lost keys, no midnight calls.
Free hotel-grade linen program
We supply and rotate premium linens on a regular schedule. Consistently inspected and replaced before guests ever notice wear.
Direct access to ownership
We’re selective about our clients. You talk to the owner — the person whose name is on the door — not just an account rep.
See The Difference
How Ascend compares.
| Traditional manager | Discount manager | Ascend | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onboarding | Fees to switch | Hidden fees | Free. We pay to bring your property on. |
| Pricing | Base rate + software defaults | Race to the bottom | Market-matched (up to 180 days) |
| Maintenance | Wait for a bad review | Wait for a complaint | Quarterly and preventative. Labor is free. |
| Reviews | Templated replies or AI | Ignored | Managed by a human to win the next guest |
| Who you talk to | Account manager | Call center | The owner |
Our goal is that every property we manage improves over time. If we can’t improve your performance, we’ll tell you.
Included For Every Guest
$1,000+ in free attraction tickets — every day of the stay.
Through our Xplorie partnership, your guests receive free tickets to the area’s top attractions — renewed every day of the stay, for a total value of over $1,000 a day. It gives your listing a real edge over the cabin next door, and it’s available to you as an owner whenever you stay at your own property.
Reviews across Airbnb, Vrbo & Google
Every quarter since 2021
Top-tier owner status, Vrbo
Occupancy above market, every year
How It Works
Three steps to profit and peace of mind.
The Elevation Assessment is free.
One call, one walkthrough, one plan.
Track Record
We’re cabin owners, too.
If you’re like many owners we meet with, you’re here because you want to make a change. Maybe revenue is sliding and the calendar has gaps. Maybe your manager is slow to respond and short on ideas. Or you’re doing it all yourself and running out of hours. Maybe the upkeep is slipping into your reviews. However it shows up, your “passive income” is taking more and more of your energy.
4,200+ Reviews | 4.9★ Avg. rating | Superhost Airbnb | Premier Host Vrbo
★★★★★
“David is the man to go to. We manage from 3,000 miles away — honest, trustworthy, and we highly recommend him.”
Van Tran · Cabin owner
Reviews
What owners and partners actually say.
Verified 5-star reviews on Google.
Best management company. Delivers great results, very professional.
Cabin owner
David and his team are wonderful to work with! Great communication, and they manage their properties with the utmost care — handling situations promptly and professionally. We’d absolutely recommend Ascend!
Vendor partner
Ascend is the best host in the Smoky Mountains! David is amazing with his response times to guests. It’s great to know the team cares so much about the guest experience — that level of service is hard to find.
Cabin owner
We’ve partnered with Ascend for over a year, and the experience has been nothing short of excellent. Professional, reliable, and they truly understand the fast pace of this industry. It’s rare to find a company that combines efficiency with genuine care for their partners.
Vendor partner
David is great to work with! He truly cares and is extremely thorough. We purchased a cabin remotely and he did a walkthrough with detailed descriptions, photos, and video. Being an owner who doesn’t live in the area, this helped us tremendously.
Cabin owner
Great property management company! Excellent attention to detail, and they’re doing a great job getting bookings. Highly recommend!
Cabin owner
David and his company are always willing to help us out! He is an honest man and very professional. Do not hesitate to reach out to him!”
Cabin owner
David is absolutely amazing to work with. Very hands-on, always making sure the properties are taken care of. Communication is quick and easy, and I trust him to make sure everything is set up properly. Highly recommend Ascend!
Vendor partner
We partner with Ascend, and it’s been smooth and professional from day one. David and his team communicate clearly, pay promptly, and treat vendors with respect. Organized, dependable, and genuinely invested in quality for owners and guests.
Vendor partner
Ascend is easy to work with, and David keeps up communication the way we wish ALL property managers would!
Vendor partner
David is the man!! Have used his services twice now. Always prompt, super detail-oriented, and friendly. I’ll never hesitate to call David if I need help at one of my Smokies properties — and neither should you!
Cabin owner
FAQ
The things owners ask us first.
Have a question of your own? Just reach out.
We manage vacation rental cabins across the Smoky Mountains — Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Sevierville, and Wears Valley.
No. In fact, we spend up to $3,000 to bring on every property — premium-quality linens, wifi-connected smart locks, professional photography and more, all at no charge to you.
Our clients tell us their properties are more profitable and require less of their time than ever. They also appreciate direct access to ownership, our boutique approach, our free quarterly maintenance program, and that we treat performance like a system, not a “cabin to manage.”
Our free, in-person evaluation of your property. A short call, then a walkthrough, then an honest assessment of where your cabin stands and what it would take to ascend. No obligation.
We schedule a quarterly inspection on every property we manage. We do not bill you for this time or the labor on required fixes — this ensures we find issues, not your guests.
We charge 20% of rent. We do not take commission on pass-through expenses such as taxes, cleaning, or damage protection. We’re not the cheapest manager in the Smokies, and we don’t try to be.
Our agreements are 12 months with a 45-day termination notice. No multi-year lock-in — we’d rather earn your business every year than trap you in it.
Through our Xplorie partnership, your guests receive free tickets to the area’s top attractions, renewed every day of the stay, for a total value of over $1,000 a day.
We offer co-hosting on a case-by-case basis, depending on fit, after we’ve completed an Elevation Assessment together. Reach out and we’ll talk through whether it makes sense.