Connie Russell, General Manager of Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine, started in hospitality doing landscaping at his father’s motel, cooked under a Swiss chef in Western Maine, and worked his way up through a dozen Ocean Properties locations before landing at a 230-acre waterfront resort in 1999 that dated back to 1889 and needed a full refresh. He has been there ever since — through two economic recessions, a pandemic, and a month in 2023 when he lost three members of his team in thirty days while a conference of four thousand was three weeks away.
✨ Key Insights You’ll Learn:
Growing up as a second-generation hotelier, doing landscaping and maintenance and housekeeping at his father’s motel
Cooking under a Swiss chef at a seasonal resort in Western Maine and later at the Asticou Inn on Mount Desert Island
What founder Tom Walsh showed him about a dirty outlet plate and why it still shapes how Connie runs the property
Arriving at Samoset in 1999 and immediately leading a full renovation of 178 rooms, corridors, and 20,000 square feet of meeting space
The lobby floor made of 5,000 cross-cut sections of recycled granary beams — and why it will never be touched
What makes the golf course the Pebble Beach of the East and why it earns that comparison
How Samoset manages 72 timeshare units, 178 hotel keys, four cottages, and a full conference business simultaneously
Losing three team members in one month while preparing for a four-thousand-person trade show
How Samoset builds loyalty with 16-year-old local hires and develops them into career hospitality professionals
The interview question Connie uses to find out whether someone is worth hiring before he calls a single reference
🌟 Connie’s Key Mentors:
His Father: A motel operator who put Connie to work in landscaping, maintenance, and housekeeping before he was ever old enough to fully appreciate what he was learning
Tom Walsh (Founder, Ocean Properties): Walked Connie through the hotel every morning and taught him what the responsibility of an innkeeper actually looks like at the most granular level
The Swiss Chef at the Western Maine Resort: Taught Connie how to cook at a professional level and gave him an early appreciation for standards imported from somewhere else
The Walsh Family Sons: Gave Connie the autonomy to lead without micromanaging and created the culture of trust that has kept him at Samoset for over a quarter century
👉 Don’t miss this conversation about what it means to put your career into one place for twenty-seven years and watch it become something extraordinary, why the hardest month of Connie’s career had nothing to do with money or strategy, and what a dirty outlet plate taught a young hotel manager about everything that matters.
Listen to the full episode here
Transcript
Anthony Codispoti (00:00)
Welcome to another edition of the Inspired Stories Podcast, where leaders share their experiences so we can learn from their successes and be inspired by how they've overcome adversity. As you listen today, let one idea shape what you do next. My name is Anthony Cotus Bodi, and today's guest has spent over 25 years running the same resort, a place whose history stretches back to 1889 and sits on 230 waterfront acres of
Along the Maine coast. He arrived in nineteen ninety-nine when a family owned hotel company acquired the property, and he's been the steady hand behind its transformation ever since. Along the way, he was named Innkeeper of the Year by the Maine Innkeepers Association and Community Person of the Year by the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce. His name is Connie Russell, and he's the general manager of Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine.
Part of the Opal Collection managed by Ocean Properties. Under his leadership, the resort has earned Condi Nass Travelers Top Resort in New England, a gold badge from U.S. News World Report, and a multiple Best Resort in Maine Awards from Downeast magazine. This is a conversation about what it means to put your career into one place and watch it become something extraordinary. But before we get into all that good stuff.
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Get your free consultation today at adbackbenefits dot com. Now, back to our guest, the general manager of Samoset Resort, Connie Russell. Thanks for making the time to share your story today.
Connie Russell (02:35)
Pleasure.
Anthony Codispoti (02:37)
So, Connie, you studied resource economics at the University of Maine. Maybe not the most obvious path into running a luxury resort. How did you get from there into hospitality in the first place?
Connie Russell (02:49)
Certainly. I'm truly a second generation hotelier. I started at my dad's motel in my hometown in junior high. I started by doing landscaping for a summer, then went to maintenance.
Did some housekeeping. So three summers later, I also worked at the local pizza place and learned how to cook. I went on to work at a seasonal resort in Western Maine, which was run by a Swiss family, and they brought over a Swiss chef for the summer. So I got to learn a lot from that individual. I went on to work at the Astakuin, which is an iconic historic hotel.
in Northeast Harbor, Maine on Mount Dessert Island. I cooked there for three years and then after I graduated I started with Ocean Properties at the front desk at our Regency Hotel in nineteen eighty seven. Bar Harbor. It was in Bar Harbor.
Anthony Codispoti (03:50)
Where was that? What look what city? In Bar.
Okay. And how did that opportunity come about? Just saw the job posting and you applied?
Connie Russell (03:58)
No, I actually just applied. I knew the family that operated it, the Walsh family. so I was interviewed and I started right after I graduated from the University of Maine.
Anthony Codispoti (04:12)
So tell us about the Ocean Properties umbrella. What is this company what what's under it?
Connie Russell (04:17)
Sure, it's a family run cop company. It was founded by Thomas T. Walsh.
Who is no longer with us, but his four sons continue to own and operate it today. And they created the Opal Collection just over 10 years ago to promote our independent hotels. We also have a lot of franchised hotels in our portfolio, including Marriott's. But it's a privately run, family-operated company based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Delray Beach, Florida.
Anthony Codispoti (04:50)
And clearly you have enjoyed working with the family because you've stayed with them for so long across multiple properties. What is it that you love about the atmosphere that they
Connie Russell (05:01)
I think that they, you know, it they allow you to manage. they're not micromanagers, they have the confidence in you. this is the 14th hotel that I've I've had a a part in over my career. And it's just nice because they're there for support, but they're also very much a hands-on company where they started all of them in the business. They're not really all about walking around with suits. they'll jump in and help out.
wherever and whenever needed and that's what I like about our culture. It's a family culture, but we are definitely hands-on.
Anthony Codispoti (05:42)
So, in my experience, Connie, and tell me if this rings true for you, a lot of the powerful business lessons that we learn come from one of two places. One, really powerful mentor, two, really challenging work experience. I wonder if maybe we can first highlight a really powerful mentor who's been instructive to you in the way that you carry yourself in your
Connie Russell (06:07)
Sure, that's an easy question for me because when I first started at the Regency Hotel that I previously mentioned, the owner was there who he lived behind the hotel, Tom Walsh, and he would meet me every day and we'd go for a walk and he would just show me his wisdom. He would share his wisdom about how to operate hotels and the importance of attention to detail and customer service. So I was
fortunate to really learn from the best
Anthony Codispoti (06:40)
You learn from the guy.
Connie Russell (06:41)
correct
Anthony Codispoti (06:42)
Can you remember one specific lesson, maybe a little anecdote, something that he taught you that you carry with you today?
Connie Russell (06:51)
Well, I I do it goes back to him bringing me into a hotel room to show me around the outlet where the plug goes in, there was a little dirt around that surround the perimeter of where you plug in, you know, an appliance or a hairdryer. And he said that is the responsibility of the innkeeper. And that's how intense he was with attention to detail.
Anthony Codispoti (07:19)
So what I love about that is it wasn't just him saying you need to pay a lot of close attention to the details. It's picking out one very specific detail. And I'm sure that wasn't the only one that he highlighted for you, but it stuck with you so much to this day because I I have to guess in the moment you were kind of like, my gosh, that's such a small, tiny thing. But now I understand the standard that's expected of.
Connie Russell (07:44)
Correct. Yeah, high standards, but jumping in and recognizing it through inspections and taking immediate corrective action versus, you know, standing at the top and leading through sort of direction. This is by leading by example.
Anthony Codispoti (08:02)
Hmm. Okay, so let's do the other one, the other really powerful teacher, which can be really challenging work experiences. You think about one from your
career, man was it tough, didn't know what to do in the moment, but now that you look back on that experience, it shaped you, it taught you something really important.
Connie Russell (08:23)
I would have to say either the recession in two thousand eight or COVID were both very tough times when you know we had to lay off some very important people.
laying off family is hard. You know, you work with you eventually grow with your teammates and they become family. So we had to make some tough decisions, but those were the right decisions. And we just did our best to get through it. and eventually could hire some of those folks back. But there were definitely two separate occasions. Cove I mean the recession happened so quickly, it was December, I think.
think of 2007, whereas COVID hit on St. Patrick's Day here in March and our governor didn't reopen the state for lodging until June. So during that time period it was kind of chaotic really.
because we were doing things that we didn't know what we're supposed to do and without any experience and then the whole masking and social distancing, it was pretty unique.
Anthony Codispoti (09:38)
So very trying time, unique circumstances. Was there anything that you took from that COVID experience that altered or shaped how you conducted business going forward post COVID times?
Connie Russell (09:54)
Well, I think it's the the touch points of guest touch points and social distancing that brought out okay, maybe we should do those things differently with regards to like having access to a buffet, just making things more hygiene related and so guests feel safe and secure when they're traveling.
Anthony Codispoti (10:20)
In nineteen ninety nine, Ocean Properties acquired Semiset Resort and you came in as general
manager. What do you remember about your first day there?
Connie Russell (10:30)
I was really excited because this was certainly the gem of all ho hotels in Maine. It's so famous. It was originally built in 1889, so I felt very fortunate.
but at the same time I knew I had adopted a property that needed to be refreshed. So it was good timing to know that okay, we're gonna bring it forward to the next generation and refresh all 178 rooms and our meeting space.
Anthony Codispoti (11:06)
And so you had a bit of a project in front of you when you walked in.
Connie Russell (11:11)
I did, but in a good way, because I knew in the end it's it was going to be best for everyone, including our repeat guests.
Anthony Codispoti (11:20)
And so what you're going in, you're remodeling the entranceway, all of the hotel rooms. Tell tell us what the project entails.
Connie Russell (11:27)
Yeah,
it was actually the exterior of the resort, the curb appeal, the parking lots, some some parts of the golf course, all of the guest rooms, corridors, and then the 20,000 square feet of meeting space. we do a lot of conferences at the resort.
Anthony Codispoti (11:46)
So for folks who haven't been to Rockport, Maine, paint us a picture of what it looks like today, the Samuset Resort. What makes this property different from other luxury resorts in New England?
Connie Russell (11:57)
Well I think we're
very much modernized. Our staff is very family friendly. Our the culture here it's not it's not stiff. It's very our team is very approachable and we sit on the water with an 18-hole golf course with lots of holes on the course plenty for plenty of activities for families to do. I would say we have the nicest outdoor pool in New England. It's a zero entry
pool and the view is panoramic of our historic breakwater in Penobscot Bay. There's lots of things to do for families and kids, tennis, pickleball, basketball, shuffleboard, chess, disc golf, you name it, we have it.
Anthony Codispoti (12:49)
And you mentioned the the golf course, which as I understand it, it's called the Pebble Beach of the East, which is a pretty big comparison to the storied links in Monterey, California. What what is it specifically about the course that has earned it this reputation?
Connie Russell (13:04)
Because so many holes are actually on the water, they border the water and not too many places exist like that in the US anymore. Guests call that the pebble beach of the east because they can relate to California when they're played out there, and there are some similarities, but the big part is we have holes along the actual ocean. There's just rocks that separate the hole from the ocean.
Anthony Codispoti (13:33)
Any big tournaments that are played there?
Connie Russell (13:37)
Not really. the main amateur golf championship was held here that's that rotates to a different course every year. we did have a New England women's championship, I believe two years ago, but nothing on the national level.
Anthony Codispoti (13:53)
So you've been at the helm for over twenty five years now, which is practically unheard of in hospitality. I mean, for as long as you've been with Ocean Properties, you you've been to over a dozen different locations.
What is it that has kept you anchored to Samuset for so long?
Connie Russell (14:14)
because of my roots in Maine, that's part of it, having been born in Bangor and grew up in Orno.
I spent several years in Beau Harbor at the Regency Hotel as well as the Astaku for three seasons. I also spent some time in Bangor at our Marriott properties, the Residence Inn in Fairfield Inn. We have a residence inn in Auburn, and I helped open the residence inn in Bath and the Homewood Suites and Augusta. but I just like the his the historic nature of this property and
how many folks you know recognize it and the amount of conferences that we do a year. We are we do the Lions share of Maine State Association business, two-day conferences. So I see all those repeat guests come back year after year, along with all the 3,600 timeshare owners.
Anthony Codispoti (15:13)
you guys do timeshares there as well. So these aren't just traditional hotel rooms.
Connie Russell (15:19)
Correct, yeah, we have seventy-two timeshare units and we're affiliated with Resort Condominiums International and Interval International. So those are the two exchange companies if you wanna go to any of their properties and their portfolios.
Anthony Codispoti (15:37)
Hm. Okay. And then how many hotel keys do you have?
Connie Russell (15:40)
One seventy-eight and four cottages.
Anthony Codispoti (15:44)
describe the cottages to me.
Connie Russell (15:46)
they're gorgeous. we have two one-bedrooms, they're 900 square feet. They all have full kitchens. there are sunrooms, beautiful double vanities, white countertops, very coastal, cottage-y looking as far as the colors. we also have a two-bedroom, two-bath. It's 1100 square feet. And then our premier cottage is called the Flume, and it's literally on the rocks of the ocean, right next to the 15th hole. and that is
fantastic. has a hot tub on the deck and it's literally looking right at the water.
Anthony Codispoti (16:23)
Sounds amazing. So you got there in nineteen ninety-nine. There was a lot of refreshing that needed to be done. Here we are, you know, twenty six, twenty seven years later. Are you into another round of refreshing? Are there some other things that are getting updated as we speak?
Connie Russell (16:42)
Well it's it's good you mentioned that because we finished our third refreshment for the guest rooms in twenty twenty one coming off COVID and we literally just finished our meeting space refresh at the end of June.
So we did the twenty thousand square feet of new carpet and wall coverings paint and it looks fantastic. We captured the opal collection feel with the blue and whites and sort of beigas and it feels like you're on the water.
Anthony Codispoti (17:16)
Any big upcoming projects, whether it's to the rooms, the meeting space, the grounds around the property?
Connie Russell (17:24)
we also just finished a three million dollar irrigation project on the golf course that wrapped up in June. We're we're finishing just some of the cosmetic changes to the course, but that was pretty significant. I don't see another room renovation until probably five five more years. but we're in good standing, we're in good shape for our guests and
We just look look forward to welcoming them back and staying ahead.
Anthony Codispoti (17:56)
What's that typical cycle then? Is it about once every ten years you do a refresh on the rooms? Yeah.
Connie Russell (18:01)
Yeah, that's about right.
Anthony Codispoti (18:03)
And that involves just new wallpaper, new paint, new furniture, just kind of everything in in that in those four walls gets updated.
Connie Russell (18:12)
Correct. Yep. Beds too.
Anthony Codispoti (18:16)
okay, so you were named Innkeeper of the Year by the Maine Innkeepers Association in two thousand ten. So this is a peer recognized award. Right. These are these are other folks in your industry that voted you for this. What do you think your peers saw and how you were running Samoset that led to that recognition?
Connie Russell (18:35)
I think it's because of my leadership style. Again, going back to being hands-on, I think when you walk in the resort, you could see me doing anything on property. I'm not a like an office person per se. I like to get out and talk to our guests and make sure the property looks good, inspecting different areas, and I think that's what sort of they recognized was my leadership style.
Anthony Codispoti (19:04)
Now, good leaders typically have good teams behind them. Tell me about how you approach the culture building that takes place there at Samuset.
Connie Russell (19:15)
Sure, and I I think you have to lead by example and constantly walk your property and walk with your leaders to show them a s opportunities to improve. make sure you have, you know, meetings to communicate, but at the same time it's more hands-on work in the moment, whether it be to pick up a piece of paper on the sidewalk or
clean a table or improve some maintenance areas. it's just ongoing and constant.
Anthony Codispoti (19:52)
Yeah. And you know, the industry that you're in, unfortunately is notorious, they have high turnover, right? Just, you know, folks they come in, they they kind of come out. What's been your approach? What have you tried and found success with when it comes to first of all recruiting good folks, hiring them in the first place? How do you how do you get them? And then once you find them, how do you hold on to
Connie Russell (20:15)
That's
That's a valuable question that everyone's trying to figure out today in this business and not just hospitality but any business nationally is how to attract and retrain. I think you just have to create a culture that people enjoy working with you and for you and are loyal because of the surroundings. And so many of our guests recognize our team as just being super friendly. We'll start hiring 16-year-olds from
The local high schools, and those those folks will end up hopefully working through college. their summers, so we could have them like six, seven years in a row. some will stay on and join us in hospitality. because we own so many other hotels, we're fortunate to be able to transfer people and promote from within. That's another valuable resource.
but really it's about that old saying, treating people the way you want to be treated. You can't just sign them up and put them in their position and let them go. Yeah, it's it's constant. and you have to do different things. We try and have some fun activities on property. We recently just did a lobster bake for our team. We'll do an outside barbecue, just two small random acts of kindness.
Anthony Codispoti (21:45)
You talked about the opportunity for advancement within because you've got so many different properties. There is the ability for folks to, you know, work their way up through the their career and stay there. How is that communicated to the employees? And can you talk more about what that staff development looks like to get somebody ready for to, you know, to move from where they are to the next step?
Connie Russell (22:12)
Sure. There are specific positions, especially like at the front desk is really the brain of the operation. So we may get an intern in college starting to work with us in the summer, and then they'll stay on and graduate with the expectation of maybe moving to another hotel, becoming a front office manager, assistant general manager, and then perhaps being a GM of a select service hotel that we own in our
portfolio. So we tell them when they're hired the during the orientation onboarding process that there are opportunities in our company because of the amount of hotels we have in the different regions. We have some folks that like to go back and forth to Florida to work at our hotels in the winter and then come back and work in Maine seasonally.
Anthony Codispoti (23:05)
okay. So your hotels are not all in Maine. Some are in Florida. Are you in other states?
Connie Russell (23:11)
we have a few hotels in Arizona. I think we have two in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and one in Salt Lake City. We have two in upstate New York, the Sagamore Resort on Lake George and just north of Lake Placid Lodge.
the Wentworth and New Hampshire, us, two hotels in Ball Harbor, the Harbor Side, the West Street, and then the remainder, the remainder in the collection are in Florida on both coasts.
Anthony Codispoti (23:42)
Okay. And for you at Sam said up there in Maine, do you find that your traffic is at all seasonal?
Connie Russell (23:51)
what do you mean? Just like May through October?
Anthony Codispoti (23:54)
Yeah. Do you have certain seasons where it's like everybody wants to be there and then other times of the year where it kinda tapers off a bit?
Connie Russell (24:01)
Sure. Memorial Day sort of kicks off the season in Maine for tourism. and then it sort of starts to peak at 4th of July, and we'll get through the first three weeks of August for peak season, and then schools start for families depart for school, and then we'll get the sort of empty nesters for September and half of October.
Anthony Codispoti (24:30)
Th the the way you've described it, I and I've never been, but I would imagine that the autumn leave change is probably quite spectacular.
Connie Russell (24:40)
Very popular Maine, the foliage starting end of September, really in the mountains where it's colder, and then it will hit us last, but it's definitely an attraction. A lot of tourists will fly into Boston and drive through the New England states to follow the foliage starting in, you know, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Anthony Codispoti (25:05)
So I want to talk about another award that you won, community person of the year from the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce. Sort of bigger picture, taking a step back, how do you think about the relationship between the resort and the surrounding community?
Connie Russell (25:22)
that's an easy question for me. We're we're very supportive. as an example, next weekend is the Lobster Festival. it's been going on for over fifty years. It's a four-day event. actually I think it's five days.
And on the last day of the festival, our team volunteers under their food tent for four hours serving lobster. but we're very generous when you know nonprofits in the community approach us and want us to host an event, we'll do that gratis.
Same as the food kitchen. We're very generous when they ask for food. We donate lots of turkeys to them for Thanksgiving. So we also have been donating food to the Coast Guard station right here in Rockland during holidays when they don't have family or friends. We'll go deliver them meals. So I think we we have a strong reputation in the community because of being generous.
Rarely do we say no. And you just you have to help each other and that's the way we feel we what we do.
Anthony Codispoti (26:39)
Where does that spirit come from? Is that coming from Connie Russell? Is that coming from corporate passed all the way down?
Connie Russell (26:47)
I think it's from me but also from my team here at the property who live and work in the in the community. So, you know, we all have family and friends and we know a lot of the folks here, including all of our employees. In the summer we have close to 300 employees and all their families and connections, that's who we want to support.
Anthony Codispoti (27:13)
Mm-hmm. You know, I'm gonna go back because we talked quite a bit about, you know, the renovations, the refreshing that you guys have done there over the years. And the resort, as you pointed out, dates back to the year eighteen eighty nine. And I understand there's a story about salvaged wood in the lobby that connects the history. Can you tell us about that?
Connie Russell (27:34)
Yeah, sure. So yeah, eighteen eighty-nine it was built and unfortunately it went bankrupt. in the late sixties. It sat bankrupt for I believe five years and in nineteen seventy two it actually burned down on Friday the thirteenth. It was empty because they had sold all of the contents.
and then they rebuilt the whole hotel in 1974 using beams from Portland from a former granary. So they repurposed the beams in the lobby as well for columns as well as the roof, but more importantly, there's 5,000 crosscuts of the beams as the tile in the lobby.
Anthony Codispoti (28:19)
Explain that cross cuts of the of of the beams
Connie Russell (28:22)
So the squares.
Anthony Codispoti (28:23)
themselves.
Connie Russell (28:24)
Yeah, so if the crosscuts, so there are square pieces of wood in the lobby as our floor tile. they're about four inches thick, and then we put we poly them once a year, sand and poly, and they shine and they look fantastic, but they're very unique. You d you just don't see it.
Anthony Codispoti (28:46)
that sounds amazing. Now I gotta go to your website. Am I gonna see any pictures of that? Where do I find that? And I'm
Connie Russell (28:50)
Yes, you are.
Anthony Codispoti (28:54)
samuset.com is where people need to go, by the way. Okay,
Connie Russell (28:58)
Correct.
Anthony Codispoti (29:00)
I'm gonna click around. We're gonna keep talking. I don't want to slow the rest of this interview down, but what you described sounds really cool. I want to check that out.
Connie Russell (29:07)
Yeah.
Anthony Codispoti (29:09)
so if a young person came to you today and said they wanted to build a career in a hospitality leadership.
What would you tell them to focus on?
Connie Russell (29:19)
Customer service. You know, it in the end it's all about having good listening skills and being able to
recover from guest service, customer service, because you know people have high expectations nowadays, they're less patient the traveling public is. So you have to
be patient and be a good listener and be able to work under pressure to respond to those concerns.
Anthony Codispoti (29:51)
You know, I've had the privilege of interviewing a lot of folks in both the restaurant industry and the hotel industry. And one of the things that I hear from folks in a leadership position like yours is they one of the things they really love about the industry is that there's the ability for somebody to come in with kind of a non-traditional background. Maybe they didn't have access to higher education. Maybe they had a bit of a a rough upbringing.
Perhaps even a, you know, a record of some kind. And if you're willing to come in and work hard and you're curious and willing to learn, there's an opportunity for you to advance that you wouldn't find in many other industries. I see you kind of nodding your head. Is is that your take on the space as well?
Connie Russell (30:40)
A hundred percent. I mean the goal is to hire personality and then train the rest. So you it doesn't really depend on your background. It depends on how you can work with people in the public and customer service.
Anthony Codispoti (30:58)
I want to go back to because I'm thinking more about that floor that you're just describing, these you know, these giant wood tiles that are made from pillars. And they weren't from the original Samoset resort. They were from a granary in a different location. But you know, with a with a resort with that kind of legacy, that kind of history behind it, as you guys go through and do these refreshes.
Is there ever this tug of war that exists in terms of I I need to respect some of the legacy in the history here while at the same time refreshing this in a way that our guests will find appeal?
Connie Russell (31:38)
Yeah, that's a good question because you want to meet people's expectations or exceed them. you know, especially in today's travel or traveling public.
But the iconic lobby will never be touched because it's that special and that different that people look forward to, especially if they've never been here. It's definitely a wow moment as soon as they arrive and see it, because you can't compare it to anywhere else. So we we enjoy having it, but anything that's refreshed would be surrounding the lobby, but not the lobby itself.
Anthony Codispoti (32:17)
So the lobby itself, the floors stay the same. You you polish them, you you know, you you you coat them again, the poly. but what about I don't know, the walls, the wall coverings, those those get updated or no? Those stay the same. Okay.
Connie Russell (32:30)
Yeah, the paint colors.
Yeah, the paint colors in the lobby, depending on the furniture. we did that not too long ago, so when we refresh the lobby furniture, we'll change the color palettes.
Anthony Codispoti (32:45)
Got it. Okay. Connie, how are you guys using AI at Samosat today?
Connie Russell (32:52)
not a lot.
Anthony Codispoti (32:54)
Not really, huh?
Connie Russell (32:55)
not a lot. I think maybe at our revenue management t team, perhaps, but at our level, same old, I mean we have a property management system that we share with all of the other Opal properties, but not so much.
Anthony Codispoti (33:16)
It's not really kind of hit your purview yet. It's yep. Something down the road.
Connie Russell (33:20)
Mm-hmm.
Anthony Codispoti (33:22)
what's something fun that you enjoy doing outside of
Connie Russell (33:27)
Well I used to enjoy skating, and I look I think I'm gonna start doing that again this fall, playing ho hockey during the winters. Correct, yes.
Anthony Codispoti (33:37)
Ice skating we're talking about. No.
Okay. and you played hockey when you were younger? And
Connie Russell (33:43)
Yes.
Anthony Codispoti (33:45)
looking to get back to it, huh?
Connie Russell (33:46)
Correct.
Anthony Codispoti (33:47)
Yeah. well I gotta applaud you then. I I'm afraid if I fell down on a sheet of ice today I might not get back up. So good for you.
Connie Russell (33:56)
I think if if I don't play, then I'm at least gonna coach. I enjoy coaching, especially the youth from like five to twelve year olds.
Anthony Codispoti (34:07)
Yeah. Connie, shifting gears on you now, what's one of the hardest things that you've had to overcome personally and what did going through that teach you?
Connie Russell (34:18)
well personally it's sort of personal professional. two years ago we lost our food and beverage director.
It was a sudden passing. we were all sort of in a state of shock. within two weeks, we lost our timeshare housekeeper who also passed, and then one of our breakfast chefs. So three people during the month of February. And we were going into one of our biggest conferences of the year, and just that turnover and trying to keep people together was probably the hardest obstacle of ever.
had to overcome. And I think it's really the passion I have for this industry that just made me focus on let's move forward, let's think about looking through the windshield, not the rear view mirror.
Anthony Codispoti (35:10)
Yeah, can you say more about what it was like to guide people through that? And you know, it's these are you're not a tiny team, but you're not this giant team either,
Connie Russell (35:19)
Mm-hmm.
Anthony Codispoti (35:20)
right? So you're losing some folks unexpectedly in key leadership positions, and that takes a toll on folks. And it's one person, then it's two, then it's three.
Connie Russell (35:31)
Mm-hmm.
Anthony Codispoti (35:32)
You know, what's the mood there and and how are you trying to guide people through coping with their grief?
Connie Russell (35:39)
It was difficult because I didn't have any experience with it. no previous experience with anyone.
leaving us like that. and it I it was more of a everyone was sort of in shock for a while. And then we had our big conference come which sort of brought us all together. It's one of the largest trade shows for fishermen in the northeast. And so we probably had four thousand people through here over the weekend. And that happened a few weeks afterwards. But it was just a lot of baby steps. people
you know, grieving together, but it was a very hard time to get through.
Anthony Codispoti (36:24)
Yeah, I can imagine. As you think about the work that you're doing now, Connie, what is it that you most want to be remembered for?
Connie Russell (36:35)
I think just for being kind.
To people and that guest would always think of me as someone nice and responsive. I've gotten to know thousands of people here over the 27 years between guests staying as leisure guests or conferences or timeshare owners, and I think it's more of the first impression that I'm I'm sincere about what I do and I'm passionate for being here.
Anthony Codispoti (37:09)
What does your day-to-day look like, Connie? Like are you interacting with the guests a lot? I mean, you're leading a a decent sized team, you know, a few hundred employees. That's gotta take a lot of your efforts away from kind of that frontline work.
Connie Russell (37:24)
Yeah, I do both. It's all about multitasking. I love to walk the property. I engage with guests whenever I can. And I'm very good at approaching a guest and I always ask where they're from and that just opens the door and I love to connect the dots. whether it be outside at the pool, in the lobby, in the restaurant, at the golf course, all over the place and
I just enjoyed at the end of the day because it it it says you care. plus you're approachable should they have anything, any concerns while they're here. They've already met you.
Anthony Codispoti (38:05)
What most excites you about the future of Samoset?
Connie Russell (38:11)
I think just like the most recent refresh in the golf course irrigation project is gonna sort of bring us to the next level. You always have a competitive set, and I think we're at the top of that. We're at the top of our game, and we're on the Maine is really on the map. It's gotten a lot of great promotional opportunities, a lot of targeted
you know, travel writers are talking about Maine and the top ten lists are out and Maine's there. it's causing people to come here that have never been here before and that's what we want.
Anthony Codispoti (38:53)
All right, let's hear more about that. Why do you think it's come into vogue recently?
Connie Russell (38:58)
I think post COVID, you know, people were looking for a safe place that's very clean.
Where the people are approachable, the lodging, the activities, the restaurants, the whole, the whole ball of wax as far as going on vacation. And Maine has that. We have pristine beauty surrounding us along the ocean and the mountains. It's not just about the lobster and the lighthouses. We have two big ski areas in Maine, or three: Sugarloaf, Sunday River, and the Saddleback. We have some great restaurants.
In Portland, James Baird Award winning restaurants, and this year the restaurant tour of the year was from Portland, Maine. We have a James Baird Best Chef of the Northeast Award winner in Rockland, Melissa Kelly at Primo. I mean, it doesn't get better that, so that attracts foodies to our area. We actually have people staying here just to go eat at Primo. It's
Anthony Codispoti (40:01)
Okay.
Connie Russell (40:02)
that big.
and then of course Bah Harbor is Acadia National Park, one of the top ten visited national parks. So a lot of tourists will fly into Boston and come up the coast, starting at Kennebunkport, go to Portland, Mid Coast, and then Bah Harbor.
Anthony Codispoti (40:23)
Let's say that I just wanna get right to you guys. What's the best place for me to fly into?
Connie Russell (40:28)
I would say Portland. Majority of our guests will fly into Portland. It's about an hour and forty five minute drive.
Anthony Codispoti (40:35)
Okay, so you guys are still a little removed from civilization, I'll call it. you know, you're away from the big city with the big air the bigger airport.
Connie Russell (40:44)
We are, but we say we're worth the drive.
Anthony Codispoti (40:47)
Yeah, I love that. Connie, just one more question for you today, but before I ask it, I want to do three quick things for the audience. first of all, anybody who wants to learn more about where Connie works and the beautiful places that are available, Samuset.com we just referenced, go to their website. I'm gonna find it after we get off this interview here, but I wanna see that those wood floors that you're talking about.
Connie Russell (41:13)
Mm-hmm.
Anthony Codispoti (41:14)
Samoset S A O
S E T Samoset.com. Also, if you want to take a look at the bigger collection of their independent hotels, go to opalcollection.com, O P-A-L Opalcollection.com. We'll have both of those in the show notes, but once again, samoset.com and opalcollection.com. And if you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to subscribe wherever you're listening. It also sends a signal that helps others discover our podcast. So
Thanks for taking a quick moment to do that right now. And as a reminder, you can finally get your hotel employees access to therapists, doctors, and prescription medications that counterintuitively actually increases your company's net profit starting in the very first month. There's no co-pays, no deductibles, a lot of part-timers qualify, and you can keep your broker. So learn more about how to have happier employees and a stronger bottom line at adbackbenefits.com.
Okay, Connie, so last question, a year from now, what is one very specific thing that you hope to be selling?
Connie Russell (42:23)
Be my 40th year with the company, so that's one of the celebrations. just improvement overall, year over year. Things that we can, you know, we always go through a capital expenditure list, a wish list year over year. So I think just to overall, it's ongoing, whether it be staff improvement, hiring the best people we can.
And just keeping the place looking fresh.
Anthony Codispoti (42:55)
You know, actually I do have another question. I'm gonna follow up on that staff improvement point that you made because earlier you said that you hire for personality and then train the rest.
And you've been in the business for years. I'm sure you've developed some great interview skills or tactics. Are there any questions or scenarios that you like to put a potential new hire in that helps to flesh out if they're going to be a good fit from a personality standpoint?
Connie Russell (43:25)
Yeah, I I ask a question that is fairly common, but it's like out of the what
When you go through after asking them multiple questions, I'll try and relate to one of their previous experiences through their references and say, I see that you work for so and so. What are they gonna say about you when I call them for a reference? Because I know them. You know, so and so and I go back to this or we've worked together. Put them on the spot about and I'll s be more specific when I say
What are they going to say about you with regards to how you ended an employment? Did you give notice? Did you work your notice? What about your attendance?
Anthony Codispoti (44:14)
And do some people give themselves away there?
Connie Russell (44:17)
a a few do. Most of them are optimistic, like please give him a call, he's gonna give give me a great reference. Others will come out and say, Well, I didn't end on good terms, I didn't give notice. yeah, it's a good way, it's a good gauge temperature check to see if this person doesn't fit.
Anthony Codispoti (44:39)
And is that a r a like a definite red flag? If they're like I didn't give notice or I didn't work my notice, to you that's all right. Thank you, but no thank
Connie Russell (44:47)
Tends
Anthony Codispoti (44:48)
you.
Connie Russell (44:48)
yeah, it depends on the circumstances. It may not have been their fault, but it's certainly not gonna make them a front runner. at least they're being honest, but at the same time, you know, a two weeks notice is sort of the professional standard. And if you can't work that out, but some may say, well, there were conditions that existed that prevented me from doing that.
Anthony Codispoti (45:14)
Hmm. Connie Russell from Samosat Resort, I wanna be the first to thank you for sharing both your time and your story with us today. I really appreciate you being here.
Connie Russell (45:24)
My pleasure, for sure. You need to come here to see the floor though.
Anthony Codispoti (45:28)
You've got me
convinced. My family and I were were looking for summer vacation and spring break opportunities. So you and I'll talk a little bit more offline about how to make that happen. Folks,
Connie Russell (45:38)
Sounds good.
Anthony Codispoti (45:39)
that's a wrap on another episode of the Inspired Stories Podcast. Thanks for learning with us. And if one thing stood out, put that into action today.
Connect with Connie Russell:
Website: samoset.com
Website: opalcollection.com
