Deck the Docks: 20 Years of Holiday Magic at Alderbrook with Mark Phelan

Meet Mark Phelan, Director of Marketing at the stunning Alderbrook Resort and Spa. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to work at one of Washington’s most cherished destinations—or if you’re seeking inspiration for your next getaway—this conversation is packed with insights, humor, and nostalgia.

Mark Phelan: 20 Years at Alderbrook and Counting

Mark kicks things off by sharing his incredible 20-year journey with Alderbrook. In hospitality, staying at one place for two decades is rare—and Mark isn’t alone. With a core team of longtime staff, including a server and restaurant manager who’ve been there just as long, Alderbrook’s deep sense of community creates a memorable environment for both staff and guests.

Mark’s path to Alderbrook started in an unexpected place: wildlife biology, after earning his degree from the UW. Mark left his native New York City to embrace the PNW and never looked back. His career shift to hospitality may have surprised him. Still, it’s clear from this conversation that Alderbrook has become his second home.

Alderbrook’s Evolution: From Historic Resort to Modern Haven

The story of Alderbrook is as rich as the experiences it offers. Mark discusses the resort’s humble beginnings in 1913 when visitors arrived by steamship and camped on the beach. Fast-forward to 2004, the resort was reborn following a major renovation—and it hasn’t stopped evolving. A recent remodel revitalized the resort’s public spaces, including the cozy Drinkery and a wine and coffee bar behind the front desk.

Alderbrook has expanded its offerings with miles of hiking trails, a 54-foot yacht (the Lady Alderbrook), and even a secret dining venue hidden deep in the woods. Whether planning a family vacation or a romantic getaway, Alderbrook offers a blend of history, adventure, and comfort.

Holiday Magic and Seasonal Highlights

Mark’s favorite time at Alderbrook? The holiday season! Starting the day after Thanksgiving with their annual Holidays on the Canal event, the festivities are magical. Picture Santa Claus arriving on the Lady Alderbrook, followed by fireworks, holiday treats, and family-friendly activities. If that’s not enough, Cocoa Cruises with Santa is offered every weekend in December. With this intimate experience, kids and parents can meet the big man in red. 

When winter settles in with its signature drizzle, Alderbrook offers many ways to stay cozy. Guests can unwind by the fire in the lodge, enjoy wellness classes, or indulge in spa treatments. Mark assures us that Alderbrook’s quiet season is perfect for those looking to escape the crowds and embrace a slower pace of life.

Alderbrook’s Culinary Delights

Mark’s enthusiasm shines when he talks about Alderbrook’s food scene. From freshly harvested oysters to the famous Grand Marnier prawns, there’s something for every foodie to love. Mark hints at an insider favorite: private dinners in the Gathering Grove. In this hidden outdoor dining space, guests enjoy meals surrounded by towering trees and dappled sunlight. Whether you crave local oysters or a quiet fireside meal, Alderbrook’s culinary offerings are worth the trip alone.

Looking Ahead: What’s Next for Alderbrook?

As 2025 approaches, Alderbrook is gearing up for another exciting year. Mark teases potential new adventures, like themed events, expanded wellness programs, and even unique accommodations like treehouses or houseboats. While nothing is set in stone, it’s clear that Alderbrook is constantly evolving to surprise and delight its guests.

Join Us on the Next Adventure

Whether you’re a longtime fan of the resort or planning your first visit, you’ll find something to inspire you in this conversation.

Tune in to learn more about this Pacific Northwest gem and plan your next adventure at Alderbrook Resort and Spa! And don’t forget—if Santa keeps returning year after year, maybe you should, too.

Mark Phelan Episode Transcript

Hello, friends, and welcome to the Exploring Washington State podcast. My name is Scott Cowan, and I’m the host of the show. Each episode, I have a conversation with an interesting guest who is living in or from Washington State. These are casual conversations with real and interesting people. I think you’re gonna like the show. So let’s jump right in with today’s guest. Well, I’m sitting down today with Mark Phelan of the Aldergook Aldebook. Does he see? Mark, you were worried.

Scott Cowan [00:00:31]:

I already screwed it up from the very beginning, but Mark is the director of marketing for the Aldebook Resort and Spa. And last year, around this time, I sat down with, Sarah Harvey, who is at the Aldaberg as a chef. Mark, welcome. Before we kinda went live, you said you’ve been in Aldaberg for 20 years.

Mark Phelan [00:00:55]:

It was 20 years in May. It was my 20th anniversary.

Scott Cowan [00:00:57]:

That’s amazing.

Mark Phelan [00:00:58]:

That that’s

Scott Cowan [00:00:59]:

There’s actually 3

Mark Phelan [00:00:59]:

of us, who’ve been there for 20 years. Wow. So it’s a great place to work.

Scott Cowan [00:01:03]:

Awesome. So what’s going on? Tell me you know, well, let’s get your background. So you’ve been at Alderwick 20 years. Have you always been a Washingtonian? Have you always lived in Washington?

Mark Phelan [00:01:14]:

No. I actually grew up in New York City, until I went to college at University of Washington and then never looked back.

Scott Cowan [00:01:20]:

Okay. So that I have two questions to follow-up for that. Number 1, why the UW? What’d you major in?

Mark Phelan [00:01:27]:

I majored in zoology, and I worked as a wildlife biologist for a little while, but Really? It was the only only career that had worse hours than hospitality. Really?

Scott Cowan [00:01:38]:

Why why are why are zoology hours? Why is that so

Mark Phelan [00:01:41]:

We were we were doing particular studies that, environmental impact studies that required us to be in the field 2 hours prior to sunset. Excuse me, 2 hours prior to sunrise. And so we would be out in the field at, like, 3 to 5 in the morning, and then we’d have to go back after sunset. So it was a split day and it was very early hours and very late hours at the state, you know, but we have to deal with both of that. It was fun. It was great, but I just kind of found my career in hospitality.

Scott Cowan [00:02:10]:

Got it. So second follow-up question to New York. This is very important. This is gonna determine the rest of our conversation. Yankees or Mets?

Mark Phelan [00:02:21]:

Mets. Oh, really? Okay. There’s no wrong

Scott Cowan [00:02:24]:

answer, by the way. Okay. So why are you a Mets fan? What

Mark Phelan [00:02:26]:

I I That’s because my my older brother was a Mets fan growing up, and so that sort of influenced me.

Scott Cowan [00:02:31]:

You kinda okay. So it’s a family thing. Got it. Alright. So you you came out to Seattle to go to the UW, and you’ve stuck around. So you’ve been here a while now, at least 20 years. Right? And more than that. Okay.

Scott Cowan [00:02:44]:

Yeah. About 25 years. 25 years. Alright. And what changes let me let’s let’s start with this. What changes have you seen at Aldabrook over the last 20 years?

Mark Phelan [00:02:57]:

Oh, gosh. Lots of things. So in in 2004, when when the property opened, it had just been remodeled, you know, brand new, taken down to the studs, basically, and rebuilt from the ground up. So that was really exciting back then. And and opening a hotel was exciting for all of us. It was a, you know, something’s always getting forgotten or you don’t have enough forks or or, you know, the truck didn’t show up with whatever. So that was quite an adventure in and of itself. And then, we did a remodel coming out of COVID in 2021.

Mark Phelan [00:03:28]:

We remodeled all of the public spaces. So, the dining room, basically brand new, the lobby, all the event spaces, all all redone. We added a, like a coffee wine bar that we call the drinkery behind the front desk there. So that gives kind of a secondary dining option for folks. So just lots of things that the we’re really well supported in terms of of the financial, commitment that we get from our ownership and put a lot of money back into the building. So we’re able to do fun things and

Scott Cowan [00:03:59]:

Alright. So let me rephrase this. So, Mark, you’ve been there 20 years. What changes what sort of changes have happened at Aldabrook over a 20 year window? 2 decades in the hospitality business, people coming and going. Gotta be some changes.

Mark Phelan [00:04:12]:

So a lot of changes. Luckily, I’ve I’ve been able to work with a lot of the same people. We’ve had a lot of people around for for longer than 10 years. Yeah. So in terms of personnel, there’s there hasn’t been huge number of changes, which is great. I mean, obviously, some but there are 3 of us that have been there for 20 years. So that’s exciting. The property was brand new renovated, when we reopened in 2024.

Mark Phelan [00:04:33]:

There there’s been an Aldabric Resort since 1913. But under the current iteration and the current building that we’re in, that was reopened in 2004. Since then, we’ve gone through a couple of different, what we call refreshes. They’re not necessarily full remodels, but we did all the all the guest rooms, few years back, all the cottages. And then coming out of COVID, redid all of the public spaces, the dining room, the, all of the event spaces, the meeting rooms, the lobby, and then we added the drinkery, which is like a coffee kinda wine bar, that we put in behind the front desk. Gives folks a secondary dining option, quick kinda grab and go option as well. So that stuff’s all changed. Obviously, living through through, the recession in 2008 was was interesting.

Mark Phelan [00:05:18]:

Living through COVID was especially exciting. In this industry, the the rules were changing. It was moving target constantly with indoor dining, outdoor dining, masks, no masks, vaccines, where people could sit, how many people could work in any given space, all of the rules if somebody did get sick. So it was a couple of years of just, a lot of adapting, a lot of creative thinking, a lot of teamwork. So so I saw a level of teamwork during COVID that I’ve never seen in my life and probably will never see again. It was it was it was pretty inspiring. And now we’re kind of coming out of all that kind of, you know, getting into our new normal, if you will, and looking forward to the future. Another couple of things that have happened.

Mark Phelan [00:06:04]:

I mean, in 20 years, there’s probably a lot a lot to talk about, but, we’re always growing, always adding things. We’ve replaced our dock. We’ve added the lady alderbroke, a 54 foot yacht that we use for events and activities. We have expanded our wellness program greatly. The the spa director does a great job with that. You know, the we’ve built 6, 7 miles of of hiking trails right across the street on our we have we own 88 acres of of forest up, across the street from us, and we’ve built a whole trail system in there. We have a, a secret supper spot up in the woods that we call the Gathering Grove. We do functions up in the forest.

Mark Phelan [00:06:40]:

It’s really, really neat with them. Sun trickling through the leaves and just a beautiful spot. We opened up the Union City Market in the Hook and Fork, 2 miles west of us. The Union City Market is a is kind of a local, arts and food product kind of store. Like we we try to purchase locally from people. We do consigned artwork and things of that nature. And then there’s a little restaurant up front called the Hook and Fork, where they do just everything over open fire. Everything is cooked right in front of your face.

Mark Phelan [00:07:10]:

You’re looking at a most incredible view in Washington state, and it’s just a a magical place down there as well. So it’s constantly evolving, constantly changing, constantly growing, and adding things really well supported by our ownership team. And so it’s it’s fun and exciting, and I think that that’s what’s made it possible for me to be there for 20 years.

Scott Cowan [00:07:27]:

That sounds amazing. I mean, you just you just laid out a whole bunch of stuff. I mean, a ton of stuff there. You guys have put hiking trails in. You’ve got a secret dinner place. Now the fact that we’re talking about it means it’s not secret. But, you know, I I like the fact that you’ve got this I’ll I’ll reframe it and say remote re reclusi dining place. How’s that? That’s private.

Mark Phelan [00:07:56]:

Yeah. Right. It’s more private for your group than secret, you know,

Scott Cowan [00:08:00]:

to date. So how many

Mark Phelan [00:08:01]:

No one is gonna walk through your dining table.

Scott Cowan [00:08:05]:

Well, maybe, you know, maybe maybe wildlife. I mean, we can’t control we can’t control, you know, the the wandering the wandering. You know? Okay. How many at at the time that we’re recording this, how many guest rooms are there at Aldabrook?

Mark Phelan [00:08:22]:

So there’s 93 total units. We have, 77 guest rooms in the main building and then 16 of our cottages, 15 of which are 2 bedroom units, and then there’s a single 1 bedroom cottage.

Scott Cowan [00:08:33]:

Okay.

Mark Phelan [00:08:34]:

So a nice kind of mix of spaces for families and couples and singles and things of that nature.

Scott Cowan [00:08:40]:

That’s that’s great. Any any potential there on the property to add to that? I mean, is that I’m not saying I’m not asking you to, like, you know, say, yes. We’re gonna be building. But, like, is there a potential to increase?

Mark Phelan [00:08:53]:

Well, probably not in terms of physical space, increasing. There’s been some ideas over the years to try to be creative with adding units. Like, we’ve talked about tree houses in the forest. We’ve talked about houseboats on the dock. We’ve talked about yurts. There’s a number of different ways we’ve talked about. Nothing has really, grown any legs and and got anywhere.

Scott Cowan [00:09:13]:

Yeah.

Mark Phelan [00:09:14]:

But that’s the kind of thinking that’s going on. Not not necessarily building another building or adding a story or anything like that. It’s more about how to how to add creative and unique, experiences for the guests.

Scott Cowan [00:09:24]:

I like I like I mean, just honestly, the the idea of a houseboat sounds pretty cool. I mean, that just sounds like, you know, that’d be cool.

Mark Phelan [00:09:30]:

Yeah. I’ve been seeing some really cool ones on Instagram too, and I keep sending to various people, but I’m getting any traction.

Scott Cowan [00:09:36]:

And the whole tree house thing is is is I mean, there’s some amazing tree house places you can stay there

Mark Phelan [00:09:42]:

just Yeah. And we have some old growth forest up in up in the trail system, like some old Douglas Spurs that have been around for a long, long time. Mhmm. It’s a really unique environment up there, so it’s pretty neat.

Scott Cowan [00:09:51]:

That’s awesome. Now you’ve been there for 20 years, and you started off you said before we, quote, unquote, hit live, you you start off in the banquet department. You’ve kinda worked your way

Mark Phelan [00:10:04]:

through Yeah. Correct. I I started as the banquet manager, so running all the you know, hands on running all the events Yeah. That the the sales team sold. And then I moved into the catering world, which is where you’re planning the events and then turning them over to the banquet department. And then from there, I moved into the sales department, which was fully remote at the time, which was nice. But, you know, that’s basically just just finding the clients, getting signatures on the contracts, making sure everything’s organized so that when you hand that over to the team on-site, everything’s ready to roll. I did that, became director of sales, and marketing for a while.

Mark Phelan [00:10:40]:

Really got more interested in marketing and kind of the back end of the business in terms of the revenue. Mhmm. In January, our director of catering took over the sales team, and I took more responsibility for the other areas of my role. Okay. And I’ve really been enjoying, really been enjoying what I’ve been doing.

Scott Cowan [00:10:57]:

Yeah. Now you mentioned you got a couple other people that have been there 20 years. What departments are they in?

Mark Phelan [00:11:04]:

They’re actually, the other 2 are both in our restaurant. So one of our, nighttime, servers, David, he’s been there 20 years. And then our, outlets manager, Aliyah Smith, she has also been there. And actually, she’s been there longer than that. She was there prior to the current ownership owning the building. She worked for the previous owners, back in the early 2000s. Wow. And so she’s she’s technically the longest running employee that we have, which is exciting and fun.

Mark Phelan [00:11:31]:

And and, you know, it’s just great to work with people for that long. You really get to it it really get to know them and get into a groove.

Scott Cowan [00:11:38]:

Right. Right. I can’t imagine being a server for 20 years, though. You know, just that’s, wow. He must really it’s a combination. He must really enjoy it, and he must be very good at it. You know, that’s awesome. Okay.

Scott Cowan [00:11:53]:

So as we as we’re sitting here, the leaves are turning. It’s getting to fall. We’re looking at, you know, I don’t wanna say the winter. I just did. But, you know, winter’s coming, fall holidays and all that. What’s what’s going on at Alderbrook this holiday season? What’s what’s happening there?

Mark Phelan [00:12:15]:

Well, it definitely feels like the weather is turning. The fall the fall Christmas is in the air and it’s really, really, really lovely. My personal favorite, time of year at Aldabrook is the fall of the holiday season. There’s a little less crowds. The weather is just a little bit, you know, calmer and it’s gonna be more beautiful. It can be rainy, but it can also be more beautiful. So it’s a great time to come, and we do a ton of holiday, activities. We we kick off the season the day after Thanksgiving every year with our annual holidays on the canal event, and it’s quite the event.

Mark Phelan [00:12:48]:

It’s my probably my favorite day of the year at the resort. The it it kicks off the whole holiday season. So, Santa spends a fair amount of time with us, in November December. And so that’s when he arrives, for his first day. We have, Roosevelt High School drum line comes out and performs for our guests. We have some some kind of surprise sort of actors, if you will, running around the property, engaging with families. But the real the real event is when Santa arrives onboard the lady Aldebrook. So he comes in onboard our boat.

Mark Phelan [00:13:25]:

There’s usually a little a little bit of a skit or a show that goes along with that. There’s there’s I don’t wanna give away too much of it. There’s a pretty incredible fireworks show when Santa departs the boat and and walks down the dock towards the resort. All the kids are are super excited to see them coming down the dock, fireworks going off, candy canes everywhere. It’s a ton of fun. Personally, my own 2 grown adult children now spent a lot of years coming to that event when they were growing up. So it’s a real it’s a real tradition for us Mhmm. And a real tradition for a lot of families that that we see year after year at that event.

Mark Phelan [00:14:02]:

Santa lights up our tree for us, which is really exciting. And then, he’s available for a few hours for pictures, and kids get to give him their wish lists. He does bring missus Claus as well, so she is there as well.

Scott Cowan [00:14:14]:

K.

Mark Phelan [00:14:15]:

And that’s a ton of fun. That event is just one of my favorite things, and that is, always on the day after Thanksgiving. So this year, that is November 29th. We’re looking forward to that event quite a bit. And then after that, that sort of kicks off the season. Every Saturday and Sunday, we have 2 Coco cruises each day. So Santa goes out on the Lady for about an hour and a half and reads stories to the kids on board and the adults, on board the lady. And, it’s really intimate.

Mark Phelan [00:14:45]:

Only 40 people are on board the boat at that time. So you get really, really good interaction with Santa Claus. He is also available in our lobby from 11 to 1 every Saturday and Sunday as well, for pictures and, you know, kids giving their wish list. They can give them a letter, things of that nature. And then it kinda culminates the 22nd, the Sunday 22nd. We do brunch with Santa in our Olympic ballroom, and that is, you know, a ticketed event. And, you’re able to sit, have brunch with Santa. He walks around the room, engages with all the families and kids and things like that.

Mark Phelan [00:15:18]:

And then he’s obviously after after that, he has to head back up north and and start packing the sled. So so we lose him on the 22nd after the Santa brunch. But he spends a lot of time with us, a lot of time engaging with the families. And like I said, it’s a great way to create memories and traditions with your family.

Scott Cowan [00:15:35]:

Well, I gotta ask you. I mean, if Santa’s there that much, he must be hitting the spa quite a bit or your guys are giving a really good room rate. I mean, how are you keeping Santa so engaged that he’s hanging out at Aldabrook? You know?

Mark Phelan [00:15:47]:

I’m a bit of all of that. And he and he he loves the tradition as well. So he he enjoys his time there. We do we do feed him well and and have a nice ceremony.

Scott Cowan [00:15:57]:

So what does Santa what does Santa let me I mean, let’s let’s spill the tea. What’s Santa like to eat? What’s what’s he what’s he what’s he what are you feeding him from the dining room? What do you rec what does Santa recommend?

Mark Phelan [00:16:07]:

Well, I had a meeting with Santa a few weeks ago. A couple of us met with Santa to kinda talk about the flow of things this year, and and I’m trying to remember. I think he ate some seafood. Our menu is pretty seafood focused, obviously, sitting right on the water and right on the the shores of Hood Canal, which is is a bounty in and of itself. So it’s pretty seafood focused. I I can’t remember specifically what he had, but but it was either, I think he ate the oysters. Okay. We’re on for our oysters, and we actually have our own, oyster farm right on property, which is exciting.

Mark Phelan [00:16:41]:

And so we do a number of different things with oysters that are delicious.

Scott Cowan [00:16:44]:

You gotta keep them fed. So I’m gonna guess it is I I’m gonna probably agree. It’s I bet if I were to show up, Santa and I would be sitting there enjoying some of those oysters.

Mark Phelan [00:16:52]:

Well, I think there’s a lot of oysters at the North Pole, so it’s probably a treat for him

Scott Cowan [00:16:55]:

Right. When he

Mark Phelan [00:16:56]:

has come down. Right.

Scott Cowan [00:16:57]:

Okay. So I think that’s really cool that you got all these family events, and, I just think that’s that’s awesome. What else is going now so let’s talk about the weather, though. I mean, I’m gonna be, you know, I’m gonna be fully transparent with you. I I grew up on the west side of the state. You know, I was, technically speaking, I was born in Olympia, but I I grew up in the Tacoma, Puyallup area. Went to college in Ellensburg, moved to Seattle. You know, I lived other than my college years, I I lived on the west side of the state up until 2017, and I left that side of the state because I was commuting from Puyallup to Olympia for work.

Scott Cowan [00:17:39]:

And that commute and the gray got to me. That was me personally. So what’s what’s going on at Aldebrook during that that fall? I’m gonna call it this is me being negative, not about Aldebrook. This is me being negative about west side weather. What what’s there to do at Aldabrook, though, when it’s that, you know, gray drizzly 45 degree weather? What do you what’s Aldabrook got to entertain me?

Mark Phelan [00:18:04]:

Well, I I’ll start by saying I have noticed that most of our guests are pretty party and northwesty, and I see a lot of people walking across to the trail system all winter long and with their raincoats on heading up to the trails. Okay. I also do see people up, playing golf at the golf course, which is a mile away as well, all winter long. So people are pretty people. I don’t really let it get them down. Alright. I’ll be transferred myself. It does it does have a tendency to get me down, especially, you know, after several months of it.

Mark Phelan [00:18:33]:

But at Alden Brook, we have first of all, the grand entrance lobby, a huge fireplace as soon as you walk in. It’s extremely cozy. There’s couches and and blankets and it’s just kind of like grandma’s living room, if you will. And so it’s a great place to just kinda relax and unwind. We do have an indoor heated saltwater pool. So that’s a great amenity all all times a year. You can rent the boat, fly on the boat cruise, all year long, which is, you know, there’s an indoor salon, keep you dry. The cottages are all, you know, fully equipped kitchens and they have fireplaces as well.

Mark Phelan [00:19:06]:

So if you’re, you know, in a cottage with your family, it’s it’s a very cozy warm environment. Okay. Back in the lobby, we do have a whole bunch of board games and activities for people to do. Like I said, we do some wellness classes indoors during the, during the winter months. Some yoga classes, go on as well, through June bug yoga down at Shelton. She does some classes at at our facility in the winter. Obviously, you can always enjoy a spa treatment regardless of the time of year. That is is always gonna be a magical and relaxing environment for you.

Mark Phelan [00:19:40]:

So there’s, you know, lots to do. It’s also just it’s a little less crowded, and so you get a little bit more kind of intimacy and privacy out of your visit, a little more quality time with your family, and things of that nature. So I think winter is a great time to come. I think fall is a great time to come. So like I said, September, October are probably my favorite. Yeah. 2 months a year, just in in general in the state of Washington, my 2 favorite months a year. And then, yeah, I think the fall winter is is a is a wonderful time.

Mark Phelan [00:20:07]:

I mean, the summer’s great. Everyone who comes gets out of the water, makes scores over the fire pit, and those are amazing, amazing family memories and traditions as well. But there’s some really fun stuff you can do during the winter.

Scott Cowan [00:20:17]:

Awesome. So let’s I’d like to talk about the the the the boat rental. You’re not saying that that’s a if I rented the boat, I’m not taking it out. Is it it will it be a crude adventure? You’re not you’re not trusting me to

Mark Phelan [00:20:31]:

the Aldenbrook is it’s a 54 foot. It’s captain vessel. So so to rent the boat, you can rent the boat for private events. A lot of, lot of wedding groups will do that for like a rehearsal dinner or just a cocktail hour on the water or things like that. Corporate, corporate events take place on the boat. And then we do offer ticketed events where you buy an individual ticket, you’re not renting the entire boat. Like I mentioned, the Coco cruises. And in the summer, we do summer scenic kinda guided cruises where the captain talks about, you know, the the the local environment, both historical and kind of, you know, the the flora and fauna of the area as well.

Mark Phelan [00:21:08]:

So, I mean, I took that cruise in this just this last summer. And even after 20 years, I learned a lot on that on that cruise. So there’s always something new to learn. So Lady Aldebrook is available, like I said, both for ticketed events as well as private events.

Scott Cowan [00:21:21]:

Okay. Alright. Yeah. No. That actually so you actually you said some things there kinda peaked my curiosity or not curiosity, but, like, okay. Yeah. That that works for me. That that’s a sounds like a great respite from the the weather, things to do that I would enjoy.

Scott Cowan [00:21:38]:

I’m I guess I’m not hardy. I the idea of going and hiking in the in the in the drizzle doesn’t sound good. And I’m certainly not a golfer. So I is is the course open year round?

Mark Phelan [00:21:51]:

The course is open year round. So so we are not the same entity as the golf course. We share a name.

Scott Cowan [00:21:55]:

Mhmm.

Mark Phelan [00:21:56]:

And we work very well together with them. They’re they’re a great partner of ours, both both, you know, in terms of taking care of each other’s guests, but also just great community partners. Right. So it’s a good working relationship. And, yeah, it’s a public course. It’s open year round. It’s narrow. If if if if you don’t golf a lot, bring a lot of balls with you because because you’ll lose a bunch in the in the woods like me.

Scott Cowan [00:22:22]:

Are you a golfer?

Mark Phelan [00:22:25]:

No. Okay. No. I’m a well, I guess, yes. I’m a bad golfer. You’re a

Scott Cowan [00:22:29]:

back golfer. Okay.

Mark Phelan [00:22:30]:

I try. I’m a hacker, and, I’ve I’ve played a couple of times and and not very well. But I do always enjoy it. It’s a it’s a fun time. I usually I usually kinda give up around the 6th hole, though, and just drink my beer in the golf cart and watch my friends play.

Scott Cowan [00:22:47]:

So you’re you’re a hacker and and and better one than I am because I haven’t golfed in many, many years. But I’m gonna put you I’m gonna let’s let’s we’re gonna bounce out of Alderwick for just a second. I’m gonna put you on the spot. Where do you like to golf? What’s a course that is is what’s a course that you’re like, yeah. I can play this.

Mark Phelan [00:23:05]:

I’ve really not golfed in many other courses. Okay. Okay. The proximity and the relationship we have at Aldebrook. And, and then, you know, there’s employees that live up there. They have a homeowners association there at the golf course. And so I’ve played with friends up there and stuff. I I have not really I mean, I played Gold Mountain.

Mark Phelan [00:23:24]:

I’ve played, McCormick Woods. But, Aldabricks is a great course. Like I said, it’s just it’s just the fairways are narrow. There’s a lot of trees.

Scott Cowan [00:23:32]:

No. It is. I, you know, I’m more of a a municipal golfer, if you will. You know, I’m gonna go golf it. What’s the one there kind of an Olympia capital?

Mark Phelan [00:23:44]:

Yeah. I’m relatively new to Olympia. So

Scott Cowan [00:23:46]:

Yeah. There’s one. There’s a there’s a public there’s a public course there that, you know, is is pretty wide and even then I struggle to stay on the fairways. Okay. Yeah. Aldebrook and I would I bet you that it would cost me more to buy golf balls than it would for fees to golf the course. I mean, it would be

Mark Phelan [00:24:04]:

That’s usually where I’m at when I go.

Scott Cowan [00:24:07]:

Alright. What so we got Santa’s hanging out a lot. And what do you guys got going on in wintertime? Let’s let’s let’s move past let’s move past Santa season, and let’s talk about q one of 25, if you will. What happens at Aldabrook to, like, during the Q1 of the year before spring hits?

Mark Phelan [00:24:36]:

So I did one thing I do wanna mention, I did forget to mention. We just just, created a partnership with White Barn Decor out of Belfair. Really neat guy. And, they’re gonna be assisting with our holiday decorations. So they do a lot of really cool metalwork and things like that. So they’re gonna be partnering with us this year to do a lot of the decor, and we’re gonna do some social media campaigning around that as well. It’s gonna be pretty exciting. So keep an eye out for that.

Scott Cowan [00:25:03]:

Okay.

Mark Phelan [00:25:04]:

And then moving moving into the new year, we do close for 2 weeks every January. Oh. We do that in order to do some maintenance projects and things of that nature that are hard to do with guests around. Things that are noisy, you know, smelly like paint. Okay. Those types of things. So, you know, 1 year, you know, we tore up the kitchen floor and redid it and things like that. So we we handle some projects that we we can’t get done at other times a year.

Mark Phelan [00:25:27]:

So the first half of January, basically, we’re closed. Then we move right into, like, the the romance kind of you know, January is always sort of a wellness season, if you will. People always making their new year’s resolutions. And so we focus on the wellness early in the year, increasing and expanding the wellness program. February, of course, becomes all about the romance and, Valentine’s Day, and I think it’s on a Friday, next year, which is great. So we have that. And then moving into spring, that’s when the oysters really start to pop because the, the they’re at the particular time in their life cycle and the water’s particular temperature. I think you talked to Sarah probably about this last time.

Mark Phelan [00:26:05]:

But the spring is really the best time for the oysters. And we take a lot of pride in our oysters and, and, obviously we don’t harvest all our own oysters off our beach, but we do a little bit. And then we partner a lot with local, farmers in the area, oyster farmers in the area. So that’s pretty exciting. We do a whole oyster month thing in in April where we have oyster activities every day of the week and, oyster specials in the restaurant down at Tuck and Fork, really kind of celebrate the the oyster. And then that sort of leads into, like, the spring and, you know, the new life and and kind of coming back out of those winter months. So it’s kind of a flow. It’s also, the winter months also tend to be a little bit more corporate heavy where people will do meetings and things of that nature that they don’t wanna do during the summer when their kids are out of school and they’re taking vacations and things like that.

Mark Phelan [00:26:57]:

Summer is really families and individual travelers, then the winter kind of becomes more of a corporate environment. And that’s becoming even like when I say that, I mean corporate groups coming out and doing retreats and things like that. But we’ve also just seen a lot of the kind of blended traveler, lately with people coming out and working remotely from Aldabrook. You know, it’s a great place if you are hybrid, where you can kind of blend your vacation with your work. So you spend, you know, a few hours a day working, and then you’re you’re at the resort, and you’re able to enjoy all the amenities that the resort offers.

Scott Cowan [00:27:33]:

So, you know, seasonally so what I’m what I’m taking away from this is that seasonally, you guys kinda have there’s a a an ebb and flow and a rhythm to the the the business, to to Aldergook Resort. Right?

Mark Phelan [00:27:47]:

Correct. Yeah. It’s definitely definitely peaks in the summer and gets a little quieter in the winter. We do we do run a pretty high occupancy year round, something we take pride in. And, but again, it’s it’s and especially, you know, from from my perspective as as a marketer, you know, it’s a different audience at different times of the year and it’s a different customer. And so, we do kind of lean into that. And I mean, even some months are like that. June, June December, you know, the first half of June, you’re still doing corporate events, you’re still doing weddings, you know, things like that.

Mark Phelan [00:28:21]:

And then, bam, you know, the minute school ends, it’s there’s families everywhere. December is like that as well, where, you know, the first half of the month, a lot of holiday parties, a lot of people getting together for that type of thing. And then the second half of the month, it’s, you know, bam, all families coming out to to participate in those traditions like I talked about. So even within the months, it can have an ebb and a flow. And and, yeah, we we plan our strategies around those things.

Scott Cowan [00:28:47]:

Okay. I’m on my screen, there’s an email from you on my screen that I can read, and I see your your signature. And so I’m gonna put you on the spot. This isn’t your email signature. This can’t be a surprise because you’re you’re telling me, and I’m gonna read exactly. From woodland to waterfront, ask me about one of our unique culinary adventures. So you gotta be prepared for that question.

Mark Phelan [00:29:17]:

I dive right in? Okay. Yeah. Dive.

Scott Cowan [00:29:18]:

Dive in.

Mark Phelan [00:29:19]:

I think, you know, woodland to waterfront is the tagline that we use because, we have, like I said, you know, 6, 7 miles of hiking trails. And then we have, you know, the Hood Canal right in front of us. So the Hood the canal side of the building was our front door for many, many years before they built the road. People would come in by boat. And so we often say we have 2 front doors. And we have the forest on one side, we have the canal on the other side, kayak rentals, pedal boat rentals. We have the Lady Aldebroch. So you can spend time in the woods.

Mark Phelan [00:29:50]:

You can spend time on the water. I think that’s relatively unique. There’s not a lot of resort. Usually when you travel, you’re gonna pick 1 or the other. And so we have the the woodland to waterfront is something that we’re we’re excited about. And the unique culinary adventures refer to the the gathering grove up in the forest. Mhmm. So the the suppers that we do up there that you can you can do we do ticketed events.

Mark Phelan [00:30:12]:

You can buy individual tickets to some of those, in the warmer weather, but you can also have a private event there as well. So that that’s and that’s just a magical, magical experience up there. We also have what we call a canal cookout. So we use our boat. This is a private event. A lot of people do this, particularly a lot of wedding groups do this, where they bring all their guests out, put them on board the Lady Aldabrook, take about a 30 minute cruise down to the Hook and Fork. There’s a dock there as well. So the boat docks at the Hook and Fork, all your guests get off the boat, and then the chefs are there all over open fire, stationed out foods, all the local foods from the area, local farms, local beaches.

Mark Phelan [00:30:54]:

And it’s kind of an interactive thing where they’ll be more than happy to talk with the guests about, you know, where they got whatever it is that they’re cooking that day, how they’re preparing it, why they’re doing it that way, what makes it special to the area, things like that. And then everybody reboards the boat a few hours later and heads back to the resort. That’s a really, really fun event. And, so those two things are really the 2 big culinary adventures, but we do other little things like throughout the week, we do a trail to table event where you’ll take like a guided walk in the forest with, with one of our grounds, folks. And then they will do a little bit of foraging up in the forest, come back and hand you off to one of our chefs, who does like a little cooking demonstration in our chef’s garden. Chef’s garden is something that’s relatively new as well. There’s so much to talk about. I always forget things.

Mark Phelan [00:31:42]:

But the chef’s garden is a little spot that the team created, where they’re actually growing a lot of stuff that we use in the kitchen. The edible flowers are the big thing. Potatoes, they use the 3 sisters kind of method. And I am not an expert on that, but it’s it’s a it’s a way of planting, 3 different things where they’re all giving each other the nutrients that they need to survive. So, it’s a traditional way of farming. So we use that up on our chef’s garden. They make their own fertilizer, out of like grass clippings and things. It’s really neat what they have going on there.

Mark Phelan [00:32:15]:

So there’s there’s other little adventures throughout, throughout the week, throughout the year, but those are the 2 big ones. The the gathering growth functions and the canal cookouts are really what that is referring to. Okay.

Scott Cowan [00:32:28]:

So my next question, you’re not well, you you I hope you can answer it, but we we never discuss, like, we’re gonna go here. But once again, it’s also off your email signature line. And it says your northwest tradition since 1913.

Mark Phelan [00:32:44]:

Correct.

Scott Cowan [00:32:45]:

What what what are the Aldabrook history? What do you know of the history of the resort? Do you know its origin back in 1913?

Mark Phelan [00:32:54]:

Yeah. So in 1913, the the resort was opened. Bear with me for just a second. So there were no roads out there in the 1st place. So, the only way to arrive was by by steamship as the as the, as the story goes. There was tents on the beach, the big kind of like camper tents, if you will. Right. On the beach, the guests would put their milk, eggs, whatever they need to keep cold right there in the stream.

Mark Phelan [00:33:23]:

And so that’s kind of the lore of the history. And then they they eventually built the road, which made it a little bit easier for folks to get there. But it so that’s where it was in 1913. The the story gets fun about 15 years later when the resort was purchased by, 2 women, Clara Eastwood and Eloise Flagg, affectionately known as the Aldeburgh Girls. They have quite a history in the area. Anybody who’s local to Union would know who they are. So that’s kind of a really fun thing. And then they sold the property after World War 2 to the Schaeffer Logging Company.

Mark Phelan [00:34:02]:

They built the cottages. They did put a lot of work into kind of creating the conference center, kind of creating it more of a of an actual physical space rather than just the tents, on the property. And then it went through a couple of different iterations, a couple of different, ownership groups. Everybody kind of expanded a little bit, put in a dining room, things of that nature. But the the current ownership group, purchased the resort in 2002, and operated it for about 6 months and then shut it down for about 2 years, did the major renovation work, and then reopened we reopened in June of 2004. And and that that’s when I joined as well. So

Scott Cowan [00:34:41]:

I I wonder what it was like back in 1913, you know, taking a steamship up there and hauling your hauling your perishables out and keeping them in the water to keep them cool. That must have been Yeah.

Mark Phelan [00:34:53]:

And it must have just felt so remote. I mean, it feels so remote now Yeah. In that part of the world. I can’t imagine, what it was like back then in terms of just you must have felt like you’re in the middle of nowhere.

Scott Cowan [00:35:02]:

Yeah. That’s that’s great. And now you’re talking about hybrid remote

Mark Phelan [00:35:05]:

work. Exactly.

Scott Cowan [00:35:06]:

Yeah. Things have changed. Alright. So I got some questions for you. Well, what else before I before I go down these questions about you, what else about Aldabrook do we need to talk about today?

Mark Phelan [00:35:21]:

For fear of sounding too much like a sales manager, which I was for a lot of years, you know, it’s a great just a great place. It’s it’s a great place for a lot of different things. And so, like I mentioned a couple of times, the family events, my own family included, creating memories and traditions with your family, all the stuff at the holidays, summertime. I worked with a wedding couple a few years back that they had met there as little kids. They would come every summer and their families would come and they met and they would play and they and they kinda they grew up together, on their summer vacations and ended up getting married. They actually named their child, actually, the county that that all the work resides in because it had such a meaning to them.

Scott Cowan [00:36:02]:

Wow. So there’s that

Mark Phelan [00:36:03]:

it’s also like an incredibly romantic spot. Great place. We see a lot of proposals, great place for a wedding. The wedding program is amazing. It’s just a magical unforgettable experience for your guests. It’s a great place for adventure. You know, there’s the hiking trails, the kayaking, golfing. So if you’re, like, an outdoor enthusiast, there’s plenty to do as well.

Mark Phelan [00:36:25]:

And then we’re pretty proud of our culinary program. So so the the foodie groups kinda like to come out, talk to the chef, experience some of those culinary activities that we have, learn about, you know, our wine program. We have a whole branded beverage program, so we have our own branded wines. We partner with LOL Cellars in Geek Harbor, and they make a a Pinot Gris for us, and then they make a Cabernet. We just got our our Cabernet Sauvignon

Scott Cowan [00:36:50]:

k.

Mark Phelan [00:36:50]:

In as well. And we have whiskey. We partner with ULA Distillery up on Capitol Hill. They make a private label whiskey for us. So a lot of exciting things for that that group of folks to do that wanna learn about those things. And so it’s it’s, you know, there’s something for everyone, if you will. I know that sounds a little cliche, but, I really do believe that. And then it’s just a great place to just chill.

Mark Phelan [00:37:12]:

There’s, you know, adoronic chairs. There’s chairs all up in the pool house. There’s there’s places lots of grass to just lay out on. So great place to just really, really unwind if you need to do that as well.

Scott Cowan [00:37:23]:

Well, I think we all need to do that at some point in time, and some of us more than more than others. Alright.

Mark Phelan [00:37:28]:

That is great.

Scott Cowan [00:37:29]:

Alright. So here’s some questions about you. And today, I’m gonna I’m gonna do this differently because I’m gonna ask you to answer the questions twice. Okay? So first question is and I warned you about the coffee thing. So where’s a great place to get coffee that you like to go for coffee?

Mark Phelan [00:37:45]:

I get coffee at our drinkery, which I I mentioned earlier right behind the front desk. Yeah. We partner with Arakco Coffee, and it’s a it’s a great cup of coffee. They have all the all the all the flavors, all the syrups, all those things that they can throw in there. I’m a pretty traditional just coffee guy.

Scott Cowan [00:38:01]:

Yeah. So what’s your coffee the so what’s your coffee drink?

Mark Phelan [00:38:03]:

It’s just some iced latte.

Scott Cowan [00:38:05]:

Iced latte. Okay.

Mark Phelan [00:38:06]:

Iced latte, light ice. That’s that’s my go to. Okay. If I’m feeling real fancy, I’ll I’ll get a chai latte. But but basically just and I always I always quiver when they say no flavor.

Scott Cowan [00:38:20]:

Wow. Yeah. See, I’m a I’m a no flavor. Yeah. Plenty of flavor. Exactly.

Mark Phelan [00:38:24]:

Sound like my dad when I say things like that. But I know.

Scott Cowan [00:38:27]:

I know.

Mark Phelan [00:38:27]:

Yeah. I just like a plain old latte right there, right at the drinkery. That’s what they do. You know, that’s their their specialty, and so they’re really good at it.

Scott Cowan [00:38:35]:

And who did you say that you guys partner with for coffee? Morocco. And they’re a Shelton.

Mark Phelan [00:38:40]:

I believe they are in a Shelton. Yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:38:42]:

They’ve got a neat little coffee shop in Shelton. Okay.

Mark Phelan [00:38:45]:

Yeah. And they’re good folks. You know, like I said, we try to partner with with as many local people as possible.

Scott Cowan [00:38:49]:

Alright. Now this one, you can’t answer the Aldarook. You have to give me something outside Aldarook, and then we’re gonna get the Aldarook one. So here’s the question. Where’s a great place for lunch? When all since you you said you’re kind of in the Olympia area, so I’m gonna put you on a spot and say Olympia. Where’s a great place to grab lunch in Olympia?

Mark Phelan [00:39:05]:

Well, what I was gonna say, I I had an idea in mind, but it’s not Olympia. The, Union Square Deli, which is about a mile away from Aldebrook

Scott Cowan [00:39:13]:

Okay.

Mark Phelan [00:39:14]:

Has an amazing, we buy lunch there fairly frequently, me and my team. So we, they have pizzas, they have really good sandwiches, they have amazing coffee as well. Milkshakes, I mean, they’re like that traditional kind of small town. It’s almost like a diner feel, but it’s not in the terms of the way it looks.

Scott Cowan [00:39:30]:

Okay.

Mark Phelan [00:39:30]:

That same kind of like small town, homey comfort food and really, really good. Okay.

Scott Cowan [00:39:37]:

So what’s your go to there?

Mark Phelan [00:39:38]:

In New York, I’m pretty I’m pretty spoiled and and snobbish about my sandwiches, and my pizza. So, I can say that with with that in mind. They do a great job.

Scott Cowan [00:39:48]:

So what do you what’s your go to? What do you grab in there?

Mark Phelan [00:39:52]:

I grabbed the Big John’s Club, which is like a ham and turkey kinda club sandwich, or the meat lovers pizza. If I’m really feeling like I don’t need to be worried about my diet.

Scott Cowan [00:40:02]:

Okay. Solid answers.

Mark Phelan [00:40:04]:

And a chocolate milkshake.

Scott Cowan [00:40:06]:

So how does the pizza hold up? As a New Yorker, dare I ask, how’s it hold up? How’s it stand up to New York pizza?

Mark Phelan [00:40:17]:

There’s no pizza out here that stands up to New York pizza, but but there’s a few that get close and they get pretty close. It has to do with the water and the dough, is really what it comes down to for me. It’s the same with bagels. You can’t really get, get good bagels west of the Mississippi. And I think it has to do with with the with the water and how they make the dough. That’s my theory anyway, but they do a fine job. Like, I’ve just kind of, it’s been a lot of year. I’ve been out here 25 years.

Mark Phelan [00:40:46]:

And so I’ve kind of I’ve kind of had to had to accept certain things in my life. And and that’s one of them.

Scott Cowan [00:40:53]:

You sound brokenhearted. Yeah.

Mark Phelan [00:40:56]:

Every time I go home to visit my family, it’s like, yeah, jingles.

Scott Cowan [00:41:00]:

Do you bring bagels back with you?

Mark Phelan [00:41:02]:

I you know, I haven’t. They’re really fresh. Well, you know, they’re not gonna last. They’re gonna be hard as a rock by the time you get home.

Scott Cowan [00:41:08]:

Alright. Okay. Now same same question. It’s lunchtime. It’s Alderbrook. What are you recommending for lunch at Alderbrook?

Mark Phelan [00:41:17]:

At Alder well, I mean, for one thing, we our our signature kind of appetizer, if you will, is the Grand Marnier Prawns Mhmm. Which are deep fried and like and, and tossed in like a Grand Marnier aioli. It’s like it’s the most it’s got like this crispness to it and the sweetness. It’s so good. It’s so good that we’ve actually turned it into an entree sized dish because people often would order 1 or 2 of them, their main. And so we just kinda lean into that a little bit. That’s my personal favorite thing. Yeah.

Mark Phelan [00:41:49]:

I, it’s not very, North Westy, but I like our Reuben quite a bit. They do a really good job with that, with the corned beef Reuben.

Scott Cowan [00:41:55]:

Okay.

Mark Phelan [00:41:56]:

There’s a Louis salad that that’s really, really good. And then of course, we always have oysters on the menu, and and a lot of different iterations.

Scott Cowan [00:42:05]:

I know. I I love oysters, but the way you just described those prawns, man, that’s that’s crazy.

Mark Phelan [00:42:10]:

Prawns are to die for, honestly.

Scott Cowan [00:42:12]:

Yeah. That’s that’s crazy. Okay.

Mark Phelan [00:42:14]:

I tried making them at home, and I failed miserably. Well, at

Scott Cowan [00:42:17]:

least you tried. I mean, gotta give you

Mark Phelan [00:42:19]:

with the recipe. I I still screwed it up. But, anyway, yeah. So you gotta come to Alberts together. Okay. Alright.

Scott Cowan [00:42:24]:

My last question, man. I prepped you. I said it’s gonna be a hard question. Now I’m gonna call you a New Yorker for this, and so I I know you’re gonna have an opinion. You ready?

Mark Phelan [00:42:34]:

I have a lot of opinions.

Scott Cowan [00:42:35]:

There you go. And this is your chance. Cake or pie and why?

Mark Phelan [00:42:42]:

I I don’t know how much of this has to do with with where I’m from, but I don’t like my desserts to involve fruit or vegetables. So like carrot cake or like pie, like I’m I’m I want I want I want, like, chocolate cake or ice cream, you know, something that’s just sweet and not healthy for me.

Scott Cowan [00:43:07]:

So you’re

Mark Phelan [00:43:08]:

Jolly pie, but it’s usually chocolate cream pie or something like that. I don’t eat, like, apple pie or anything like that.

Scott Cowan [00:43:13]:

So you’re you’re you’re firmly in camp cake?

Mark Phelan [00:43:17]:

Yeah. Okay. Definitely.

Scott Cowan [00:43:19]:

There’s no wrong answer here. You know, you’re amongst friends. It’s okay.

Mark Phelan [00:43:22]:

Nice. New York cheesecake. That’s probably my favorite. Okay. Alright.

Scott Cowan [00:43:27]:

Now I will share with you. I asked this question of I don’t remember when we started asking this question, but at least a 150 guests ago. And I have noticed a trend. Native Washingtonians almost always pick pie. Transplants mostly pick cake, and it’s inter it’s interesting to me because you’re the 1st person to articulate it. You don’t want fruit or vegetables.

Mark Phelan [00:43:59]:

Not in my dessert.

Scott Cowan [00:44:00]:

Yeah. No. Yeah. Not in your dessert. And and that’s an interesting outlook on that to me. I think that’s that’s that’s kinda cool. It’s I’m fast this question is so simple, but I really the reason I require you to give me an answer, like, why, is that’s where it really gets interesting is people’s upbringing and their backgrounds because I think I think your references are set when you’re a kid and how your, you know, how your family is. You know? You know, like, are you from a cake family? Are you from a pie family? You kinda probably gravitate along those lines.

Scott Cowan [00:44:34]:

That’s interesting. So you’re New York cheesecake.

Mark Phelan [00:44:38]:

Definitely.

Scott Cowan [00:44:39]:

That’s that’s the go to. That’s like the if I if I said you could only have one type of dessert the rest of your life, you’re that’s your answer?

Mark Phelan [00:44:46]:

If I could only have one dessert for the rest of my life, yeah, that would be that or ice cream, but ice cream is kind of a cheat because there’s so many different flavors of ice cream that Right, right. I think that’s also may have to do with the fact that, know, Washington obviously known for their apples. There’s a lot of good berries in Washington, huckleberries. I think, you know, people here, kind of grew up with really good pie. And so it’s sort of maybe that’s why the natives prefer the pie.

Scott Cowan [00:45:12]:

Maybe. I, you know, I don’t know. I I’m probably, you know, I asked the question, but yet I I very rarely will answer it because I don’t know that my answer is consistent. I I, you know, I kind of enjoy both. Probably say pie. I mean, I’ll probably go with pie a little bit over cake because I’m not a big fan of, like, those Costco sheet cakes with the, you know, the the frosting that’s, you know, a 100% sugar and is a little too much for me. Okay. But I’m gonna give you the final word, and I’m gonna tell you to put on your sales manager’s cap.

Scott Cowan [00:45:45]:

Alright? Sell my audience and come into Aldabrook.

Mark Phelan [00:45:51]:

So my 5 minute elevator speech. I’ve already kind of given it quite a bit of this, so it’s gonna be a little tricky. But Go ahead. You know, like I said, there’s something for everyone to do, especially depending on the time of year. It’s an incredibly magical place. It really is a great place to build, build memories, build traditions with your family. The fact that, you know, there’s 3 of us that have been there over 20 years, there’s I would guess there’s probably 15 people that have been there over 10 years. And that’s because it’s a great place because we love working there.

Mark Phelan [00:46:21]:

We believe in everything that we’re doing. We’re very well supported by ownership. The guest experience is the most important thing to everybody on property that’s that’s been preached to us for, you know, the entire time I’ve worked there is the the bottom line to us is the is the guest experience. And so everyone there buys in, everyone’s, you know, drinking the Kool Aid, and we are all focused on taking care of the guests and giving them a unique and magical experience that they’ll remember forever and wanna come back. You know, it’s the other thing just sort of logistically is, you know, we’re only 2 and a half hours, you know, kind of right in the middle of Seattle and Portland, about 2, 2 and a half hours from either city. So it’s it’s, you know, you’re not spending all day on a plane or in a car getting somewhere. You can get there and, you know, that quick amount of time, but you feel like your world’s away from everything. And, especially when you’re up in the trails and you’re kind of getting away from the road.

Mark Phelan [00:47:17]:

And I mean, you could be in the middle of Mount Rainier and you wouldn’t, you know, you just you just feel this magical kind of calm overcome you. And we are we are truly there to make that experience great for you. That’s what we’re all there to do. And so, everyone buys in and everyone believes in the mission. And so, I I feel like it’s I mean, again, I wouldn’t have been there 20 years if I didn’t feel like it was really special.

Scott Cowan [00:47:42]:

Well, that’s, you know, that says a lot when when you have a team that’s got some tenure with it. You know what I mean? They’ve been there for a while. That says a lot. But, really, the thing the thing that says the most about Aldebrook to me is that Santa’s hanging out there a lot pre Christmas. If you guys if you got if you guys are making Santa comfortable, you know, come on.

Mark Phelan [00:48:05]:

Yes. It’s becoming quite the tradition for him and his family as well.

Scott Cowan [00:48:08]:

There you go. Well, Mark, thank you so much for sitting down with me today. I appreciate it. I I look forward to watching. And, you know, as as I watch around the entire state, there’s places I like to keep an eye on. The Aldabrook’s one of them. I need to physically get out there and check it out. I I told, you know, I told Sarah I would do that last year, and I didn’t.

Scott Cowan [00:48:28]:

So I don’t want I can’t be a liar twice in a row. So I’m gonna get out there in 2025. I’m gonna let you know I’m popping out. It’d be nice to to meet you in person and say hi. Maybe grab a iced latte there.

Mark Phelan [00:48:39]:

And,

Scott Cowan [00:48:40]:

I’d I’d love to I’d love to check it out in person. So thanks again for taking the time, and, we’ll talk soon.

Mark Phelan [00:48:47]:

Thank you.