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A Little Direction Goes a Long Way at Salamander
A Little Direction Goes a Long Way at Salamander
By Leonard Shapiro
Scott Little has always been fascinated by any sort of construction work, so the Managing Director of Salamander Middleburg makes it a point to regularly wander over to where a spectacular new outdoor pool complex is being built, with completion expected in time for guests’ summer swimming.
“For all of my career in hotels and hospitality, I’ve always had some big renovation project I’ve been involved with,” said Little, who came to Salamander in December, 2023 to begin what he described as a dream job come true for a man whose impressive resume already includes significant stops at a number of iconic properties.
A native of Doylestown in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, he’s also always had an affinity for historic preservation, not to mention woodworking and cabinet making hobbies on his down time. In 2005, he was director of construction at Montpelier during the major renovation of James Madison’s Virginia presidential home near Orange, Virginia.
“There was a $60 million restoration of the home, the gateway, the bridge,” he said. “It was the nation’s most aggressive historic preservation project up to that time. It was very interesting and rewarding work.”
There’s been much more of the same over the years for Little. Before moving back to Virginia, where he and his family have lived for 35 years, Little was most recently vice president and general manager of the historic Harbor View Hotel on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
He’s been president and CEO of Kelley House Hotel, also in Martha’s Vineyard, general manager of the Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamondrated Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Virginia, and General Manager of Hotel Lombardy in Washington, D.C.
He has also held leadership roles at Keswick Hall in Keswick, Virginia, Woodstock Inn & Resort in Woodstock, Vermont and Four Seasons Philadelphia. Little also spent over a decade working in real estate, development and preservation, including serving as vice president and director of development for The Silver Companies in Metro Washington.
The move from Martha’s Vineyard back to his home in Culpeper was a perfect fit for Little and his wife Carol, who met just after high school and have been married 40 years. She’s a master baker and culinary force and they have four adult children, all born and raised in Virginia. After spending the previous eight years off Cape Cod on the Vineyard, it seemed like the right time to return to the Commonwealth.
Little said he’s always been intrigued with Salamander, now a 340-acre triple Forbes Five-Starrated property with nearly 400 employees. And while he added that, “I wasn’t here to see it come out of the ground” before the resort opened in 2013, “I’ve followed its progress almost every minute since. The luxury hotel business is such a small industry, and it’s been done right here.”
Little gives full credit to Salamander Collection’s founder and owner, Sheila Johnson, who still lives halfway between Middleburg and The Plains and remains actively involved with the Middleburg property, one of seven her company either owns or operates.
“She offers an absolute master class every day to those who are paying attention,” he said. “It’s a master class in powerful leadership, in business achievement, but most of all human relations and genuine hospitality; it’s all personal to her. And that in turn triggers me to exceed even her highest expectations. She’s an absolute delight to work with.
“This is the birthplace of the Salamander company,” he added. “And it’s a real privilege to be here and in a place that’s a triple 5-star property, one of only 14 in the world with this particular designation.”
Johnson is a huge fan of her managing director as well.
I’ve had some great GMs that have led Salamander Middleburg but Scott Little is an exception,” she said.” He’s been a true inspirational leader who encourages our employees to be the best they can possibly be. Our employees have so much respect for Scott because of his clear communication skills and his vision and goals for the resort.
“He’s been a game changer. Our guests take note of the excellent service and give much of the credit to Scott’s leadership.”
Little is clearly enamored with Salamander’s bucolic setting. Sitting out on the resort’s back terrace overlooking the expansive rolling lawn and tree line beyond, he said he initially wondered why the new pool complex wasn’t located in front of where he was sipping a glass of ice water during a recent interview.
“It took me some time to understand that we’re not just sitting on a restaurant porch,” he said. “Just sitting here and taking in this scenery is very special. You want to keep it as an open space and have the feel of a country estate as much as possible. When (Ms. Johnson) sees the space filled with local people, children, dogs, and guests she’s delighted. It just makes her so happy to see everyone enjoying Salamander the way she had designed it.
“This resort was built for the ages. You don’t see blocks of concrete, you see stone walls that are quintessential Virginia Country. It was built to outlast all of us. And when she appointed me as Managing Director, she told me that one of her biggest priorities was to do things the right way for the resort and the community. And it has to be sustainable long term.”
With Scott Little at the helm, that should not be a problem.
