Coastal Living: Collection from Local Photographer offers Guests a Window into Maine’s Ocean Culture

Land's End on Bailey Island. (Pepper Gross)

Guests at Boston East India Hotels Brunswick, Maine, hotel The Daniel or visitors to the Coast Bar +Bistro can get a picturesque window into the soul of life on Maine’s coast and they have local photographer Pepper Gross to thank. Gross is the perfect example of the kind of local talent we want to use to inflect the spirit of the region into the guest experience at our hotels.

A native of Brunswick, Gross is in her senior year at Wheaton College in Chicago, studying international business with a minor in fine art photography and digital arts.

The 21-year-old has a passion for travel and has visited almost 30 countries throughout the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Africa, using her keen eye for landscape and the essence of local environment to document her travels with photos. She loves exploration, discovery and the use of photography to capture the diverse people and landscapes that the world has to offer.

For The Daniel, she turned this passion and vision toward the coast of Maine and the places she grew up. She contributed about 60 photos that are placed throughout The Daniel and the Coast Bar + Bistro.

The setting is mostly Harpswell, including Bailey Island, Orr’s Island, and popular local spot Popham Beach.

“For these photos I focused on the coastal area of Maine. I have grown up around here and I know all the scenic spots to take pictures,” Gross says. “I tried to take pictures that will engage both the locals and people who have not seen these types of places.”

The photos emphasize the variances of light in an oceanic setting, the ocean’s interaction with nature and the infusion of man-made objects representing the connection of people to the sea.

Gross calls the photos classic Maine images, similar to travel photography with a mixture of landscapes and close ups. They incorporate fine art, macro shot and still life photography techniques.

The motif of images connected to the ever-present lobster industry is common throughout the photos, as is the capture of trivial tidbits of the coast life set against the omnipresence of the ocean.

Gross’ favorite photo is a black and white capture of the statue of a fisherman in Land’s End on Bailey Island. The statue is an ode to fishermen, living and dead, and the lives they lead and the importance of their contributions to the local culture.

“That kind of just typifies the area I grew up in,” she says. “It is a classic statue that pays tribute to fishermen, who work hard all their lives.”

Another favorite is the shadow and light infused image of the Cribstone Bridge in Harpswell that connects Bailey Island and Orr’s Island. The bridge has a unique design that uses granite slabs from local quarries in an open cribbing placement that allows the tidal water to ebb and flow freely through

Cribstone Bridge, Orr's Island. (Pepper Gross)

the bridge. The bridge looms prominently in the background of the photo with a parking and boat launching sign detailing cost and payment information in the foreground.

“This picture shows the way that Maine-ards make a living off of tourism and also shows what the locals do — it is a combination of these two things,” Gross said.

The photos include both black and white, but Gross does profess a particular affinity to the black and white images. “I really love black and white. The ones that look best in black and white are generally my favorites,” she says.

One of the things Gross also loved about the assignment was the chance to revisit places familiar to her with a critical eye. “It was really neat just kind of looking at what I have grown up with in a different light,” she added.

At Boston East India Hotels we want to help guests at all our Troca Hotels collection properties experience the local culture. At The Daniel, the way Gross was able to walk through the region with her photos helps guests to experience coastal Maine living. The photos have already received numerous compliments and there is no doubt they will be a talking point for all visitors at The Daniel.

See below for more samples of Pepper Gross’ photos currently at The Daniel and the Coast Bar + Bistro.

Lobsterman's wharf, Bailey Island. (Pepper Gross)

Bailey Island. (Pepper Gross)

Popham Beach. (Pepper Gross)

To check out some of Pepper Gross’ other photography visit: Pepperspray.

Hotel Amenities: What’s in Your Guest Room?

It’s not easy becoming part of Troca Hotels. Just ask some of the amenities lined up to vie for a coveted spot at one of our hotels. If you want to be part of the brand you had better bring your “A” game because we take the selection process seriously.

The fact of the matter is not just any amenity is going to end up at one of our hotels. No, to make the final cut, to earn that spot at one of our hotels, such as The Sofala 15°74 in Goa, India, or The Daniel 43°69 in Brunswick, Maine, you’ve got to have an interesting story, perform really well, and be a little different. 

When guests check into a property within the Troca Hotels collection, they are not seeking cookie-cutter experiences. From the check in to check out, Troca Hotels are an experience — from caring and helpful staff, to creative interiors and artwork to guestrooms that are thoughtful and comfortable. Amenities, long overlooked as throwaway essentials, are a part of the details we care a lot about.

At Troca Hotels we are curators of our guests’ experiences. We are not shy about sharing our learned opinions about what will make their stays most enjoyable nor are we reticent to ask their opinions and learn from them. We are creating experiences for our guests by listening to their needs and then adapting to them. When it comes to amenities, that means lining them all up and digging in to figure out what our guests will appreciate and enjoy best and searching for the signs that convince us it should be part of the experience we offer.

There is no shortage of suitors: Float by William Roam, Aveda, Malin+Goetz, Philosophy, and C.O. Bigelow, to name a few. 

The first part is the fun stuff — testing different lotions, and fragrances; eyeing the cool package and sleek design; stacking the different products up against each other, literally, to see how they compare. Our CEO's own viscosity index -- which measured how watery a hand lotion is -- added to the many hurdles faced by the competitors. 

But that is hardly the end of the process.

Green, eco-friendly, sustainability these words are tossed around probably a bit too lightly nowadays by some, but not us. Our choice is not going to be just the perfect amenity on the face, but it is also going to be backed by a company that takes dedication to sustainability and the world we live in seriously.

In the selection process, the product is only part of the story and you can bet before we choose, we will study the whole story. We are buying the company not just the product.

Yes, we know that William Roam is aligned with 1% For The Planet and pledges one percent of all sales to environmental organizations.

We also know about Aveda’s Full Circle Recycling Program and that the company has partnered with g2 Revolution, a recycling innovations company, to provide product users a chance to return Aveda packaging and accessories not accepted by municipal curbside recycling programs to their Aveda Experience Centers.

And you can bet we are aware that Malin+Goetz founders Matthew Malin and Andrew Goetz are dedicated animal lovers and have pledged to never test their products on animals. In addition, there is the company’s pretty cool Product Hounds section of its website, dedicated to their “customers’ best friends.”

It matters to us, because we know it matters to you.

So the amenities are overflowing right now in a race to the top of the Troca Hotels list.  We’re putting a lot of thought into what we present to you — when you use these products in our hotels, we hope you will see and feel that attention to detail. The winners of our selection process are to be announced soon — stay tuned.

We look forward to seeing you soon!