Woodstock Inn & Resort takes home Innkeeper of the Year award at tourism summit

WOODSTOCK—Gary S. Thulander, president and general manager of the Woodstock Inn & Resort, was awarded the Borden E. Avery Innkeeper of the Year by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce at the 34th Annual Vermont Tourism Summit, held April 5-6 at Stoweflake Resort, Stowe.
“Gary Thulander is the epitome of a leader to his resort team and the community,” said Ronda Berns, vice president of Tourism for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. “With a global vision to make Woodstock a top destination in the Northeast, he is laser focused on ensuring the economic sustainability of the area and supporting the brand of Vermont. His community activism perfectly aligns with his vision for the resort, resulting in a harmonious equation for success.”
The Vermont Chamber of Commerce Hospitality Awards are an important component of the Vermont tourism and hospitality sector. The awards presented each year at the Vermont Tourism Summit celebrate the hospitality and tourism industry’s vast contributions to the state economy, and acknowledge the award winners as stand-out achievers within the industry, who enhance Vermont’s iconic brand.
“This award is really about the dedicated team that brings their ‘A’ game to work every single day to keep our resort running like a well-oiled machine,” said Thulander. “I share this award with each and every one of my teammates and with the board of the Woodstock Foundation. I’m honored to help execute their vision for the continued sustainability of the Woodstock Inn & Resort and our community,” he continued.
Thulander’s leadership has already reaped rewards, with 2015 reaching record occupancy not matched in decades as well as record revenues for the resort 2015 and 2016. His and his team’s efforts have been recognized by numerous reviewers touting the Woodstock Inn & Resort as one of the best resorts in the country and world. This includes Travel & Leisure’s Top 500 Hotels in the World, and Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards as the No. 1 resort of choice in Vermont.
Thulander joined Woodstock in the fall of 2013. A hospitality industry veteran with more than 28 years of experience, including seven years as general manager at The Equinox Resort & Spa, Manchester Village, Vt., Thulander has worked with premier resorts throughout the East Coast and Caribbean. Thulander most recently served as general manager of Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain resorts in Saint Lucia, continuously voted as the top two resorts in the Caribbean.
A native of Francestown, N. H., Thulander received his college degree in hotel administration from the University of New Hampshire.