John T. Hallowell, managing director of the Woodstock Inn & Resort and vice chair of the Woodstock Resort Corporation, announced the promotion of W. Courtney Lowe to president of the Woodstock Inn & Resort, effective July 1, 2021.
Lowe, who joined the resort in 2010 as director of sales and marketing, was named vice president of Marketing and Business Development in 2018. He will oversee all resort operations in his new position.
“I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Courtney over the past three years. He’s an outstanding leader who has contributed significantly to the resort’s success over that time and helped navigate it through the most challenging year in our 50-plus year history,” said Hallowell in making the announcement. “This well-earned advancement speaks to his many talents, leadership skills, ability to motivate resort teams, and his respected profile within the Woodstock community.”
Douglas R. Horne, Trustee of the Board of the Woodstock Foundation and Chairman of the Woodstock Resort Corporation, said, “This transition has been carefully planned to further an enduring connection that John Hallowell, Ellen R.C. Pomeroy, chair of the Woodstock Foundation, and I have with the legacy of Laurance and Mary Rockefeller and their commitment to balance community, economic sustainability, and respect for the Vermont landscape. We join in celebrating Courtney’s evolutionary role within the tightly woven fabric of this community, which features for both of these institutions a cherished and highly valued partnership with Billings Farm & Museum.”
Horne added that Lowe’s promotion to President, alongside the valued contributions of Paul Ramsey as General Manager, will complement Hallowell’s role as Managing Director. He said, “John, who has served as a Director of the Board of Woodstock Resort Corporation since 2008, Paul Ramsey having filled several key roles over the course of more than twenty years of service here, and Courtney, with a decade at the resort marked by a period of sustained growth, make a dynamic and creative leadership team. As Courtney takes charge of resort operations, John’s role as managing director will allow him to expand his engagement at the resort on strategic matters, particularly on achieving a higher level of collaboration with Billings Farm & Museum in developing additional programs for public education and enjoyment.”
Lowe has served as a member of Woodstock’s Economic Development Commission and has contributed to several boards in the Woodstock community, including the Norman Williams Library and the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce.
A hospitality industry veteran with nearly 30 years of experience, he has worked with premier resorts in the U.S., including as general manager of The Equinox Resort & Spa in Manchester Village, VT. Most recently, he served as regional vice president for Benchmark Hospitality International and has served in senior management and marketing positions for luxury resorts such as the Bedford Springs Resort in Pennsylvania, the Boar’s Head Inn & Resort of Charlottesville, Virginia, and marketing and sales for several regional New England properties. He has served on a number of industry associations, including New England Inns & Resorts Association, of which he is a past President, and the Vermont Convention Bureau.
Residents of Woodstock, he and his wife, Daphne, have two daughters. Away from the resort, Lowe enjoys entertaining family, and plays ice hockey and golf regularly.
