We Are Upstate NY with Mohonk Mountain House President Eric Gullickson

The Mohonk Mountain House is one of the crown jewels of American vacation resorts, a landmark destination in the heart of the Hudson Valley’s most scenic natural setting. Set beside a picturesque glacial lake, amongst rocky cliffs and over 100 miles of carriageways created by its founders, Mohonk is today known globally through its recent cameos in films and television shows like Billions, Upload, and Severance.

The Mohonk Mountain House’s origin story dates back to the Civil War era when a man seeking escape from the pressures of big city life purchased a tract of land with a small tavern in the Shawangunk Mountains. Over five generations of family ownership, Mohonk has grown exponentially into a top-tier resort named one of the world’s best by arbiters, including Condé Nast Traveler and Travel and Leisure magazines.

Today, we are in Upstate New York with Mohonk Mountain House President Eric Gullickson. With his cousin, Mohonk CEO Tom Smiley, Gullickson is embarking on an ambitious strategic plan to ensure this property’s continued popularity, just as the Hudson Valley experiences renewed growth as a vacation destination. A former journalist, publicist, and professional mountain biker, Gullickson, like many of his family, learned the business from the bottom up – as a teenage go-fer in the properties Barn Museum, a waiter, a cashier in the golf shop, and a bike patrol ranger on Mohonk’s sprawling carriageway system.  Gullickson even met his wife, Robyn, while working together at Mohonk, a testament perhaps to its popularity with couples seeking a romantic getaway.

Read on to learn more about the fascinating history of Mohonk and Gullickson’s plans for its future.

INSIDE+OUT: The history of Mohonk Mountain House goes back to the Civil War era when Albert Smiley bought 300 acres and a 10-room inn in 1869. How have his initial vision and his love of nature guided Mohonk’s growth and expansion?  

Eric Gullickson: When Albert bought the property, it was not initially to create a hotel or resort; it was to have a nature retreat, a peaceful place in the woods where he and his family could relax and escape the pressures of big city living. Ultimately, their friends became intrigued with the property, and they began hosting them. They then decided to enlarge the tavern, which came with the original purchase, to accommodate other guests. It was and still is an extraordinarily unique location, adjacent to an incredibly picturesque glacial lake with unique flora and fauna.  They saw its value and wanted to provide others with access to the tranquility this splendid natural setting provides. 

Please give us an overview of Mohonk Mountain House’s history, impressive grounds, and the many offerings it provides visitors.

Eric Gullickson: Both Albert and his brother Alfred had a strong love of nature, cultivating and curating gardens. Once they started developing the property, they built miles and miles of carriageways to take visitors to these incredible vistas away from the lake and the hotel via horse-drawn carriages.  This infrastructure is still a vital resource of Mohonk today.

Over time, they had this vision to become innkeepers. The first 30 years, from the purchase in 1869 through the turn of the century, were when most of the property was developed, including the significant buildings and assets you and I know today. Within the boundaries of Mohonk Mountain House, we have 60 miles of trails. In 1963, we donated some of our land to create the Mohonk Mountain Preserve. Together, there are 120 miles of curated carriageways and trails.

The Mohonk Mountain House, the hotel itself, is an extraordinary structure.  What is its history?

Eric Gullickson: It was created at the same time as carriageways, over the period through 1900.  It was one of many mountain houses in the region.  It was initially comprised of wood structures created from timber cleared to develop the carriageways, some of which still exist. Many of these mountain houses were destroyed by fire, so my family decided to demolish the wooden structure and rebuild in stone the turreted building we see today.  The iconic parlor was completed in 1899 to accommodate conferences and meetings.

Today, we have 263 rooms and two dining rooms, which hold 450 and 150, respectively.  When we’re sold out, we will have about 650 guests.  Six rooms are in a new structure built in 2016, the Grove Lodge. These are ideal for larger groups, family reunions, and such.  The hotel is built on the edge of our famous glacial lake, which is 1/8th a mile long.  We have 60 miles of carriageways that radiate from here, along with trails for rock scrambling. Our activities have changed over the years, but with the carriageways, we’ve had horseback riding, biking, and running paths. We have six tennis courts, formal gardens, swimming in the lake, and more.  Twenty years ago, we built a world-class spa, one that was named #1 in the U.S. by Condé Nast Traveler.  It’s built on one end of a rock face and integrates nicely into the natural environment.  It’s a tranquil space with an indoor swimming pool, 16 spa treatment rooms, a solarium, steam rooms, an outdoor mineral pool, and a salon. This has been an essential offering for our year-round business.

The Mohonk Mountain House became a four-season business in the 1950s.  Before that, we would close for the winter, which many grand resorts in the Hudson Valley still do.  We have an impressive skating pavilion with an area the size of a hockey rink.  There’s also a 40-foot stone fireplace where we do evening events.  In 2024, we opened a tubing hill for which we make our own snow.

As crucial as the brick-and-mortar structure is, so is our special interest programming.  We have “The Wonderful World of Words,” a weekend for devotees of crossword puzzles. We also do a Scottish Weekend in January, a host of culinary programs, including our brewmaster weekend, a Rock-n-Roll & Classic Car weekend, and much more.  It’s a way to draw people who love nature but want to complement it with a cultural passion.

Mohonk Mountain House has been a family-owned business for five generations. How has each generation put its imprint on and helped expand the facility and its offerings?  And what are your goals now that you and your cousin, Tom Smiley, are at the helm?

Eric Gullickson: I became President in 2018 when Tom assumed the title of CEO, so we have been co-leaders since then. Our foremost challenge came within a little over a year of taking over, which was surviving the COVID-19 pandemic. We had to close down from March to June 2020. But when we reopened, we offered what we always have – a quiet place for people to connect with nature and each other. We became an oasis both during and in the wake of the pandemic. 

Essentially, we are building upon what was done by the first four generations. We just completed a strategic plan for moving ahead over the next 20 years. It’s about staying true to our mission, keeping our family engaged in the business, attracting the best and brightest employees, operating sustainably, and continuing to refine and improve upon what people know and love about Mohonk. That means the room experience, the property, the gardens, the cuisine, outdoor experiences, more compelling special events, and much more.    

A good example is our Via Ferrata, which we initiated this past year. The only one in the Hudson Valley, it offers two guided systems of cables and aerial staircases that let people explore the Gunks, the most famous cliffs and challenging rock-climbing destination on the East Coast. Our visitors just clip in and have a curated experience that lowers the bar on this sport, making something that only very experienced rock climbers could tackle accessible to nearly anyone. This is a good example of how we use our land. We always want to utilize it in an appropriate way that keeps people connected to nature without compromising nature. We once considered putting in a zip line, but that is the kind of thing that wouldn’t work for us.

Who are the typical Mohonk visitors? Are they families looking for outdoor activities or romantic singles looking for a quiet getaway?  And what percentage are repeat customers and families that have come over several generations?

Eric Gullickson: It’s a combination of both, and it depends on the season and the programs. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, when school is out, we are busy with families and kids. Outside of those times, it depends on the programming we offer. We have special events that cater to everything from mystery and crossword puzzle lovers to disco, magic, birding, classic cars, Oktoberfest, and even a Scottish cultural weekend. These are extraordinary events for devotees of these interests. 

Mohonk is a very romantic place, so we have many couples and special occasions, and people come here year after year to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and the like.  We also do many weddings, which are an increasingly important part of our business.  As for our legacy guests, it used to be 70/30 repeat to new customers, but in the last 20 years, it’s more 60/40. I’m fifth-generation, and I have met quite a few fifth-generation guests. We want to create new guests with our latest offerings and special programs and continue to appeal to our legacy customers.  And I think we’ve done a good job of providing rich and unique offerings for both.

You have been at Mohonk for 44 years and know its miles of trails and carriageways like the back of your hand. What are some of your favorite spots and activities here?

Eric Gullickson: I’ve been a lifetime athlete and a professional cyclist, so most of my time will be spent on my bike on the carriageways, though I also enjoy hiking and rock scrambling. If I’m biking, I like to go down to Laurel Ledge and continue around to Overcliff/Undercliff Trail, where the Gunks and the climbers are. I also like to bike around the Home Farm Loop. It’s on the southeast side of Skytop and has grand pastoral vistas.  I also love to ride the trails around Boticou Crag.  I live up here, so they are all easily accessible.

You’ve had a varied career before assuming the helm at Mohonk as a journalist, a public relations executive, and even a professional mountain bike racer. How has his experience informed your role as President of Mohonk Mountain House?

Eric Gullickson: After the founders arrived, the next three generations of my family were all born, lived, and were expected to work at Mohonk.  Many of my mother’s generation ultimately moved away and had lives outside of Mohonk. For the first ten years of my life, my family was living out in California. This is where I developed my love of the outdoors and biking.  When I ultimately moved back to Mohonk in my teens, I really took advantage of the trails and became a professional mountain biker. As I traveled the U.S. on the bike racing circuit in the early–mid–90s, I came to appreciate how truly unique Mohonk was. When I transitioned out of racing, I earned a degree in communications and journalism at SUNY New Paltz and became an intern, then a staff reporter for the Poughkeepsie Journal. I then returned to SUNY New Paltz to work in publicity, ultimately becoming the department director. I employed this expertise when I was invited to join Mohonk’s Board of Directors, a role I held for five years while working in PR at SUNY before assuming my current position.  

I understand you started at the bottom at Mohonk as a cleaner in the Barn Museum and a waiter and even met your wife while working her. Tell us how this from-the-bottom-up experience helps you run MMH.

Eric Gullickson: I met my wife, Robyn, at Mohonk when I was around 21. I was still racing professionally but working seasonally in the ski shop; at the same time, she was the head lifeguard and working in the recreational department.  That said, I held quite a few positions here before that. I started when I was 15 years old in the Barn Museum, cleaning dust and pigeon poop off all the antiques! I continued to work in various areas, as a waiter in the Granary, in the golf shop, and as a bike patrol ranger.

My wife’s love of Mohonk played a significant role in my making it a career. While working in publicity at SUNY New Paltz, I took a two-year hotel operations course at NYU. My uncle, then the General Manager, offered me the Director of Hotel Operations position. I was his right-hand man, overseeing housekeeping, guest services, recreation, safety, and security. 

My experience in communication and journalism has been a great boon to Mohonk. This business is about people, and clear communication is the key to success for both the public and your staff. My work in PR has created good relationships with the media, which has helped our business grow. Communication is also vital to helping our 700+ employees understand Mohonk’s mission and their specific roles in it.   

The Hudson Valley has boomed in recent years, especially since COVID-19. How has the increased popularity influenced your business and the activities and amenities you offer your clientele?

Eric Gullickson: It’s been huge. With COVID, people couldn’t go anywhere but North. They didn’t want to be around crowds, so we became a relevant choice for a getaway – a natural oasis from the pandemic. Many of our rooms have private balconies, so people could rent one and be outside. Ultimately, they could take to our miles of trails and carriageways and have plenty in the way of social distancing.  People wanted to get away from the congestion of New York City, and Mohonk, with its focus on nature and wellness programs, was the ideal place. We were about wellness before it was even a term, and our spa and its programming have grown increasingly important. My aunt Nina is Mohonk’s Director of Mindfulness, who does guided forest bathing, meditations, and the like, activities that connect people with nature and each other.

Mohonk Mountain House has recently gained global awareness due to its use as a location for the filming of prestigious television shows like Billions, Upload, and Severance. Can you tell us a little about some of the popular shows and films that have been shot here?

Eric Gullickson: It has definitely increased awareness of Mohonk and showcased the natural beauty and the majesty of our hotel in an exquisite way. But first and foremost, we are a resort hotel for paying guests. We won’t agree to any film or television production that disrupts the guest experience. We always let the producers know when and where filming can happen and to understand the impact on our guests clearly; that’s all worked out in the front-end negotiations. We don’t want drones flying around disrupting our guests when they are out paddling on our glacial lake.

Billions and Upload were well-curated and well-executed, so they were enjoyable experiences.  We are getting an increasing number of inquiries from production companies today; some that will work, others that don’t make sense.  We’re not in the business of film production, but if we can make it work, we will.  

You also never know when these films are being created and what their impact will be. There is an increasing number of people who will say they never knew about Mohonk until they saw it in a particular show or film. For a small, independent property like ours, aligning with these kinds of prestige productions makes sense.  A film production company is like any other supplier or partner. We want them to feel excited and inspired to team up with Mohonk.

Are there any new activities or events coming to Mohonk for the first time this summer that you are most excited about?

Eric Gullickson: Every summer season, we do a new Festival of the Arts. From July 4 through the end of August, we have a new performing arts event every evening – live music, theater, dance and more – in the hotel parlor or out on the boat dock. It’s terrific because it provides not only a performance platform for local artists but also, on the weekend, some bigger names who come in from New York City and other locales. Last year, we launched a nightly Lakeside Lawn Party. These are more kid-friendly events right after dinner — night putting, magicians, jugglers, etc. 

One of Mohonk’s cornerstones is that we don’t have televisions in the rooms, which is unusual for a resort. We have live entertainment every night, so we intend for families to be together. The entertainment is included in what you pay, which is also unique for a resort. It keeps kids off the television and families together.  It also encourages people to mix and mingle. On any given night, there will be 50 families at our Lawn Parties. And before you know it, they get to know each other and become lifelong friends who may return to see each other yearly.

After 150-plus years in the business, how is the Hudson Valley hospitality market evolving, and how are you staying ahead of the competition?

Eric Gullickson: If you look back at the classic era of Catskill hospitality, there were many more beds and more inventory than today. Like Napa Valley, our area is becoming even more well-known for hospitality, tourism, and agriculture. The more people that come, the better for us and our competitors. The biggest concern for us is the staff, not competing for guests.  If more resorts, hotels, and restaurants are going up in the area, it becomes more competitive for the staff.  We’re lucky we have many long-tenured employees here who seem to love it and return for the same reasons I did so long ago.  With many resorts, you must leave the property when you are done working. One big reason so many of our people stay is that they can swim in the lake, ride trails, and do more when their workday is done, just like our guests.

Photos courtesy of Mohonk Mountain House

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Contributing writer Sal Cataldi is a musician, writer, and former publicist living in Saugerties.

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