Mohonk Mountain House

How These Family Hotels Have Survived for Generations - AFAR

"When I last stayed there with my kids, my father joined us last minute and Nina Smiley, director of mindfulness, found him a cot and personally toured him around the property, sharing stories—an intimate example of how the Smiley family, which has run Mohonk since 1869, blends family stewardship with hospitality. The resort is structured more like a trust than a typical business (no Smileys take dividends; only working family members are paid), they reinvest everything—including a multi-million-dollar overhaul of the kitchen and operations building that replaced an 1880s structure—and that long-view ethos showed during the pandemic when they cut capacity dramatically but kept most of the 800 employees on the payroll; the property remains almost completely television-free and family-friendly, summed up by the refrain “let nature be the entertainment.”" - Heidi Mitchell