Mr. Wood is the President and Chief Operating Officer of The Garrett Hotel Group, responsible for overseeing the management of the company’s operating hotels as well as the development of new properties.

Born in Coventry, England, Mr. Wood became interested in the hospitality industry at an early age.  After receiving his degree in hospitality sciences at Henley College, he continued his formal training in luxury hotels in London and Paris.

In 1973 Mr. Wood moved to North America and became General Manager of the Edmonton Four Seasons Hotel in 1979, where under his guidance the hotel became the first Mobil Four Star city hotel in the province of Alberta.  He later ran the larger Calgary Four Seasons Hotel and also managed the Calgary Convention Centre.

In 1984, Mr. Wood became a senior partner and the president of FMI Hospitality Systems.  FMI specialized in hotel operations consulting as well as supplying exclusive products to opening hotels.  The company distributed internationally and maintained offices in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Atlanta.  Clients included Walt Disney World, IBM, Nikko Hotels, Four Seasons Hotels, and Delta Hotels in Canada.  He sold the firm in 1988.

Mr. Wood returned to resort management as Vice President of Resort Operations for Jack Nicklaus’ Golden Bear International, North Palm Beach, Florida.  He oversaw all operations for the complex of Grand Cypress Golf Club, The Villas of Grand Cypress, and The Jack Nicklaus Academy of Golf in Orlando, Florida.  During his tenure, Golf Digest rated the resort as one of the top ten golf resorts in the USA.

In mid-1989, Mr. Wood accepted a position with Rosewood Hotels as the Managing Director of The Mansion on Turtle Creek, Dallas, Texas.  During his tenure, The Mansion received the coveted Mobil Five Star Award and the AAA Five Diamond Award for both its hotel and restaurant operations and became a member of Relais & Chateaux.  At the time, The Mansion was one of only three hotels nationwide to hold these multiple awards.  Under Mr. Wood’s leadership, in 1991 The Mansion was voted by The Zagat Survey, the #1 City Hotel in the United States.  The hotel also consistently ranked in the top five in the Condé Nast Traveler readers’ poll.

While with Rosewood, Mr. Wood was the senior executive responsible for the catering services for the G-7 Economic Summit of Industrialized Nations held in Houston in 1990, Queen Elizabeth’s Official Visit to Dallas in 1991, and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s visit to Dallas in 1991.  He also assumed additional responsibilities of managing The Hotel Bel Air, Los Angeles, which was rated Zagat’s #1 City Hotel during his tenure, and was an active member of the development team for The Lanesborough, London.

In 1991, Mr. Wood accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer of North America for Orient Express Hotels, which included the responsibilities of Managing Director of The Windsor Court Hotel, New Orleans Included in his other responsibilities was The Lodge at Vail, The Windemere Island Club on Eluthera, and overall development responsibility for North America including the acquisition process for The Charleston Place in South Carolina..  While under Mr. Wood’s guidance, The Windsor Court received the Mobil Five Star Award for its restaurant, the AAA Five Diamond Award for the hotel, and became the #1 City Hotel in the United States according to The Zagat Survey.

In 1994, Forte Hotels recruited Mr. Wood.  The new division, named Exclusive Hotels of the World, focused on refurbishing and dramatically improving the operations of its 18 luxury properties.  Mr. Wood became Vice President of Operations/North America and began the task of improving the physical and operational standards of The Hotel Westbury and Plaza Athénée in New York, The Watergate in Washington, D.C., including the Watergate’s Mobil Five Star restaurant Jean-Louis, and The King Edward, Toronto.  He established and chaired the international committee to develop the operating standards for Forte’s Exclusive Hotels of the World, a project that took more than a year to complete. Later, after the company was acquired in a take over bid, he took responsibility for divesting several of the company’s North American assets.

Once this was completed, he briefly joined Chelsfield LLC with a view to developing a new luxury hotel group, starting with the renovations of The Westbury Hotels in New York and London. The properties in this venture were subsequently converted in to luxury condominiums or leased out.

In January 1999, Mr. Wood joined long-time friends David and Christie Garrett as a partner and Chief Operating Officer of The Garrett Hotel Group, which specializes in the development of small, historic “Super Luxury” properties.  Based in Burlington, Vermont, Mr. Wood oversees the company’s four operating properties:

The Point (11 rooms) – Saranac Lake, New York

Member of Relais & Châteaux, Mobil 5 Star

 Lake Placid Lodge (34 rooms) – Lake Placid, New York

Member of Relais & Châteaux, Mobil 4 Star

 The Willcox (22 rooms) – Aiken, South Carolina

 The Inn of The Five Graces (22 rooms) – Santa Fe, New Mexico

He is particularly focused on staff training programs.  Mr. Wood is also actively involved in the development of new properties and is spearheading the company’s expansion into management services.

Mr. Wood has always been an active leader in the hotel industry.  In Edmonton, he served as President of the Edmonton Convention and Tourism Authority, and in Calgary Mr. Wood served on the boards of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce and Advisory Board for Tourism for the Government of Alberta.  He served on the board of Relais & Chateaux North America from 1989-1991, board of Preferred Hotels and Resorts Worldwide from 1991-1994 where he was chairperson of the Public Relations Committee in 1992 and Nominating Committee in 1993 and 1994.  He became trustee of the Hotel Association of New York’s pension fund and a member of its Strategic Planning Committee.  He is a member of the Commanderie de Bordeaux.