OFD .
THE
PROFILE
PHILIP WOOD
DEAN D . C .
OFD .
THE
HOW PHILIP WOOD KEEPS THE JEFFERSON HOTEL ABOVE THE LUXURY FRAY .
Contributed by JULIANA SHALLCROSS
When the 2016 presidential election heated up last summer , Philip Wood , managing director of The Jefferson Hotel in Washington , D . C ., gladly told people who had his vote — the hotel ’ s resident beagle , Monticello , or Monti , for short .
Monti ’ s faux presidential bid was a stunt that doubled as both a marketing campaign and a light-hearted take on politics ( slogan : A Sniff in the Right Direction ). For Wood , it was a perfect example of how The Jefferson , a 95-room luxury property in a historic beaux arts building , is willing to try things that are “ a little off the wall .”
“ No one would expect the hotel to do anything like that ,” he says . The campaign was also a perfect example of Wood ’ s management style — approachable , encouraging and involved .
In his long career , the British-born Wood has taken roles on property , in the corporate office and with ownership for hotels both small and large . Yet six years ago , tired of constant international travel , Wood wanted to be an innkeeper again and alighted on The Jefferson for what he calls his “ swan
April 2017 hotelsmag . com 43