Woodstock Way: A Waterfall Refuge

The Woodstock Way

by Anne Pyburn Craig

May 19, 2022

The Woodstock Way is a vision brought to life by business partners Ryan Giuliani and Jesse Halliburton with a great deal of thought and care.

In the very heart of the fabled town of Woodstock, just steps from the excitement of music venues, galleries, and the Village Green, lies a traveler’s oasis of greenery and creature comforts. Step onto the property and you’ll notice that the sounds of town traffic are drowned out by the rushing of the Tannery Brook Falls. History folds in on itself: There are flourishing hemlocks, the selfsame tree that built the tannery of yore, alongside structures built of reclaimed lumber, state-of-the-art sustainability features, and just enough pop art. Your room features an expertly curated vinyl collection—and Bose Bluetooth speakers to help you get your groove on.

“We were on vacation and we got to talking about how much we loved Woodstock and what it needed. The consensus was that it needed a really great hotel.”
– Ryan Giuliani

That’s the Woodstock Way, a vision brought to life by business partners Ryan Giuliani and Jesse Halliburton with a great deal of thought and care. “We sought a fine line where we could blend respect for history, where Woodstock is right now, and what is trending going forward and appeals to the contemporary Catskills customer,” says Ryan. “We drew inspiration in a broader sense from properties like the Hotel St. Cecilia in Austin, Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn, and the Sunset Marquis in West Hollywood, but of course what emerged was something that could only be in Woodstock.”

The business partners both grew up in the same town in New Jersey, but didn’t really interact until they discovered, in 2005, that they’d both become Woodstock part-timers. Discovering a mutual love of real estate and of their newfound refuge, the two began an ongoing conversation that caught fire a few years back. “We were on vacation in Miami with our wives, and we all got to talking about how much we loved Woodstock and what it needed,”

Ryan says. “The consensus was that it needed a really great hotel.” The dream developed a shape when the team zeroed in on a centrally located property that housed six dilapidated shacks and had been on the market for two years. “People were put off by the amount of work it would take and by how hard it can be to get project approval in Woodstock,” Ryan says. “We were just naive enough to think, well, hey, why not? So in we plunged.”

Three of the cabins were already condemned, the other three were rented during the sixteen-month permitting process, after which the partners began building.

“We sought a fine line where we could blend respect for history, where Woodstock is right now, and what is trending going forward and appeals to the contemporary Catskills customer.”
– Ryan Giuliani

“In any project, getting people on board is a process, and this was an interesting one,” says Ryan. “One of the big concerns, given the central location in a mixed residential and commercial area, was whether we would add noise. But the loudest thing on this property is, and will always be, the waterfall. When it’s calm, it’s a constant, rushing, babbling white noise. When it’s been raining, it’s a mighty roar.”

Woodstock Way opened its doors in August 2018, but construction has been ongoing ever since and Phases 2 and 3 were completed during the pandemic. “We now have a 23-room hotel, a handful of three-bedroom residences and a two-bedroom,” says Ryan happily. “Our King suites have water views, our Tannery Brook suites are right on the water, and all of it is tucked away from the bustle of town.” In keeping with the shared values that unite hippie and hipster, green features abound—four of the eight structures feature green roofs, a bioretention pond handles excess stormwater, and the majority of the property’s electricity comes from a solar array. “We wanted to achieve the goals of LEED-certified construction without worrying about those specific regulations, and I think we did well,” Ryan says. “And primarily we wanted a place where people could come up here on the bus from downstate and stay within walking distance of the Bearsville compound, the Colony, the galleries—be in a beautiful, peaceful oasis with everything the town has to offer just outside the door.”

“We wanted a place where people could come up here on the bus from downstate and stay within walking distance of the Bearsville compound, the Colony, the galleries—be in a beautiful, peaceful oasis with everything the town has to offer just outside the door.” – Ryan Giuliani

Guests at Woodstock Way can expect to be pampered with high-end linens and toiletries, Organic Bear mattresses, all-cotton robes, and coffee/tea service in the morning. A list of expert wellness providers can be booked in advance for in-room treatments. And locals are welcome to stop in and enjoy the property’s beauty and peace; the public “lobby” space, The Tannery, features coffee and cold drinks, a gallery, and artisanal retail.

“Everyone is welcome to come and grab a coffee and a pastry and sit by the stream to unwind,” says Ryan. “We had a vision in our heads, asked people to take us pretty much on faith, and now they can see it and enjoy it. Now we’re ready to welcome travelers from everywhere. And now the live music venues are coming back. People are excited.”

Woodstock Way
10 Waterfall Way, Woodstock
845-684-5911
woodstockway.com