Nina Kohler has been named Chief Executive Officer – Hospitality at Kohler Co., effective immediately, taking charge of a portfolio that spans Kohler, Wisconsin; St. Andrews, Scotland; Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Chicago, Illinois. The appointment places her at the top of one of the most storied luxury resort operations in American hospitality — a business that recorded consecutive years of record performance in 2024 and 2025.
For the four years prior to her appointment, Nina served as a consultant and strategic advisor to Kohler Hospitality, working directly with its leadership team on brand positioning, design, and long-term strategy. That hands-on advisory role shaped the current wave of capital investment now reshaping the Wisconsin destination.
The Expansion Underway
Operators tracking destination resort development will find the scope of Kohler's buildout significant. Projects already completed or underway include the renovation of the Forbes Five-Star Kohler Waters Spa, the conversion of The Carriage House into a 55-room adults-only wellness retreat, and the reopening of Woodlake Market as a gourmet food hall spotlighting regional producers and Wisconsin makers — a format that reflects the broader foodservice shift toward locally sourced, experiential retail dining.
A new racquet sports complex called The Serve adds indoor pickleball, outdoor platform tennis, and a social lounge, extending the destination's year-round appeal. The next development phase includes Bucks & Birdies — a golf and entertainment venue combining interactive golf simulators, racing simulators, duckpin bowling, and dining — and a 66-room expansion of the Inn on Woodlake. A 14-hole golf course called Purebred Farm, designed by King Collins Dormer west of Blackwolf Run, rounds out the pipeline.
Leadership Vision
"Kohler Hospitality gives people the opportunity to experience our company's commitment to design and craftsmanship firsthand," said David Kohler, Chair and CEO of Kohler Co. "Nina has played an important role in shaping the direction of this business and the investments now taking place."
Nina Kohler's own remarks signal an approach centered on restraint as much as growth. "Our opportunity is not simply to add more," she said. "It is to give people enduring reasons to return, and to be as careful about what we preserve as about what we add."
That philosophy aligns with a wider pattern among luxury resort operators who are investing in multi-layered food, beverage, and wellness programming to drive repeat visitation — a trend covered extensively in hospitality industry analysis. The American Club, the flagship property, originally opened in 1918 as housing for immigrant Kohler Co. workers before being reimagined as a resort hotel in 1981. Today it anchors a destination that includes 12 dining establishments, four additional Kohler Waters Spa locations, and championship golf courses that have hosted three PGA Championships and the 2021 Ryder Cup.
Beyond her operational role, Nina Kohler serves as chair of PGA REACH, the philanthropic arm of the PGA of America, and as a board member of Old Course Ltd. in St. Andrews.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
