Wilmington sounds like a great town to live in, and is probably a great lodging choice for a person or group whose primary purpose is skiing from nice lodging as close to the mountian as possible. That being said..........
One of the reasons Whiteface/LP is high on our list of places to ski is because all of that stuff they write in the ski mags......and it ain't just hype. If you have any non-skiers (or non die-hard skiers) in your party (as we do) you just can't beat Lake Placid as a home base, in lodging within walking distance to Main St. For those who like to shop or dine, they can be happy for days. For those who like the bar scene, it's nice to be able to walk home after a few.
We've skied and stayed at places like Stowe, Okemo, Stratton/Bromley, Sugarbush, etc., and while some of those places have slopeside digs that give you access to some stuff, you won't find anything like Lake Placid.
So, while I'd probably opt for Wilmington if it was just myself and a bottle of Advil looking for a place to crash, if you have non-skiers (or light skiers) in your party my recommendation would be something right in the Village of Lake Placid. I mean, if you aren't talking about slopeside lodging, which doesn't exist at Whiteface, the extra five or ten minutes in the car is worth what LP has to offer if you have people in your party who will use it.
We've stayed at the Lake Placid Club Lodges, which I have seen for rent on the Adirondak Vacation Rentals website. While I haven't stayed at the Northwoods Inn, I have researched it for a possible stay in March and their rates are very reasonable for something right in the middle of the village on Mirror Lake.
Different strokes.................