Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center - History

History

The property, given a general theme toward "Southern hospitality", opened as The Opryland Hotel in 1977 adjacent to the Opryland USA theme park and the Grand Ole Opry house, from which the hotel took its name. The hotel originally featured 600 guest rooms, a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) ballroom, and 30,000 square feet (2,800 m2) of convention space. Originally built by the National Life & Accident Insurance Company, Opryland Hotel was sold to then-Oklahoma City-based Gaylord Broadcasting Company (which soon after changed its name to Gaylord Entertainment Company) in 1982, along with most of National Life's entertainment properties, including WSM radio, Opryland USA, and the Grand Ole Opry.

In 1983, six years after opening, Opryland Hotel completed its first major expansion, dubbed "Phase II". This large undertaking added 467 guest rooms, moving the total to 1,067. Phase II also brought 30,000 square feet (2,800 m2) more of ballroom space, and added the hotel's first signature atrium, the Garden Conservatory. Under large panes of glass and filled with plant life and fountains, the Garden Conservatory is designed to allow guests to experience a walk in a tropical garden without going outdoors. Hundreds of rooms have balconies overlooking the Conservatory. This was the first truly unique thing the hotel had to offer, and it set the stage for the next two expansions.

By 1988, Opryland Hotel had expanded to 1,891 guest rooms. In the "Phase III" expansion, another 18,000-square-foot (1,700 m2) ballroom was added along with the Cascades, a second atrium designed to complement the Garden Conservatory. The Cascades is covered by an acre of glass, and features thousands of plant species and large artificial waterfalls. As part of Phase III, but delayed by one year, another 4,000-square-foot (370 m2) ballroom opened, designed for more intimate settings and smaller functions.

Separate from the Phase III expansion was the addition of an 18 hole golf course, Springhouse Golf Club, located 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the hotel. The par-72 links-style course was home to the BellSouth Senior Classic at Opryland on the Champions Tour from 1994 to 2003. It was renamed Springhouse Links in 2001, and then Gaylord Springs in 2006.

Opryland Hotel completed its "Phase IV" expansion in 1996. The $175-million "Delta" added 922 guest rooms, bringing the total to its current 2,881, and was the largest construction project in the history of Nashville at the time (it was eclipsed in 1999 by Adelphia Coliseum, now known as LP Field). Also part of the expansion, which more than doubled the size of the existing structure, was an additional 55,465-square-foot (5,152.9 m2) ballroom, a 289,000-square-foot (26,800 m2) exhibit hall, and the Delta Atrium. The 150-foot (46 m) tall, 4.5 acres (1.8 ha) atrium was given a Cajun theme, borrowing many elements from New Orleans, Louisiana. Also under the large glass roof is the Delta River, a 0.25 miles (0.40 km) artificial waterway. For a $9.50 fee and $7 for kids (4-11), guests may ride in a "Delta Flatboat" through a guided tour of the atrium. When it was christened, water samples from more than 1,700 rivers throughout the world, including every registered river in the United States, were poured into the Delta River.

The Delta expansion solidified the trend that Gaylord was focusing more efforts on its hotel division than its theme park, as the massive undertaking swallowed up any and all land the theme park could have expanded upon. Indeed, following the 1997 season, the Opryland USA theme park ceased operations and was demolished. Simultaneously, Gaylord Entertainment announced a joint venture with the Mills Corporation for construction of the 12,000,000-square-foot (1,100,000 m2) Opry Mills shopping mall on the site. The park closure hurt occupancy rates at Opryland Hotel for the next five years. Gaylord Entertainment later divested its share of the mall and now leases the property and the "Opry" name to Simon Properties, the successor to Mills Corporation.

After the theme park closed, Gaylord considered taking the "Opryland" name off the hotel, since "Opryland" (a name which was considered to be most synonymous with the theme park) no longer existed. Extensive market research showed that the hotel would have to rebuild its reputation without the "Opryland" name, so it was kept.

In the late 1990s, Gaylord Entertainment acquired the Ramada Inn on McGavock Pike, just across the street from Opryland Hotel. It was given a major renovation and dropped its Ramada affiliation to be known simply as "The Inn at Opryland". It is now affiliated with Radisson Hotels. This motel is marketed toward guests wishing to receive Opryland Hotel quality and amenities at economy prices.

In 1999, the new Gaylord subsidiary "Opryland Lodging Group", which was formed in 1997 to plan expansions, was renamed "Opryland Hotels" as it began to see its plans for sister properties in Kissimmee, Florida and Grapevine, Texas come to fruition. Another hotel was later announced for Prince George's County, Maryland. As a result of these new plans, the hotel was renamed Opryland Hotel Nashville and given designation as the company's flagship property. The other hotels in the chain were to be named "Opryland Hotel Florida", "Opryland Hotel Texas" and "Opryland Hotel Potomac", respectively.

On October 26, 2001, Opryland Hotel Nashville was rebranded as Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center (or Gaylord Opryland, for short), taking its name from its corporate parent. Gaylord Entertainment made the change seeking to take the "Opryland" name off of the new property in Florida. The Opryland Hotels division was renamed "Gaylord Hotels", and the Florida property was given the name "Gaylord Palms." The Texas hotel was initially going to be called "Gaylord Opryland Texas", but was later changed to "Gaylord Texan", after more market research concluded it needed an identity of its own. The Maryland property, on which construction had not yet begun at that point, was renamed "Gaylord National." Company officials at the time stated that the "Opryland" branding was strong to Nashville (and Texas, initially), but didn't fit with projects in other parts of the United States. Despite the rebranding effort, most locals (including the broadcast media) still refer to Gaylord Opryland as "Opryland Hotel."

In lieu of another expansion and as a result of the rebranding, the hotel underwent a $5 million renovation in 2003. With it came a refurbishment and rebranding of several of the hotel's restaurants and pubs, new retail establishments, and building improvements. Plans were also announced to renovate and refurnish all of the hotel's 2,881 guest rooms over the next few years.

According to a 2003 press release, Gaylord Opryland planned to build a 5,000-seat amphitheatre on the site in the near future, but those plans seem to have been abandoned in favor of a convention center expansion.

In November 2011, Gaylord Opryland opened an Events Center between the Delta and Opry Mills. The yearly "ICE!" exhibit is housed in this building during the winter months.