The Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center is a large hotel and convention center located in National Harbor, in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is owned by Gaylord Hotels, a division of Ryman Hospitality Properties (formerly known as Gaylord Entertainment Company), and operated by Marriott International. The hotel, located in the Oxon Hill community in Prince George's County, Maryland, opened April 1, 2008, serving as the anchor of a new mixed-use (office, residential, and retail) development in National Harbor. It is the largest non-gaming hotel and convention center on the East Coast of the United States. It cost $870 million to build.
The hotel is situated along the shores of the Potomac River, downriver from Washington, D.C., and across the river from Alexandria, Virginia. The center was originally named the "Gaylord Potomac Resort & Convention Center"; the name was changed in the planning stage.
The hotel contains 2,000 guest rooms, 478,000 square feet (44,400 m2) of meeting space, seven restaurants, and a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) spa. It employs 2,200 people. It features an 18-story glass atrium with views of the Potomac River.
It had over 1.3 million room nights booked before its grand opening on April 1, 2008. Other adjacent hotels and facilities are currently being constructed.
The convention center hosted the 2011 Republican National Committee Winter Meeting, at which the 2011 Republican National Committee chairmanship election took place.
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