Press Release: Gaylord Entertainment
August 1, 2002
GRAPEVINE, TX -- At an "Acceleration Celebration" in Grapevine, Texas, yesterday, Gaylord Entertainment
Co. (NYSE:GET) President and CEO Colin Reed said the Gaylord Opryland Texas Resort & Convention Center will
open earlier than previously announced.
"We had planned to open Gaylord Opryland Texas in June 2004," Reed said. "But our revised designs
and recently announced divestitures have enabled us to outline a faster track to complete this world-class hotel
and open by April 2004. We already have customers booked at the property in April 2004."
Reed said Gaylord Opryland Texas will be the only facility of its type in the central part of the United States.
With 1,510 guest rooms and 400,000 square feet of convention, exhibition and meeting space, the resort and convention
center will provide a one-of-a-kind destination just eight minutes from Dallas/Fort Worth Airport for meeting and
convention attendees, as well as tourists and other travelers.
As a resort destination, Gaylord Opryland Texas will be uniquely Texan. In one atrium, guests will experience the
fun of the San Antonio Riverwalk. Another atrium will take guests on a tour of the peaceful Hill Country, while
a third will focus on the western heritage of the Lone Star State.
"We envision representing Texas and its heritage in the resort, starting with a Lone Star designed into the
atrium glass dome that will be visible to airplanes arriving at D/FW Airport," Reed said. "A Yellow Rose
of Texas fountain will greet visitors in the Lone Star Atrium, and we will be opening a Texas Cowboy Museum showcasing
Texas' western heritage."
Gaylord Entertainment also announced two strategic partnerships and the hiring of its vice president of sales and
marketing at Gaylord Opryland Texas, Bob McPherrin.
McPherrin's responsibilities will include: positioning of the resort to achieve booking pace, average daily revenue
and total revenue goals; leading and training the sales staff; and directing the marketing and public relations
function.
"Robert has a proven track record in sales and marketing at some of the biggest names in the hospitality industry.
We are excited to have him join our team and know he will play an integral role in making Gaylord Opryland Texas
one of the most successful and well- known properties in the Southwest," said Randy Miller, senior vice president
of sales for Gaylord Hotels.
Joining Gaylord from his previous post as regional director of sales and marketing for Six Continents Hotels in
New York City, McPherrin is a 20-year veteran of the hospitality industry. He has worked in sales and marketing
for various companies, including the MGM-Mirage, Inter-Continental Hotels and Resorts, Fairmont Hotel Management
Limited Partnership, Regents Hotels, Marriott Hotels and Resorts, and Hilton Hotels Corp.
Gaylord also said it has signed an agreement with the premier, resort-style Cowboys Golf Club, considered one of
the finest golf courses in Dallas and just a two-minute drive from the resort. Gaylord Opryland Texas guests will
have special access to the 18-hole, 7,017-yard championship layout designed by award-winning architect Jeff Brauer.
Not only meant for the low handicapper, the par-72 Cowboys Golf Club has five sets of tees to challenge every level
of golfer and is kept in immaculate condition year-round.
Gaylord also announced today it has hired Wilson & Associates Inc. of Dallas to handle interior architectural
design services for the hotel. Wilson & Associates' project principal, James Carry, has assembled an impressive
team of design professionals for the project, including veteran hotel interiors specialists Connie Jackson, Paul
Adams, Rodney Austin and Andrea Thomas.
"It goes without saying this project is a particular delight for us," Carry said. "We're a hometown
firm, and the Wilson team members who aren't technically natives have adopted Texas as their own. From the design
standpoint, the challenge has been to showcase all of Texas' regions and personalities, and to do so authentically
without cliches. Our hope is the guests will be awed and entertained from the moment they approach the site."
Gaylord Entertainment, known for its hospitality and entertainment offerings including the Grand Ole Opry, will
be offering a variety of fun at Gaylord Opryland Texas. The Pointe Entertainment Area overlooking Lake Grapevine
will offer a venue for food and dancing. The hotel's main atrium will come alive with high-energy entertainment,
and horse-drawn carriages will give visitors an old-fashioned ride around the property.
The company's acceleration of its opening also means the hiring of approximately 1,900 individuals will occur sooner
than anticipated.
"We are working hard to become part of the fabric of the Texas and Grapevine communities," Reed said.
"We do this by creating and providing opportunities to local suppliers, and being good citizens in the community
- as we do in every community where we do business."
Gaylord Entertainment, a leading hospitality and entertainment company based in Nashville, Tenn., owns and operates
Gaylord Hotels branded properties, including the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center and the Radisson
Opryland Hotel in Nashville, and the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, Fla. The company's
entertainment brands include the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium, the General Jackson Showboat, the Springhouse
Golf Club, the Wildhorse Saloon, and WSM and WWTN Radio. Gaylord Entertainment's stock is traded on the New York
Stock Exchange under symbol GET. For more information about the company, visit www.gaylordentertainment.com.
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Contact:
Gaylord Entertainment
Jim Brown, 615/316-6302
jwbrown@gaylordentertainment.com