The Gaylord Opryland Texas is a $328m resort and convention centre in Grapevine, Texas, US, six miles from Dallas / Fort Worth Airport. The Opryland Texas, owned by Gaylord Entertainment, offers 1,511 guestrooms, conference and meeting facilities, a health spa, an indoor entertainment venue, pools and restaurants.
Opryland entrance and atrium
The main attraction of the Opryland Texas is a four-acre atrium that provides a showcase of Texan landscapes and vistas in a climate-controlled environment under glass. Part of this experience was created using specially designed rockwork, waterways and landscaping.
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The architects, Hnedak Bobo Group, designed this part of the resort using Texas limestone, wood trusses and lintels, iron, stucco and metal roofing.
Meeting rooms
The Opryland Texas features 400,000ft² of function, conference and exhibition space, the 179,800ft² Texas Exhibition Hall, as well as additional rooms in the tower including two executive boardrooms and 13 meeting rooms.
The resort also features two ballrooms of 49,950ft² and 32,200ft², respectively, of which the larger is equipped with a stage including built-in production, lighting and audio facilities.
Meeting rooms are equipped with video, audio, lighting, internet, networking
systems and T1 access. The hotel and the convention centre are connected by an enclosed walkway.
Opryland Texas guestrooms
Opryland Texas comprises 1,511 rooms, of which 141 are suites. The rooms are equipped with a double vanity unit, oversized walk-in shower, king-size bed, refrigerator, safe and 27in television with cable access.
Communications equipment in the rooms includes high-speed internet access as well as cord and cordless two-line telephone with data port, speakerphone, and voice mail. Additional facilities include hair dryer, iron and ironing board and an electronic key system. Approximately 75% of the guestrooms are double / queen rooms with the remainder designed as king rooms.
Kerb-side check-in
A wireless check-in system is in place at the Opryland Texas Resort. Similar to the one in operation at Gaylord’s Florida resort, it enables visitors to check in at the kerbside.
On arrival, hotel staff can check visitors in, process credit card payments and assign them to the correct rooms using handheld computers. Key cards for the rooms can be encoded and issued on the spot and receipts printed with the portable equipment.
Designated hotel staff are able to use Symbol handheld computers and Symbol Portable Encoding Printers (PEP) to access Inter-American Data’s (IAD) Lodging Management System (LMS) via various stations throughout the hotel. The handsets are equipped with Symbol’s Spectrum 24 wireless LAN PC Cards and run on the Palm OS.
The system allows check-in at the kerbside and other locations in the immediate vicinity of the resort. Given the potentially high number of visitors checking in within a small time period, such as that at a larger convention, this solution reduces the waiting time at check-in and prevents overcrowding of the traditional reception areas.
Entertainment at Opryland Texas
Visitors have a choice of four restaurants as well as various other food and beverage outlets. Facilities include one indoor exercise pool, one outdoor leisure pool, a 15,000ft² spa and fitness centre and outdoor jogging and walking trails. In addition, visitors can use an 18-hole championship golf course and make use of the activities on offer at Lake Grapevine, including water skiing, jet skiing, bass fishing and boating.
An area of approximately 10,000ft² is dedicated to shops and markets. The hotel also has a 10,000ft² mall area for shops and a market.
Lead contractors
Gaylord Entertainment selected FoxCor as project manager responsible for budgeting, quality and scheduling. Centex Construction was the construction manager, with Hnedak Bobo Group as lead architect and Wilson & Associates as interior designer.
The structural engineer for Opryland Texas was Uzun & Case Engineering, with FEA Associates as mechanical engineer, RHR Engineering as electrical engineer and Carter & Burgess as civil engineer.
Symbol supplied the wireless devices used for curbside check-in. The lodging management system was provided by Inter-American Data.
Gaylord expansion
In September 2007 the Gaylord Entertainment Company announced extensive expansion plans for the Texas resort, which was “driven by a tremendous demand for the property”.
The $400m expansion will consist of the addition of more than 200,000ft² of meeting and convention space, an additional 500 guestrooms, a new resort pool and other recreational facilities such as a spa and a new gymnasium. When the expansion is complete the hotel will have over 2,000 hotel rooms and 600,000ft² of meeting space.
The City of Grapevine has approved an economic incentive package relating to property tax over the next 20 years. Gaylord has started the design and pre-construction planning of the expansion. The project is awaiting final approval by the US Corp of Engineers.
