Masonry Magazine October 1987 Page. 8
Opryland Hotel-Born To A Grand Tradition
The Opryland Hotel, with its blend of colonial Williamsburg and Southern plantation architectural styles, is the largest convention hotel property in Tennessee and one of the most distinctive in the nation. The 1067-room property opened in 1977 and is a part of Opryland USA, an entertainment facility that also includes the Opryland theme park and the Grand Ole Opry.
The hotel, built primarily as a meetings and conventions property, has contributed significantly to Nashville's tremendous popularity as a major destination for tourists and as a prime site for national and international business meetings and conventions. The hotel has maintained an unusually high occupancy rate of more than 80 percent every year since it opened, and it has been distinguished by receipt of industry awards that include the prestigious Mobile Four-Star Award, the AAA Four-Diamond Award and the Gold Key Award from Meetings and Conventions Magazine.
A $50 million expansion project completed in 1983 gave the hotel the facilities to accommodate 90 percent of the nation's trade shows and conventions. The hotel grew from 600 guest rooms to 1067, including 80 suites.
Included in 225,000 square feet of public space are two separate ballrooms of 20,000 and 30,000 square feet, with a combined banquet seating capacity of 5200; 37 meeting rooms; and a 101,000-square-foot exhibition hall. The addition of 71,000 square feet of exhibit space made the Ryman Exhibit Hall the nation's largest single-level, self-contained exhibition facility in a hotel.
The 30,000-square-foot Presidential Ballroom, with a permanent 40-60-foot stage and full audio/visual capabilities, has a separate 19,000-square-foot pre-assembly area (the Presidential Lobby) topped by a three-and-a-half-story glass dome. The dome connects the existing 20,000-square-foot Tennessee Ballroom and its own 15,700-square-foot pre-assembly area (the Nashville Lobby).
One of the highlights of the hotel's expansion is a European-style conservatory. The two-acre garden under glass is accented by a one-acre skylight that connects two six-story wings of guest rooms. Development of the conservatory required thousands of hours of study, design and technical drawings by a broad team of design and construction experts, as well as inspection of conservatories in England, Scotland, Italy and Canada.
Because of the key role Nashville plays in the music industry, the city is often referred to as "Music City U.S.A.," and the Opryland Hotel's Stagedoor Lounge reinforces this reputation. The seven-tier, Las Vegas-style lounge often is used for radio and television broadcasts and tapings.
The Stagedoor Lounge has been used for production of "Nashville Now" on The Nashville Network, "Nashville Alive" for Turner Broadcasting's SuperStation WTBS and other television projects, giving it and the Opryland Hotel considerable national exposure.
Dining complements the Opryland Hotel's entertainment. Rachel's Kitchen is available for all-day service, and the Veranda offers outdoor service in warm weather. The Old Hickory Restaurant is for formal evening dining, and the Old South is recalled at Rhett's, a restaurant in the Conservatory with a light-hearted menu. Adjoining Rhett's is the Jack Daniel's Saloon, named for the internationally famous distillery in Lynchburg, Tenn.
Frank Romano: "If you offer some consultants a penny for their thoughts, it's probably a pretty fair deal."
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