Gaylord Opryland Texas Resort, Grapevine, TX, USA

The Gaylord Opryland Texas is a $328 million resort and convention centre in Grapevine, Texas, six miles from Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. The Opryland Texas, owned by Gaylord Entertainment Co. offers 1,511 guest rooms, conference and meeting facilities, a health spa, indoor entertainment venue, pools and a number of restaurants.

THE OPRYLAND ENTRANCE AND ATRIUM

The main attraction the Opryland Texas offers to visitors is a four-acre atrium that will be a showcase of Texan landscapes and vistas in a climate-controlled environment under glass. Part of this experience has been created using specially designed rockwork, waterways and landscaping. 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.

GUEST ROOMS

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 both 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. Approx. 75% of the guestrooms are double/queen rooms with the remainder designed as king rooms.

CURBSIDE CHECK-IN

A wireless check-in system is used at the Opryland Texas Resort. Similar to one already in operation at another Gaylord resort in Florida, it enables visitors to literally be checked in at the curbside. Upon 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 curbside 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 at a larger convention, this solution reduces the waiting time at check-in and prevents overcrowding of the traditional reception areas.

ENTERTAINMENT

Visitors have a choice of four restaurants as well as various other food and beverage outlets. Facilities also include one indoor exercise pool, one outdoor leisure pool, a 15,000ft² spa and fitness centre, as well as 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 designed to host shops and markets. The hotel also has a 10,000 ft² mall area for shops and a market.

LEAD CONTRACTORS

The client, Gaylord Entertainment Co., selected FoxCor as project manager responsible for budgeting, quality and scheduling. Centex Construction Co. was the construction manager, with Hnedak Bobo Group as lead architect and Wilson & Associates as interior designer. The structural engineer was Uzun & Case Engineering Inc., with FEA Associates Inc. as mechanical engineer, RHR Engineering as electrical engineer, and Carter & Burgess Inc. 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 has been, 'driven by a tremendous demand for the property'. The $315 million expansion will consist of the addition of more than 200,000 ft² of meeting and convention space, an additional 500 guest rooms, a new resort pool and other recreational facilities such as a spa and a new gymnasium. When the expansion has been completed the hotel will have over 2,000 hotel rooms and 600,000 ft² 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 currently awaiting final approval by the US Corp. of Engineers. The construction is expected to start in mid-2008 and to be completed by 2010.