PRINCE GEORGE'S
COUNTY, Md. -- Gaylord Entertainment has set April 25, 2008, as the
opening date for the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center.
Overlooking the
Potomac River and providing expansive views of northern Virginia
and the larger Washington area, the 1,500-room hotel and adjacent
470,000-square-foot convention center are quickly taking shape as
construction crews work nearly around the clock.
"We are
progressing at a remarkable rate," John Caparella, Gaylord
Entertainment's executive vice president and chief operating
officer, said during an April 24 topping-off event at the resort's
construction site.
When the Gaylord
National opens, it will be the largest resort of its kind on the
East Coast.
The 41-acre
resort is part of National Harbor, a 300-acre, mixed-use waterfront
development in Prince George's County, Md., a suburb of
Washington.
Dining and retail
establishments, entertainment venues, office buildings, condo
units, two 700-foot piers and several hotels, including a Westin
and a Residence Inn, will be part of the complex when most of it
opens next year.
Plans for the
resort were first announced in January 2001, but due to several
factors, including the 9/11 attacks, the project stalled. Gaylord
broke ground on the hotel in December 2004.
With a year to go
before its debut, Caparella said that sales were brisk. About
900,000 room nights have been already sold, Caparella said, an
indication that resort will reach its goal of 1 million room nights
sold by the time it opens.
"We have some
business booked out as far as 2016, if you can believe that,"
Caparella said.
The Gaylord Palms
in Orlando set an industry record five years ago by selling 1
million room nights 30 days before it opened.
Caparella said
strong advanced bookings have spurred Gaylord to accelerate a
long-term plan to expand the National Resort by another 500
rooms.
About 55% of the
rooms booked at the Gaylord National are from groups that have
stayed at Gaylord's Opryland complex in Nashville or other Gaylord
properties, said Caparella. Many of the groups have never held
events in the Washington area.
The property is
expected to present a challenge for the Washington Convention
Center in downtown Washington.
William Hanbury,
CEO of the Washington, DC Convention & Tourism Corp., the
city's primary marketing organization, said the convention center
had not lost business to Gaylord, though some larger hotels in
Washington had.
"The reality is
that we are a different product," Hanbury said.
The convention
center is designed to accommodate large-scale, national and
international conventions, he said. The Gaylord National will
likely handle comparatively smaller, regional events. "We don't
believe that we are going to be in a highly competitive,
adversarial relationship with the Gaylord," Hanbury said. "In fact,
we are looking at them possibly becoming members of WCTC at some
point."
Meanwhile, plans
are moving forward to expand the 2.3 million-square-foot convention
center by 75,000 square feet. Construction on a Marriott Marquis,
which will serve as the center's "headquarters" hotel, is expected
to start later this year.
To contact
reporter Michael Milligan, send e-mail to [email protected].