Gaylord National Hotel Goes All Out to Charm Prospective Customers

By Anita Huslin
Washington Post Staff Writer



It's a balmy, picture-perfect autumn morning when the limousines begin arriving, and the reception at the historic mansion overlooking the Potomac River has been laid out by hospitality company Gaylord National to impress.

The guests -- potential corporate clients, mostly planners who book meetings and conferences in the mid-Atlantic region -- lap up the mimosas and bloody marys, nibble on hors d'oeuvres, and bask on the sun-kissed portico of the Oxon Hill Manor, a property once owned by a nephew of George Washington.

Though the guests are appreciative of the effort, it remains to be seen whether the endeavor will translate into business for the newest property in Gaylord Entertainment's hotel chain.

They have lots of questions about the place. How would guests get to Washington, to sightsee or dine in the nation's capital? What other restaurants and retail will be at the Gaylord complex and neighboring National Harbor? What kind of hotel overflow capacity does it have? Could they hang a trapeze from the ceiling of the convention hall if they wanted to?



This is only the beginning of a sales push for the Nashville-based company that wants to establish its complex in the Washington area as a premier meeting and convention space.

Over the next several months, the Gaylord National executive sales team will be pressing to fill its reservation book. It has already sold more than 1 million room nights (over the next decade and beyond), filling the 2,000-room hotel to 60 percent capacity next year when it opens, 55 percent in 2009 and 35 percent in 2010. Now, Gaylord officials said, their focus is booking short-term corporate and leisure clients -- in hospitality industry parlance, transients.

This will be a smaller share of Gaylord National's business, of which large association meetings and conventions account for 70 percent. But that 30 percent, Gaylord executives believe, represents future clients of other properties in the hotel chain.

Which is why the elaborate, invitation-only reception last week was so focused on details. Gaylord flew in executives and chefs from Nashville, Orlando and Dallas for the day. They sent limousines to pick up each guest individually, and then they wined, dined and walked their guests to the top of the hotel, showing them the vistas and the amenities.

Read the entire story in the WashingtonPost.

Washington D.C. Metro- Red Line compilation

I rode the red line all the time when I lived in D.C. and I loved it so much. It was so nice to be able to read the paper or a book, listen to music or just watch people. There was no stress of trying to drive during rush hour which is insane up there.

I love that city and I miss so much about it but rush hour I don't miss. I miss the history, the food, the people and the one of a kind city that Washington D.C.

I lived in Rockville, Maryland and would either walk or ride my bike to the Metro stop. I got rid of my car after a short time in D.C. because of the convenience of the Metro and I almost never missed it.

I worked at the Wardman Park hotel while living there. It was right off the Red Line as well and easy to get onto or out of when going to or from work. What a great hotel and we had so many good times there. I love to go back and visit and I hope to someday soon again.

Wild Ponies Go to Auction

Wild ponies made their yearly swim to Chincoteague from Assateague Island, Maryland, today in front of tens of thousands of onlookers.

The ponies started the swim shortly after noon today. It was one of the latest swim times in years. The ponies make the swim at slack tide — the time between the tide change when the water is perfectly still.

They crossed a 200-yard channel to Chincoteague, where they will then be auctioned starting tomorrow to raise money for the volunteer fire department, which cares for the ponies.

Ponies that are not sold and those that donated back to the fire department will roam free for another year on the national wildlife refuge on Assateague.

The pony swim was made famous by Marguerite Henry's 1947 novel "Misty of Chincoteague."

Gaylord National Resort Set to Open April 25, 2008

Among William C. Marks’s favorites are the Gaylord Entertainment Company, which focuses on luxury hotel properties with convention centers, including the 2,881-room Gaylord Opryland in Nashville and the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Prince George’s County, Md., which is set to open next year with 2,000 rooms.

“Outside of Las Vegas, there are very few good-quality large hotels with more than 1,500 rooms being built,” Mr. Marks, a managing director at JMP Securities said.

Read the article in the New York Times.




Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center provides world-class convention and leisure-focused amenities – all in one place. It is located along the banks of the Potomac River, less than eight miles south of the nation’s capital, in National Harbor, Md., a new 300-acre waterfront destination offering world-class dining, retail and entertainment venues in Prince Georges County, Md. The Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center is the largest convention resort on the Eastern Seaboard, offering 2,000 guest rooms, including 108 lavish suites; more than 470,000 square feet of convention, meeting, exhibit and pre-function space; acclaimed restaurants; Relâche™ Spa; and a soaring 18-story, 1.5-acre glass-covered atrium.