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110-592: Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. is a hotel , resort , entertainment , and media company named for one of its assets: the Ryman Auditorium , a National Historic Landmark in Nashville, Tennessee . The company's legal lineage can be traced back to its time as a subsidiary of Edward Gaylord 's Oklahoma Publishing Company ; however, the backbone of the modern entity was formed with the company's acquisition of WSM , Inc. in 1983. This purchase resulted in

220-511: A Luxembourg -based film acquisition and distribution company, and placed it in its Idea Entertainment division. Gaylord funded in March 1999 Indigo Productions. Wildhorse Saloon, a country music dance club and restaurant, was opened in 1994 in downtown Nashville. A second location was opened at Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World in 1998 as a part of a plan to expand the Nashville club into

330-478: A business degree , and/or certification programs formally prepare hotel managers for industry practice. Most hotel establishments consist of a general manager who serves as the head executive (often referred to as the "hotel manager"), department heads who oversee various departments within a hotel, middle managers , administrative staff, and line-level supervisors. The organizational chart and volume of job positions and hierarchy varies by hotel size, function, and

440-449: A general manager who serves as the head executive (often referred to as the " hotel manager "), department heads who oversee various departments within a hotel (e.g., food service), middle managers , administrative staff, and line-level supervisors. The organizational chart and volume of job positions and hierarchy varies by hotel size, function and class, and is often determined by hotel ownership and managing companies. The word hotel

550-652: A joint sales agreement . That contract expired in 2008, returning WSM (AM) to Gaylord's full control. Gaylord Entertainment sold the Gaylord Films and Pandora Films libraries and in-development projects to Qualia Capital in March 2006, who also had the Rysher Entertainment library. Gaylord Entertainment acquired ResortsQuest International in November 2003 via a stock swap. Gaylord named their senior vice president of marketing, Mark Fioravanti, to be

660-960: A $ 59 million charge. Golf event entities were sold to Oklahoma Publishing Co. Word Entertainment's UK operations were sold in Spring 2001 to STL, Ltd. Squint was reduced to a label when its staff was let go in August 2001, with only Taylor remaining as president to handle artists and repertoire . In December 2001, Gaylord agreed to sell Word Entertainment to Warner Music Group with the sale closing in December 2002. Gaylord Entertainment announced construction on two Opryland Hotels in late 1998 in Osceola County, Florida (near Orlando) and in Grapevine, Texas , slated to open in 2002 and 2003, respectively. Their hotel development plans were expanded by 2001 to

770-454: A 3.5-story waterfall and more than 8,000 tropical plants. The Cascades Lobby expanded to 24 check-in stations that could check in 580 guests per hour when necessary. A 4.5-acre (1.8 ha) expansion completed in 1996 doubled the size of the resort, adding approximately 1,000 guest rooms, 10 meeting rooms, a 289,000-square-foot (26,800 m ) exhibit hall and a 57,000-square-foot (5,300 m ) ballroom. The trademark feature of this addition

880-608: A Ryman Auditorium renovation. A controlling stake in Country Music Television was purchased in January 1991 with Group W Satellite Communications buying the remaining stock. CMT moved its headquarters to Opryland Drive, Nashville. The cable channel was expanded into Europe in 1992. CMT Euro was launched in October 1992. In July 1993, Gaylord reorganized, placing all its cable channels, CMT, CMT Europe, and TNN, in

990-430: A block of hours typically between 8 am and 5 pm, before the typical night shift. These are similar to transit hotels in that they appeal to travelers, however, unlike transit hotels, they do not eliminate the need to go through Customs. Garden hotels , famous for their gardens before they became hotels, include Gravetye Manor, the home of garden designer William Robinson , and Cliveden , designed by Charles Barry with

1100-726: A co-financing, distribution and production deal with Warner Bros. for four years and up to ten films. In October 2000, Pandora Pictures was slated to move to Los Angeles with Lowry taking over as the company president, with a mostly new executive team. 2000 also saw Gaylord invest in several websites, such as the Edgate.com Inc. kid portal, the CountryCool.com country music site and the RockCity.com short film site. London left as CEO, along with internet division head Brian Payne and creative content group president Tim DuBois. New management in

1210-572: A division under a senior vice president, David Hall. Gaylord purchased a 30% stake in the Bass Pro Shops retail chain in 1993 from Bass Pro Group. In April 1994, Gaylord Entertainment and the city of Nashville city made an unsuccessful bid for the Minnesota Timberwolves professional basketball team to move to Nashville. Gaylord Broadcasting in 1994 sued The WB network to get some of its stations out their affiliation with

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1320-486: A form of property ownership also referred to as a vacation ownership involving the purchase and ownership of an individual unit of accommodation for seasonal usage during a specified period of time. Timeshare resorts often offer amenities similar that of a full-service hotel with on-site restaurants, swimming pools, recreation grounds, and other leisure-oriented amenities. Destination clubs on the other hand may offer more exclusive private accommodations such as private houses in

1430-652: A guest with lifestyle or personal image in specific locations. They are typically full-service and classified as luxury. A key characteristic of lifestyle resorts is focus on providing a unique guest experience as opposed to simply providing lodging. Lifestyle luxury resorts are classified with a Five Star hotel rating depending on the country and local classification standards. Example brands include: Waldorf Astoria , St. Regis , Wynn Resorts , MGM , Shangri-La , Oberoi , Belmond , Jumeirah , Aman , Taj Hotels , Hoshino , Raffles , Fairmont , Banyan Tree , Regent and Park Hyatt . Upscale full-service hotels often provide

1540-491: A heavy debt load. Gaylord Entertainment Company was formed on October 24, 1991, as the company went public . The new company consisted of Oklahoma Publishing Company's broadcasting and entertainment holdings. Twenty-two percent of the stock was sold to the public, while Gaylord retained 66% and voting control. Also during the public offering period, the company laid out expansion plans for the Opryland hotel and theme park plus

1650-781: A hospital since the Middle Ages . The French spelling, with the circumflex , was also used in English, but is now rare. The circumflex replaces the 's' found in the earlier hostel spelling, which over time took on a new, but closely related meaning. Grammatically, hotels usually take the definite article – hence "The Astoria Hotel" or simply "The Astoria". Facilities offering hospitality to travellers featured in early civilizations. In Greco-Roman culture and in ancient Persia , hospitals for recuperation and rest were built at thermal baths . Guinness World Records officially recognised Japan's Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan , founded in 705, as

1760-594: A joint venture with RIDA Development and Ares Management, with a 35% stake in the complex to be managed via Marriott. Opry Entertainment opened on December 1, 2017, the Opry City Stage as a joint venture in New York City. The venue was planned to be turned into a chain. It closed within ten months of opening, and the company abandoned the concept. Instead, Ryman focused on expanding its other bar/restaurant concept which premiered in 2017 named Ole Red, which

1870-459: A limited amount of on-site amenities. Economy hotels are small to medium-sized hotel establishments that offer basic accommodations with little to no services. Extended stay hotels are small to medium-sized hotels that offer longer-term full-service accommodations compared to a traditional hotel. Timeshare and destination clubs are a form of property ownership involving ownership of an individual unit of accommodation for seasonal usage. A motel

1980-457: A limited number of on-site amenities that only cater and market to a specific demographic of travelers, such as the single business traveler. Most focused or select service hotels may still offer full-service accommodations but may lack leisure amenities such as an on-site restaurant or a swimming pool. Examples include Hyatt Place , Holiday Inn , Courtyard by Marriott and Hilton Garden Inn . Small to medium-sized hotel establishments that offer

2090-490: A major Southern California real estate firm. The Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel (19.9 percent ownership stake) was sold in 2014 to Inland American Lodging Group. TRT Holdings, owned by the Texas billionaire Robert Rowling , bought 14 percent of Gaylord stock in early 2008. Later that year, Gaylord rejected Rowling's bid to increase TRT's stake to 30 percent and getting three board director positions, saying there would be no benefit to

2200-443: A means to force convention-goers to buy wireless Internet access from the hotel at rates from $ 250–$ 1,000 per access point. According to FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Travis LeBlanc, "It is unacceptable for any hotel to intentionally disable personal hotspots while also charging consumers and small businesses high fees to use the hotel's own Wi-Fi network. This practice puts consumers in the untenable position of either paying twice for

2310-670: A nationwide chain. However, the Disney location was closed in November 1999, having incurred a loss of $ 16 million. Gaylord's Dallas-Fort Worth TV station, KTVT , was sold to CBS in October 1999 for $ 485 million. Gaylord Films was started with the hiring of producer Hunt Lowry as president in May 2000 as he ended his first look deal at Walt Disney Studios . Gaylord Films would focus on mainstream films while mid-budget and specialty films would be Pandora's area. The film unit signed in September 2000

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2420-412: A neighborhood-style setting. Examples of timeshare brands include Hilton Grand Vacations , Marriott Vacation Club International , Westgate Resorts , Disney Vacation Club , and Holiday Inn Club Vacations . A motel , an abbreviation for "motor hotel", is a small-sized low-rise lodging establishment similar to a limited service, lower-cost hotel, but typically with direct access to individual rooms from

2530-500: A new partnership with Dolly Parton 's The Dollywood Company to build a new water and seasonal snow park on acreage the company owns across Briley Parkway from Gaylord Opryland. The $ 50   million Phase 1 of the overall project was expected to open in Spring of 2014. On May 31, 2012, Gaylord Entertainment announced it was selling its Gaylord Hotels brand and the rights to manage its four resorts and associated properties to Marriott International for $ 210   million. As part of

2640-504: A rebranding of TV Argentina. In 1997, in partnership with the newly formed Nashville Predators ( NHL ) hockey team (which would begin play in 1998, and of which Gaylord Entertainment owned a 20% share), the company purchased the naming rights to Nashville's new downtown arena, which became known as the Gaylord Entertainment Center . The agreement − originally signed for 20 years at a cost of $ 2 million per year −

2750-455: A result of the reduced resort traffic related to the COVID-19 pandemic . On October 3, 2014, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission imposed a $ 600,000 fine on Marriott for willful interference with private wi-Fi hotspot connections linking its clients' portable computers to client-owned mobile telephones in the hotel's convention space. The scheme abused a "containment" feature of

2860-410: A room and board arrangement. In Japan , capsule hotels provide a tiny room suitable only for sleeping and shared bathroom facilities. The precursor to the modern hotel was the inn of medieval Europe . For a period of about 200 years from the mid-17th century, coaching inns served as a place for lodging for coach travelers. Inns began to cater to wealthier clients in the mid-18th century. One of

2970-536: A rose garden by Geoffrey Jellicoe . The Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi , Sweden , was the first ice hotel in the world; first built in 1990, it is built each winter and melts every spring. The Hotel de Glace in Duschenay, Canada , opened in 2001 and it is North America's only ice hotel. It is redesigned and rebuilt in its entirety every year. Ice hotels can also be included within larger ice complexes; for example,

3080-909: A stay or re-admission through security checkpoints. Some hotels are built with living trees as structural elements, for example the Treehotel near Piteå , Sweden, the Costa Rica Tree House near the Jairo Mora Sandoval Gandoca-Manzanillo Mixed Wildlife Refuge , Costa Rica ; the Treetops Hotel in Aberdare National Park , Kenya ; the Ariau Towers near Manaus , Brazil, on the Rio Negro in

3190-445: A swimming pool, a business center with computers, printers, and other office equipment, childcare, conference and event facilities, tennis or basketball courts, gymnasium , restaurants, day spa, and social function services. Hotel rooms are usually numbered (or named in some smaller hotels and B&Bs ) to allow guests to identify their room. Some boutique, high-end hotels have custom decorated rooms. Some hotels offer meals as part of

3300-741: A total of five to seven hotels, beginning with the Opryland Hotel Potomac, a 2,000-room hotel and convention center at National Harbor, Maryland with a construction start in 2002 in order to open in 2004. Other locations announced later were San Antonio, Texas, San Diego, Mesa, Arizona , and Denver, Colorado. The Gaylord Hotels division opened Gaylord Palms Hotel & Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida in 2002. The Gaylord Opryland Texas Resort & Convention Center opened in April 2004. Opryland Hotel Potomac opened on April 1, 2008, as

3410-572: A traditional hotel. Extended stay hotels may offer non-traditional pricing methods such as a weekly rate that caters towards travelers in need of short-term accommodations for an extended period of time. Similar to limited and select service hotels, on-site amenities are normally limited and most extended stay hotels lack an on-site restaurant. Examples include Staybridge Suites , Candlewood Suites , Homewood Suites by Hilton , Home2 Suites by Hilton , Residence Inn by Marriott , Element , and Extended Stay America . Timeshare and destination clubs are

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3520-502: A type of booking for less than 24 hours where the customer chooses the check in time and the length of the stay. This allows the hotel increased revenue by reselling the same room several times a day. They first gained popularity in Europe but are now common in major global tourist centers. Hotel management is a globally accepted professional career field and academic field of study. Degree programs such as hospitality management studies ,

3630-560: A type of economical hotel first introduced in Japan, where people sleep in stacks of rectangular containers. In the sleeping capsules, beside the bed, the customer can watch TV, put their valuables in the mini safes, and the customers also can use the wireless internet. Some hotels fill daytime occupancy with day rooms , for example, Rodeway Inn and Suites near Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida . Day rooms are booked in

3740-404: A unit of IAC/InterActiveCorp . This was followed by a June 2007 agreement to sell the rest of ResortQuest to a subsidiary of Leucadia National Corp. One of the two Hawaiian hotels with an 18.1% share retained, ResortQuest Kauai Beach at Makaiwa, continued to be managed by the renamed ResortQuest Hawaii, Aston Hotels & Resorts, until the hotel was placed in receivership and sold in August 2010 to

3850-613: A very limited number of on-site amenities and often only offer basic accommodations with little to no services, catering to the budget-minded traveler seeking a "no frills" accommodation. Limited service hotels often lack an on-site restaurant but in return may offer a limited complimentary food and beverage amenity such as on-site continental breakfast service. Examples include Ibis Budget , Hampton Inn , Aloft , Holiday Inn Express , Fairfield Inn , and Four Points by Sheraton . Extended stay hotels are small to medium-sized hotels that offer longer-term full-service accommodations compared to

3960-517: A wi-Fi monitoring system which was designed for the nominally lawful purpose of removing unwanted "rogue access points" from corporations' own local area networks. Marriott misused the system to send spurious de-authentication packets to client-owned wireless access points, which is unlawful as these are not part of Marriott's network but are owned by individual mobile subscribers. The fraudulent packets, which dissociate consumers' devices from their own Wi-Fi hotspot access points, were sent deliberately as

4070-881: A wide array of guest services and on-site facilities. Commonly found amenities may include: on-site food and beverage (room service and restaurants), meeting and conference services and facilities, fitness center, and business center. Upscale full-service hotels range in quality from upscale to luxury. This classification is based upon the quality of facilities and amenities offered by the hotel. Examples include: W Hotels , Sheraton , Langham , Kempinski , Pullman , Kimpton Hotels , Hilton , Swissôtel , Lotte , Renaissance , Marriott and Hyatt Regency brands. Boutique hotels are smaller independent non-branded hotels that often contain mid-scale to upscale facilities of varying size in unique or intimate settings with full-service accommodations. These hotels are generally 100 rooms or fewer. Small to medium-sized hotel establishments that offer

4180-607: Is WSM (650 AM) in Nashville, a heritage country music station with a 50,000- watt clear-channel signal. Oklahoma Publishing acquired WSM as part of its purchase of the Grand Ole Opry and associated businesses in 1983. Ryman, while it was a subsidiary of Oklahoma Publishing, owned several television and radio stations. The broadcasting subsidiary originated as the WKY Radiophone Company , named after its Oklahoma City flagship stations. In 1956 it became

4290-491: Is a hotel chain that offers branding to independently operated hotels; the chain itself is founded by or owned by the member hotels as a group. Many former referral chains have been converted to franchises; the largest surviving member-owned chain is Best Western . The first recorded purpose-built railway hotel was the Great Western Hotel , which opened adjacent to Reading railway station in 1844, shortly after

4400-428: Is a small-sized low-rise lodging with direct access to individual rooms from the car parking area. Boutique hotels are typically hotels with a unique environment or intimate setting. A number of hotels and motels have entered the public consciousness through popular culture. Some hotels are built specifically as destinations in themselves, for example casinos and holiday resorts . Most hotel establishments are run by

4510-648: Is a type of short-stay hotel found around the world, operated primarily for the purpose of allowing guests privacy for sexual activities , typically for one to three hours, but with overnight as an option. Styles of premises vary from extremely low-end to extravagantly appointed. In Japan, love hotels have a history of over 400 years. In 2021 a New York-based company introduced new modular and movable hotel rooms which allow landowners and hospitality groups to create and easily scale hotel accommodations. The portable units can be built in three to five months and can be stacked to create multi-floor units. A referral hotel

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4620-506: Is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a refrigerator , and other kitchen facilities, upholstered chairs, a television, and en-suite bathrooms . Small, lower-priced hotels may offer only the most basic guest services and facilities. Larger, higher-priced hotels may provide additional guest facilities such as

4730-880: Is built into the remains of an opal mine. Located on the coast but high above sea level, these hotels offer unobstructed panoramic views and a great sense of privacy without the feeling of total isolation. Some examples from around the globe are the Riosol Hotel in Gran Canaria, Caruso Belvedere Hotel in Amalfi Coast (Italy), Aman Resorts Amankila in Bali, Birkenhead House in Hermanus (South Africa), The Caves in Jamaica and Caesar Augustus in Capri. Capsule hotels are

4840-552: Is derived from the French hôtel (coming from the same origin as hospital ), which referred to a French version of a building seeing frequent visitors, and providing care, rather than a place offering accommodation. In contemporary French usage, hôtel now has the same meaning as the English term, and hôtel particulier is used for the old meaning, as well as "hôtel" in some place names such as Hôtel-Dieu (in Paris), which has been

4950-729: Is often determined by hotel ownership and managing companies. Boutique hotels are typically hotels with a unique environment or intimate setting. Some hotels have gained their renown through tradition, by hosting significant events or persons, such as Schloss Cecilienhof in Potsdam , Germany, which derives its fame from the Potsdam Conference of the World War II allies Winston Churchill , Harry Truman and Joseph Stalin in 1945. The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower in Mumbai

5060-890: Is one of India's most famous and historic hotels because of its association with the Indian independence movement . Some establishments have given name to a particular meal or beverage, as is the case with the Waldorf Astoria in New York City , United States where the Waldorf Salad was first created or the Hotel Sacher in Vienna , Austria, home of the Sachertorte . Others have achieved fame by association with dishes or cocktails created on their premises, such as

5170-575: Is operated in partnership with country music artist Blake Shelton and is inspired by his hit song Ol' Red . As of 2024, the chain has six locations: two in Nashville, and one each in Tishomingo, Oklahoma , Gatlinburg, Tennessee , Orlando, Florida , and Paradise, Nevada (on the Las Vegas Strip ). Ryman agreed to December 2019 to purchase the Block 21 entertainment complex, which includes

5280-831: Is slated to open in phases, beginning in the Summer of 2024. Also in 2023, Ryman Hospitality purchased the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa from Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust. Marriott International will continue to operate the property under the JW Marriott flag. Facilities owned by Ryman Hospitality Properties and operated by Opry Entertainment include: Facilities owned by Ryman Hospitality Properties, but managed by Marriott International , include: Previously owned properties and ventures include: Ryman Hospitality's only present broadcast property, as noted above,

5390-459: The 2010 Tennessee flood devastated Nashville and caused considerable damage to Gaylord Opryland. Guests were evacuated as the flood waters rose as high as 10 feet (3 m) in some parts of the hotel. The hotel underwent renovations and reopened November 15, 2010. Repairs and renovations to the famed hotel included the addition of five restaurants and restoration of the atriums and guest rooms. On January 19, 2012, Gaylord Entertainment announced

5500-797: The Amazon ; and Bayram's Tree Houses in Olympos , Turkey. Some hotels have accommodation underwater, such as Utter Inn in Lake Mälaren , Sweden. Hydropolis , project in Dubai , would have had suites on the bottom of the Persian Gulf , and Jules' Undersea Lodge in Key Largo , Florida , requires scuba diving to access its rooms. Gaylord Opryland Resort %26 Convention Center Opryland Hotel opened on November 24, 1977, on land adjacent to

5610-626: The Austin City Limits venues, from Stratus Properties for $ 275 million, including assumption of about a $ 141 million mortgage. An offering of at least 3 million shares of Ryman would be made to fund the purchase in the first quarter of 2020. In 2021, Ryman Hospitality purchased controlling interest in the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center. On April 4, 2022, it was announced that investment company Atairos and media conglomerate NBCUniversal will jointly buy

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5720-651: The George and the Tabard . A typical layout of an inn featured an inner court with bedrooms on the two sides, with the kitchen and parlour at the front and the stables at the back. For a period of about 200 years from the mid-17th century, coaching inns served as a place for lodging for coach travellers (in other words, a roadhouse ). Coaching inns stabled teams of horses for stagecoaches and mail coaches and replaced tired teams with fresh teams. Traditionally they were seven miles apart, but this depended very much on

5830-645: The Great Western Railway opened its line from London. The building still exists, and although it has been used for other purposes over the years, it is now again a hotel and a member of the Malmaison hotel chain . Frequently, expanding railway companies built grand hotels at their termini, such as the Midland Hotel, Manchester next to the former Manchester Central Station , and in London

5940-846: The Hotel de Paris where the crêpe Suzette was invented or the Raffles Hotel in Singapore , where the Singapore Sling cocktail was devised. A number of hotels have entered the public consciousness through popular culture, such as the Ritz Hotel in London , through its association with Irving Berlin's song, " Puttin' on the Ritz ". The Algonquin Hotel in New York City is famed as

6050-531: The Opryland USA amusement park. The hotel was originally built to support the Grand Ole Opry , a Nashville country-music institution that had moved to the area three years before. The hotel at that time had 580 guest rooms and a ballroom. The Magnolia Lobby was designed to resemble a grand Southern mansion with an impressive staircase and a Tiffany-style chandelier. Between 1983 and 1984 the hotel

6160-559: The WKY Television System , holding onto that moniker until 1975 when it took on the Gaylord Broadcasting Company name. Below are charts of stations formerly owned by Ryman's predecessor companies. Stations are arranged in alphabetical order by state and city of license . Note: ** indicates a station built and/or signed-on by Oklahoma Publishing/Gaylord Broadcasting. Hotel A hotel

6270-522: The 19th century. Luxury hotels, including the 1829 Tremont House in Boston , the 1836 Astor House in New York City , the 1889 Savoy Hotel in London, and the Ritz chain of hotels in London and Paris in the late 1890s, catered to an ever more-wealthy clientele. Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is part of a United States law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, or national origin in places of public accommodation. Hotels are included as types of public accommodation in

6380-435: The 2000s as hotel chains have been building economy-priced, limited-service franchised properties at freeway exits which compete for largely the same clientele, largely saturating the market by the 1990s. Motels are still useful in less populated areas for driving travelers, but the more populated an area becomes, the more hotels move in to meet the demand for accommodation. While many motels are unbranded and independent, many of

6490-443: The 30% minority stake in Opry Entertainment from Ryman, which will retained the 70% ownership in the company, but organize it into a new holding company separate from the REIT called Ryman Hospitality Holdings. In 2023, Ryman Hospitality reclaimed management of Wildhorse Saloon from Marriott, and began redeveloping the property into a new concept called Category 10, inspired by the life and music of country music artist Luke Combs . It

6600-479: The Act. Hotels cater to travelers from many countries and languages, since no one country dominates the travel industry. Hotel operations vary in size, function, and cost. Most hotels and major hospitality companies that operate hotels have set widely accepted industry standards to classify hotel types. General categories include the following: International luxury hotels offer high-quality amenities, full-service accommodations, on-site full-service restaurants, and

6710-423: The CMT Europe channel due to high losses from distribution and satellite costs on March 31, 1998. In Europe, it shifted to providing CMT as block programming to other channels. In 1997, Gaylord sold off KSTW to Cox Enterprises , which was traded to Viacom 's Paramount Stations Group for KIRO-TV , and in turn Belo Corporation had bought out St. Louis' CBS television station KMOV . Also, on December 31, 1997,

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6820-428: The Christian music website musicforce.com was acquired, while musicforce.com in turn purchased all of Lightsource.com, a provider to broadcast.com of Christian content. A new online division, GETdigitalmedia, soon followed. Gaylord Entertainment sold for stock its two cable channels, except for CMT International and Z-Music management rights and stock options, to CBS-Westinghouse in February 1997. CMT International ceased

6930-406: The Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. Acuff-Rose Music was sold in August 2002 to Sony/ATV Music Publishing for over ten times over the original purchase price. In March 2003, Gaylord sold its two Nashville FM radio stations ( WSM-FM 95.5 and WWTN 99.7) to Cumulus Media . Gaylord retained ownership of WSM (AM) , but the station's sales department was managed by Cumulus as part of

7040-413: The Gaylord name connotes an upscale and high quality image that accurately reflects the brand." The Florida property was renamed Gaylord Palms and the Texas property was briefly renamed Gaylord Opryland Texas, before taking the Gaylord Texan name prior to its opening. In a 2003 press release, Gaylord announced plans for a 5,000-seat amphitheatre on the site, which were later abandoned. On May 2, 2010,

7150-499: The General Jackson Showboat and the Wildhorse Saloon. As a result of the sale, the company lost the rights to use the Gaylord name, resulting in the change to Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc., after it initially chose the name Granite Hotel Properties. According to chairman and CEO Colin Reed, Ryman would continue to operate and manage the Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium, and WSM radio for the time being, stating that they were "iconic" assets. On September 25, 2012, shareholders voted for

7260-611: The Mammut Snow Hotel in Finland is located within the walls of the Kemi snow castle; and the Lainio Snow Hotel is part of a snow village near Ylläs , Finland. There is an arctic snowhotel in Rovaniemi in Lapland , Finland, along with glass igloos. The first glass igloos were built in 1999 in Finland , they became the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort with 65 buildings, 53 small ones for two people and 12 large ones for four people. Glass igloos, with their roof made of thermal glass, allow guests to admire auroras comfortably from their beds. A love hotel (also 'love motel', especially in Taiwan)

7370-427: The Marriott plan succeed, the company paid $ 185 million on August 7, 2012, for almost half of the shares owned by Rowling and launched an offering to help him dispose of his remaining 5.6 million shares. Rowling had previously opposed the Marriott purchase saying, "The company can go on a diet without having surgery. We would rather see Gaylord maintain the status quo and implement the savings without permanently impairing

7480-413: The MusicCountry brand became available in Europe. In the Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Asia-Pacific region areas, CMT channels would rebrand to MusicCountry by year's end. A 24-hour schedule was slated for the Australia and Pacific Rim channels. The MusicCountry Latin America channel in Argentina launched with its Latin America partner, Ashmore, as a 24-hour channel in late November 2000,

7590-486: The MusicCountry cable channel in Mexico and Argentina on July 1, 2000, and closed Z Music on June 30, 2000. In Mexico, MusicCountry was a two-hour programming block on the Video Rola music channel. The block on TV Argentina started with nine hours per day, three of which aired in prime time, with expectations to expand to 24 hours. MusicCountry would take a broader view of country, localizing it to include Americana, folk, rock, and roots music programming. On September 1, 2000,

7700-413: The Opryland USA theme park was closed for redevelopment into a shopping and entertainment district called Opry Mills. With its The Mills Corp. partner, building began in October 1998 on the complex, which opened in May 2000. Gaylord would own a third of the district, while The Mills would hold a majority 2/3 share. Terry E. London was appointed in 1997 as CEO. Gaylord Cable Networks purchased a 15% stake in

7810-525: The Opryland complex. Gaylord Entertainment began moving into the niche of Christian-oriented businesses with the May 1996 assumption of management of Z Music Television , along with an option to buy 95% of the cable channel. Gaylord extended its portfolio of Christian-related businesses. Word Entertainment, a Christian music company, was purchased in January 1997 from Thomas Nelson Publishers . Word and artist/producer Steve Taylor launched in September 1997 Squint Entertainment joint venture label. In 1999, 51% of

7920-400: The Opryland theme park. In 1987, Gaylord Production Company had reached a co-development and co-production deal with Four Point Entertainment, to generate products for first-run syndication, home video and network. With Opryland efforts producing success, Gaylord had his organization focus on Opryland in the late 1980s, while TV operation increased profits during that time. Gaylord Broadcasting

8030-616: The ResortQuest CEO. In December 2004, ResortQuest sold its software arm's name, First Resort Software, and its property management software to Instant Software. Gaylord purchased the Aston Waikiki Hotel on June 2, 2005 from Leucadia National while selling 80.1% to a private real estate fund managed by DB Real Estate Opportunities Group. In April 2007, Gaylord had its subsidiary sell its Hawaiian holdings, while retaining shares in two hotels, to Interval Acquisition Corp.,

8140-887: The Strip, with a total of over 67,000 rooms. The Null Stern Hotel in Teufen , Appenzellerland , Switzerland, and the Concrete Mushrooms in Albania are former nuclear bunkers transformed into hotels. The Cuevas Pedro Antonio de Alarcón (named after the author ) in Guadix , Spain, as well as several hotels in Cappadocia , Turkey, are notable for being built into natural cave formations, some with rooms underground. The Desert Cave Hotel in Coober Pedy , South Australia,

8250-545: The TV Argentina and Solo Tango pay TV channels in the Fall of 1999 when it added a programming block to TV Argentina, a music and lifestyle channel. In May 2000, Gaylord increased its stakes in the two channels to 50%. The company expanded to convert TV Argentina to "MusicCountry" and expand Solo Tango, a dance-focused channel, reaching beyond Argentina and its limited South American distribution. Gaylord Cable Networks launched

8360-602: The Tampa Television Company, owners and licensee of CBS Tampa television station WTVT . Cofounder Gaylord led the media mini-conglomerate through to a prosperous 1970s, during which he died in 1974 at age 101, leaving leadership of the companies to his son, Edward L. Gaylord. In 1974, the company purchased another television station, KSTW in Seattle . In 1977, it bought out New Orleans TV station and ABC affiliate WVUE from Columbia Pictures , which

8470-711: The base of the company that exists today. Gaylord followed up the Opry acquisition with an attempt to purchase the Texas Rangers , to no avail. Opryland USA started the Gaylord Syndicom division on July 15, 1984, to develop syndicated TV programs. While in 1985, Acuff-Rose Music , an established country music publisher, was acquired by its Opryland Music Group Gaylord opened in 1985 the General Jackson river and paddle-wheel showboat, as an attraction at

8580-404: The car park. Motels were built to serve road travellers, including travellers on road trip vacations and workers who drive for their job (travelling salespeople, truck drivers, etc.). Common during the 1950s and 1960s, motels were often located adjacent to a major highway, where they were built on inexpensive land at the edge of towns or along stretches of freeway. New motel construction is rare in

8690-545: The company and also noting TRT's potential conflict of interest, since TRT owned the Omni Hotel chain, which competed against Gaylord for conference and convention business. The company adopted a shareholder rights plan as a " poison pill " in 2008. TRT got two seats on the Gaylord board of directors by August 2011, when TRT purchased additional shares of Gaylord bring its ownership share to 21%. In management's effort to see

8800-502: The company was refocused into a hospitality -based business by the early-2000s, constructing and operating massive resort properties catering to the high-end corporate convention market. In 2012, Gaylord Entertainment sold the Gaylord Hotels brand, as well as operations of its existing resorts, to Marriott International and converted the company's corporate structure into a real estate investment trust , retaining ownership of

8910-512: The defining characteristic of a resort hotel is that it exists purely to serve another attraction, the two having the same owners. On the Las Vegas Strip there is a tradition of one-upmanship with luxurious and extravagant hotels in a concentrated area. This trend now has extended to other resorts worldwide, but the concentration in Las Vegas is still the world's highest: nineteen of the world's twenty-five largest hotels by room count are on

9020-436: The early 2000s believed that Gaylord Entertainment's future lied solely in the management of the hospitality arm of the company. With the exception of the Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium, General Jackson Showboat, Wildhorse Saloon , and WSM radio in Nashville, all the non-hotel businesses were abandoned or sold. By 2001, the company closed or sold its stakes in the above websites plus Lightsource.com and Musicforce.com and took

9130-673: The first hotels in a modern sense was opened in Exeter in 1768. Hotels proliferated throughout Western Europe and North America in the early 19th century, and luxury hotels began to spring up in the later part of the 19th century, particularly in the United States. Hotel operations vary in size, function, complexity, and cost. Most hotels and major hospitality companies have set industry standards to classify hotel types. An upscale full-service hotel facility offers luxury amenities, full-service accommodations, an on-site restaurant , and

9240-565: The highest level of personalized and professional service in major or capital cities . International luxury hotels are classified with at least a Five Diamond rating or Five Star hotel rating depending on the country and local classification standards. Example brands include: Grand Hyatt , Conrad , InterContinental , Sofitel , Mandarin Oriental , Four Seasons , The Peninsula , Rosewood , JW Marriott and The Ritz-Carlton . Lifestyle luxury resorts are branded hotels that appeal to

9350-443: The highest level of personalized service, such as a concierge , room service , and clothes-ironing staff. Full-service hotels often contain upscale full-service facilities with many full-service accommodations, an on-site full-service restaurant , and a variety of on-site amenities . Boutique hotels are smaller independent, non-branded hotels that often contain upscale facilities. Small to medium-sized hotel establishments offer

9460-487: The hotels. The company also announced that they would not continue developing the Aurora, Colorado hotel-convention center. The company's second-largest shareholder, Mario Gabelli's GAMCO Investors, called for the company to spin off its Opry and Attractions division. In September 2012, Gaylord also agreed that Marriott's Gaylord Hotels would also manage on the company's behalf Radisson Hotel Opryland, Gaylord Springs Golf Links,

9570-524: The insulation values of the walls it needs no conventional heating or air conditioning system, although the Maya Guesthouse is built at an altitude of 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) in the Alps. Transit hotels are short stay hotels typically used at international airports where passengers can stay while waiting to change airplanes. The hotels are typically on the airside and do not require a visa for

9680-536: The meeting place of the literary group, the Algonquin Round Table , and Hotel Chelsea , also in New York City, has been the subject of a number of songs and the scene of the stabbing of Nancy Spungen (allegedly by her boyfriend Sid Vicious ). Some hotels are built specifically as a destination in itself to create a captive trade, example at casinos , amusement parks and holiday resorts . Though hotels have always been built in popular destinations,

9790-629: The mid-18th century, and consequently grew in grandeur and in the level of service provided. Sudhir Andrews traces "the birth of an organised hotel industry" to Europe's chalets and small hotels which catered primarily to aristocrats. One of the first hotels in a modern sense, the Royal Clarence , opened in Exeter in 1768, although the idea only really caught on in the early-19th century. In 1812 Mivart's Hotel opened its doors in London , later changing its name to Claridge's . Hotels proliferated throughout Western Europe and North America in

9900-415: The middle of the hostile takeover of their owner, NLT Corporation , by American General Insurance , and were put up for sale by the new parent shortly after the takeover was complete. Gaylord Broadcasting agreed to buy the Opry properties in September 1983. The holding company for the acquisitions was renamed from WSM, Inc. to Opryland USA, Inc. and continued under existing management. These acquisitions form

10010-643: The neighboring Opryland Themepark was shuttered and later demolished. In its place, Opry Mills shopping mall was constructed and opened on May 12, 2000. On October 26, 2001, Gaylord Entertainment announced that its Opryland Hotels division (dba Opryland Lodging Group) would be renamed Gaylord Hotels, in advance of the Florida and Texas projects' completions. Opryland Hotel Nashville was renamed Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center (or Gaylord Opryland , for short). Gaylord CEO Colin Reed said, "Research showed

10120-558: The network, in order to change their affiliations to CBS. The WB countersued for breach of contract and acting in bad faith. As a part of the settlement, Gaylord Broadcasting sold Houston 's KHTV to WB partner Tribune Broadcasting . In 1995, Gaylord Entertainment purchased Nashville radio station WWTN (99.7) out of bankruptcy, and made several capital improvements to the station. The company kept WWTN's existing news/talk/sports format, but integrated its operations with its two existing radio stations (WSM and WSM-FM) and moved its studios to

10230-444: The new Nashville theme park announced earlier in the year, effectively killing the project. On January 25, 2017, Ryman Hospitality Properties announced construction of a $ 90   million indoor/outdoor water park on the property. Called "Soundwaves", the water park opened December 1, 2018 and is available exclusively to overnight resort guests for an additional fee. Day packages for area residents were temporarily offered in 2020 as

10340-495: The oldest hotel in the world. During the Middle Ages , various religious orders at monasteries and abbeys would offer accommodation for travellers on the road. The precursor to the modern hotel was the inn of medieval Europe , possibly dating back to the rule of Ancient Rome . These would provide for the needs of travellers, including food and lodging, stabling and fodder for the traveller's horses and fresh horses for mail coaches . Famous London examples of inns include

10450-606: The ones above St Pancras railway station and Charing Cross railway station . London also has the Chiltern Court Hotel above Baker Street tube station , there are also Canada's grand railway hotels . They are or were mostly, but not exclusively, used by those traveling by rail. The Maya Guesthouse in Nax Mont-Noble in the Swiss Alps, is the first hotel in Europe built entirely with straw bales. Due to

10560-517: The other motels which remain in operation joined national franchise chains, often rebranding themselves as hotels, inns or lodges. Some examples of chains with motels include EconoLodge , Motel 6 , Super 8 , and Travelodge . Motels in some parts of the world are more often regarded as places for romantic assignations where rooms are often rented by the hour. This is fairly common in parts of Latin America . Hotels may offer rooms for microstays ,

10670-585: The ownership of the Grand Ole Opry and associated businesses, including the company's flagship resort property, then known as Opryland Hotel . As such, Ryman Hospitality cites 1925 (the founding of WSM Radio and the Opry ) as its origin year. From its corporate spin-off from Oklahoma Publishing in 1991 until 2012, the organization was known as Gaylord Entertainment Company . Most of its media and entertainment ventures were closed or divested over time as

10780-537: The properties themselves, and taking the Ryman Hospitality name as a result of the transaction. The company continues to own and operate the Opry and its affiliated companies inside a majority-owned subsidiary called Opry Entertainment Group. The Oklahoma Publishing Company, owned by the Gaylord and Dickinson families, in 1928 purchased a commercial radio station, WKY , which started the company's involvement in broadcasting. Cofounder Edward K. Gaylord led

10890-544: The prospering publishing company into television broadcasting with the beginning of WKY-TV on June 6, 1949, which became the company's focus in the next two decades when it reached the then-legally-permitted maximum of seven stations with the 1962 acquisition of KTVT in Dallas - Fort Worth, Texas . Thus the company set up the Gaylord Broadcasting subsidiary for its broadcasting stations. In 1956, it merged with

11000-579: The purchase of Yongestreet, Williams became president of Gaylord Productions' movie division while Alan Courtney assumed the presidency of its TV division. Gaylord continued to produce and distribute Hee Haw until it ended its run in 1997. The company was aware of the Grand Ole Opry 's business expansion in the 1970s and early 1980s, with Edward considering that company as a fit for Gaylord Broadcasting. The Opry and its associated businesses (including Opryland USA , Opryland Hotel , The Nashville Network , Ryman Auditorium , WSM & WSM-FM ) were caught in

11110-704: The reorganization as a REIT and sale of Gaylord Hotels to Marriott. Ryman Hospitality Properties began operations on October 1, at which time management of the venues by Marriott began. The Radisson Opryland on December 1 would convert to Marriott management under the new name of the Inn at Opryland. Marriott opened in April 2015 the AC Hotel Washington, D.C., with ownership by Ryman Properties in National Harbor, Maryland. In March 2016, Ryman revived its Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center project in

11220-426: The terrain. Some English towns had as many as ten such inns and rivalry between them became intense, not only for the income from the stagecoach operators but for the revenue from the food and drink supplied to the wealthy passengers. By the end of the century, coaching inns were being run more professionally, with a regular timetable being followed and fixed menus for food. Inns began to cater to richer clients in

11330-423: The transaction, Gaylord Entertainment Company would be renamed Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. and see its corporate structure transitioned into a real estate investment trust . Ryman Hospitality would retain ownership of the properties themselves. The transaction took effect on January 1, 2013. On September 28, 2012, citing Gaylord's deal with Marriott, Dolly Parton announced the withdrawal of her partnership in

11440-671: The value of the Gaylord Properties by encumbering them with the onerous, long term Marriott Agreement." Omni was revealed as the developer of the Fifth Avenue convention center hotel adjacent to the downtown Nashville Music City Center in August 2010, with a scheduled opening date of 2013. The company agreed to sell the Gaylord Hotels division, including the brand with a 35-year management contract, to Marriott International in May 2012, while retaining ownership of

11550-516: Was able to sell television stations WTVT in Tampa and WVUE in New Orleans for $ 365 million in 1987 while getting a $ 100 million tax credit for selling to a minority-owned company with the condition that the proceeds would be rolled into a media-released purchase within two years. However, to meet the deadline, Gaylord overpaid for a California cable television company and, in doing so, incurred

11660-484: Was about to exit the broadcasting industry at that time. Gaylord Broadcasting formed Gaylord Productions in 1979 to enter TV and film production, opening an office in Century City, Los Angeles and hiring Elmo Williams as executive vice president. In 1981, Gaylord Productions purchased Yongestreet Productions, packager of the long-running television series Hee Haw , from its creators Peppiatt and Aylesworth . With

11770-492: Was also added. In 1997, Gaylord Entertainment announced it was building a second Opryland Hotel in Kissimmee, Florida . The announced name of the new property was Opryland Hotel Florida. Soon after, a third resort (Opryland Hotel Texas) was announced for Grapevine, Texas , and the original property was officially renamed Opryland Hotel Nashville to differentiate it from its new sister properties. On December 31, 1997,

11880-559: Was canceled in 2005, but the name remained on the arena until 2007. Gaylord also divested its ownership share of the franchise. Gaylord started its Family Value Entertainment division with the April 1997 purchase of the Blanton Harrell Entertainment management firm. Z Music and Word Entertainment were transferred into the division. Division co-presidents appointed were Michael Blanton and Dan Harrell. In July 1998, Gaylord Entertainment purchased Pandora Investment,

11990-418: Was expanded, adding over 400 guest rooms and incorporating facilities to meet the demands of the corporate meeting and convention market. A Garden Conservatory resembling a Victorian garden was added. This atrium maintained a constant temperature of 71 degrees and housed more than 10,000 plants. In 1988, 2 acres (0.81 ha) and 797 guest rooms were added to the hotel. The Cascades Atrium was built, including

12100-693: Was the Cajun-themed Delta Atrium, which incorporated a quarter-mile-long indoor river. Flatboats were introduced to carry guests along the river, and past a water feature that included jets which were choreographed to music. When the expansion was christened, water samples from more than 1,700 rivers throughout the world (including every registered river in the United States) were poured into the Delta River. The Old Hickory Steak House, built to resemble an antebellum-style mansion,

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