Altogether, we number about 1,000 guests of the hotel, and then there are more than 1,000 other “regular” guests here. That includes lots of families with wide-eyed little children who are enjoying the property’s magical holiday decorations.
The size and scale of Gaylord’s hotels is always awe-inspiring, but with it all dressed up for the holidays and looking brand-spanking new after $270 million in renovations and repairs since the flood six months ago, it’s hard not to feel like a little kid myself as I wander around the resort.
Last night’s opening celebration had some especially jaw-dropping moments, including pyrotechnics, fireworks, and aerial acrobatics — inside the cavernous Delta Atrium. (That’s “outside inside,” as my 19-year-old daughter Kelly, who joined me on this trip, called it, versus “outside outside,” when you venture through doors that lead to the non-climate-controlled great outdoors.)
After hearing Gaylord Chairman and CEO Colin Reed speak at the ceremony — and watching videotaped interviews of Gaylord Stars (staff) — about the night of the flood and the tragic loss of life and property in Nashville — it feels good to be part of the coming-back celebration. Last night, that included a festive dinner in the Delta Ballroom and a private concert by Keith Urban. Even non-Country Music fans got swept up by his performance and rushed up to the stage to kick up their heels, cowboy boots or not.
