The dumbest thing that has happened to me in all my years of travel happened at the Opryland Hotel. He was scheduled to speak with a group of American Express travel agents on the subject of first-class travel. Inconveniently, I broke my toe before leaving the house.
On crutches, I flew to Nashville, Tennessee and headed to the Opryland Hotel. After checking into the Opryland, I asked the hotel receptionist for my luggage, which had arrived before me.
They ordered me to approach (limping closer) to the bellboy’s desk. There they told me that all the luggage was stored in a long corridor. Throwing myself at the mercy of a serious young hotel bellboy, I asked him to retrieve it.
I gave him a description of the piece: Green duffel bag on wheels, nylon parachute, Amelia Earhart.
Taking a steering wheel
The bellboy from the Opryland Hotel obediently headed down the hall. A few minutes later he returned, proudly announcing, “Oh, I found your luggage, Miss Earhart.”
It was the first, but not the last, failure of my stay at the Opryland Hotel. Rolling my bag down a long, long, long hallway, I realized that the hotel room was too far from the elevator for comfort. I called the front desk to ask for a room with a better location, handicap accessible if possible.
Half an hour later Opryland reception called me and told me which room to go to. (If it was a Ritz-Carlton or Four Seasons hotel, I’m sure someone would have come to help me.) Feeling sorry for myself, I went back to my crutches, hopped down the long hall, and headed for the new room. Another bellboy met me there, handed me a key, and left.
Tired, grumpy, and stressed, I pulled the chair out from the desk and sat down, and it gave under me and broke. I started crying, and then my tears turned to laughter. What else could go wrong at the Opryland Hotel? The answer turned out to be: nothing.
About the Opryland hotel
Opened in 1977, Tennessee’s Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center is the largest non-gaming hotel facility in the world. It contains 2,711 rooms and 171 suites on six floors, all of which have been renovated since it was acquired by the Marriott chain.
Yes, the Opryland Hotel is huge, so if you are looking for something quiet, romantic and intimate, this is not for you.
But, as you would expect from a mega property, the Opryland Hotel has a considerable number of amenities that can appeal to couples. These include pools, a variety of shops, 17 restaurants and lounges, room service, and even multiple ballrooms and event spaces to host a wedding. There are glass atriums for couples who want to recite vows in a light-filled environment and outdoors without having to worry about bad weather and humidity.
Unique to The Opryland Hotel is the Delta, a landscaped covered river and acres of interior gardens; Many of the rooms have a French balcony with views.
The 18-hole, par 72, Gaylord Springs Golf Links will appeal to golfers, while treatments at the hotel’s Relâche Spa will help lovers of massages and facials to relax.
A free shuttle runs from the Nashville airport to the hotel and back.
If you are planning a visit to the Grand Ole Opry, this location is quite convenient.
Grab your luggage!
Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center
2800 Opryland Drive
Nashville, Tennessee
37214615-889-1000
