Is Gaylord owned by Marriott?

Partially. Marriott International owns the Gaylord brand name and manages the hotels, having acquired those rights in 2012 for $210 million. The physical properties are owned by Ryman Hospitality Properties, a separate publicly traded REIT.

Is Gaylord publicly traded?

The Gaylord brand is not separately listed. Marriott International trades on the NASDAQ under MAR, while property owner Ryman Hospitality Properties trades on the NYSE under RHP.

When was Gaylord founded?

The original Opryland Hotel opened in Nashville in 1977, created by Edward L. Gaylord's company adjacent to the Grand Ole Opry. The Gaylord brand for additional properties was developed through the 2000s before Marriott acquired management rights in 2012.

Edward L. Gaylord, an Oklahoma media businessman, founded the enterprise through his ownership of the Grand Ole Opry and Opryland. The Gaylord hotel brand emerged from the success of the original Opryland Hotel.

What is Gaylord's market position?

Gaylord operates approximately nine massive convention resorts with a format no national competitor replicates: self-contained properties with indoor atriums, extensive meeting space, and integrated entertainment. It dominates its niche in markets like Nashville, Orlando, Dallas, and Washington, D.C.

What is the difference between Gaylord and a regular Marriott hotel?

Gaylord properties are destination resorts built around massive indoor atriums with hundreds of thousands of square feet of meeting space, multiple restaurants, and entertainment. They serve large conventions as primary business, unlike standard Marriott hotels serving mixed transient guests.

Travel & Hospitality

Who Owns Gaylord Hotels?

Gaylord Hotels is a resort and convention hotel brand managed by Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR). The brand traces to the 1977 opening of the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. Marriott acquired the Gaylord brand and hotel management rights in 2012 for $210 million; the properties themselves are owned by Ryman Hospitality Properties. Gaylord operates about nine large convention resorts.

Parent Company

Marriott International

Acquired

2012

Status

Publicly Traded

Headquarters

Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Gaylord Hotels Timeline

1927

Marriott International

Parent company established in Bethesda, Maryland, USA

Company Founded

1977

Gaylord Hotels

Founded by Edward L. Gaylord

Founded

2012

Acquired by Marriott International

Marriott International acquired Gaylord Hotels

Acquired

premiumpremiumUnited StatesOfficial Website

Who Owns Gaylord Hotels?

Parent Company: Marriott International
Ownership Type: Licensed
Acquisition Year: 2012
Company Type: Publicly Traded
Stock Ticker: NASDAQ: MAR

Brand	Parent Company	Ownership Type
Gaylord Hotels	Marriott International	Licensed

History of Gaylord Hotels

Founded: 1977
Founders: Edward L. Gaylord
Acquired by Marriott International: 2012

Edward L. Gaylord, an Oklahoma newspaper and broadcasting businessman, acquired the Grand Ole Opry radio show and Opryland USA theme park in Nashville through the 1970s. In 1977, Gaylord's company opened the Opryland Hotel adjacent to the Opry, a property that grew into one of America's largest hotels.

The Opryland Hotel pioneered the atrium resort concept: massive glass-enclosed interiors housing gardens, waterways, restaurants, and shops under one roof. The property's success led Gaylord Entertainment to replicate the format, opening Gaylord Palms in Florida (2002), Gaylord Texan near Dallas (2004), and Gaylord National outside Washington, D.C. (2008), each with over 1,500 rooms and hundreds of thousands of square feet of meeting space.

Gaylord Entertainment restructured as a REIT in 2012, renaming itself Ryman Hospitality Properties after the Ryman Auditorium, the Grand Ole Opry's historic home. As part of the conversion, the company sold the Gaylord brand and management rights to Marriott for $210 million, becoming a pure real estate owner while Marriott took over operations.

Under Marriott management, the Gaylord flag expanded modestly. Gaylord Rockies opened near Denver in 2018 as the largest hotel in Colorado, and the brand's roughly nine properties continue to dominate the large-format convention resort niche in their markets.

About Marriott International

What does Marriott International own?
Marriott International owns over 30 hotel brands including The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, W Hotels, JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Westin, Courtyard, Fairfield, Residence Inn, Moxy, and City Express by Marriott. The company operates approximately 9,500 properties in 140-plus countries and territories. However, Marriott owns very few of the physical hotel buildings. Approximately 99% of properties are managed or franchised for third-party owners. Marriott also owns the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program with over 230 million members.

Is Marriott International publicly traded?
Yes, Marriott International, Inc. is listed on NASDAQ under the ticker MAR. The company has been publicly traded since 1953. The Marriott family retains a significant but non-controlling ownership stake. Major institutional shareholders include Vanguard Group, BlackRock, and State Street. The company has a single-class share structure with one vote per share.

Who founded Marriott International?
Marriott was founded by J. Willard Marriott and his wife Alice Marriott, who opened a root beer stand in Washington, D.C. in 1927. The company entered the hotel business in 1957 with the Twin Bridges Motor Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. J. Willard Marriott handed leadership to his son Bill Marriott in 1972. Marriott International was created in 1993 when Marriott Corporation split into Marriott International (hotels) and Host Marriott (real estate).

Where is Marriott International headquartered?
Marriott International is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, near Washington, D.C. The company's global headquarters is located at 7750 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland. The company operates approximately 9,500 properties in 140-plus countries and territories worldwide.

How many hotels does Marriott operate?
As of 2025, Marriott operates approximately 9,500 properties with over 1.7 million rooms across 140-plus countries and territories. The company has a development pipeline of approximately 3,800 properties and 590,000 rooms, representing significant future growth. Over half of the development pipeline is in international markets.

What is Marriott Bonvoy?
Marriott Bonvoy is Marriott International's loyalty program, with over 230 million members as of 2025. The program was formed in 2019 by merging Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) following the 2016 Starwood acquisition. Members earn points on stays at Marriott properties, which can be redeemed for free nights, room upgrades, and other benefits. The program also includes co-branded credit cards with JPMorgan Chase and American Express.

Who is the CEO of Marriott International?
Anthony Capuano is the President and CEO of Marriott International, a position he has held since February 2021. He succeeded Arne Sorenson, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in February 2021. Capuano had been with Marriott for over 25 years before becoming CEO. The board of directors is chaired by David Marriott, grandson of founder J. Willard Marriott.

Founded: 1927
Headquarters: Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Company Type: Publicly Traded
Stock: NASDAQ: MAR
Revenue: $25.5 billion (FY2025, calendar year ended December 31, 2025)
Employees: Approximately 425,000

Visit Marriott International website

View full company profile for Marriott International

Where Is Gaylord Hotels Made / Based?

Headquarters: Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Gaylord Hotels Categories & Tags

Hotels Convention Hotels Resorts Marriott Hospitality

Gaylord Hotels Sustainability & Ethics

Gaylord properties operate under Marriott's Serve360 sustainability platform, which commits the parent to net-zero emissions by 2050. The scale of the properties creates significant energy demands, and efficiency retrofits at the atrium structures are ongoing.

The brand's relationship with Ryman Hospitality means environmental reporting appears in both companies' disclosures: Marriott for operations and Ryman for property-level metrics.

Gaylord Hotels Ownership: Pros & Cons

Advantages

+Unique self-contained convention resort format with no direct competitor
+Long-lead group bookings provide revenue visibility
+Marriott management expertise applied to complex properties
+Ryman bears real estate risk while Marriott collects fees
+Integrated entertainment drives non-room revenue

Considerations

-Split ownership complicates brand control and investment decisions
-Convention demand is vulnerable to economic downturns and remote work shifts
-Massive atriums create high energy and maintenance costs
-Small property count limits scale within the Marriott system
-Concentration in a few markets creates geographic risk

Frequently Asked Questions About Gaylord Hotels

Sources & Further Reading

Competitors to Gaylord Hotels

These competing brands operate in the same categories and provide similar products or services. Compare key attributes to understand market positioning and competitive landscape.

Brand	Parent Company	Country	Founded	Market Position	Primary Market	Gender Target
Courtyard by MarriottSister Brand	Marriott International	USA	1983	Mass market	Global	All Genders
Fairfield by MarriottSister Brand	Marriott International	USA	1987	Mass market	Global	All Genders
Marriott HotelsSister Brand	Marriott International	USA	1957	Premium	Global	All Genders
Marriott Vacation ClubSister Brand	Marriott International	USA	1984	Premium	United states	All Genders
Protea Hotels by MarriottSister Brand	Marriott International	South Africa	1984	Mass market	Regional	All Genders
Residence InnSister Brand	Marriott International	USA	1975	Mass market	United states	All Genders