Greater Washington’s largest hotel could remain shuttered until at least mid-2021 as the owner of the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center waits for for group travel and meeting business to rebound and negotiates with the hotel employees’ union over future staffing levels.
Hotel owner Ryman Hospitality Partners (NYSE: RHP) of Nashville, Tennessee, is in talks with the union representing workers at the nearly 2,000-room hotel in National Harbor about the best strategy for reopening, which could come this summer, both sides say. Gaylord National, with about 500,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space, is the only convention center hotel in the Ryman Hospitality portfolio that remains closed since the onset of the pandemic. It’s also the only one with a unionized workforce.
The delay is due in part to local public health restrictions on occupancy and capacity, according to Ryman officials. Meeting and banquet facilities are currently limited to 25% capacity in Prince George’s County, where the hotel is located. The hotel’s owner has resisted putting a firmer date on reopening, even as the Gaylord National’s sister hotels and competitors have started to welcome back guests.
