Opryland: Case Study of Plants & People

The Opryland Hotel: A Case Study of Plants & People

The best example of plants as a differentiating product design element and a possible determinant product attribute in the hotel industry may be the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN. This hotel is considered one of the most financially successful meeting and convention hotels in the country. The hotel opened in 1977 with 600 guest rooms, expanded to 1,068 in 1983, and expanded again to 1,879 guest rooms in 1988. The hotel also has one of the largest square footage of meeting space in the country. The total investment in the hotel is approximately $145 million. As the 12th largest hotel in the country, the Opryland Hotel has received numerous honors. It has earned the Golden Key Award from Meeting and Conventions magazine and has been named one of the 10 best hotels in the country by the readers of Corporate Meetings and Incentives magazine. It holds both the Mobil four-star award and the AAA four-diamond award. The strength of Opryland Hotel’s product is indicated by the fact that the hotel enjoys occupancy rates over 85 percent each year, well above the current national average of 68 percent (Trends, 1989).