Gaylord's portion of the massive National Harbor endeavor centers on an opulent hotel property that will sit on a 40-acre parcel along the banks of the Potomac River. "The luxurious 1,500-room hotel will also have 400,000 sf of state-of-the-art meeting and convention space," Gaylord Entertainment Co. director of corporate communications Jim Brown tells GlobeSt.com. "We anticipate hiring approximately 1,500 employees and opening in 2006." Since Gaylord decided to continue with the project, a great deal of progress has been made in getting the requisite local government approvals. "Enabling legislation that is still subject to further agreements with the county was passed October 16," Brown notes. "These issues include an examination of the tax revenue generated from our project, and ultimately, the bond issuance. And we are continuing to work on architectural and engineering aspects of the project."

Upon completion, Gaylord will serve as managers for the hotel property, which will significantly increase the number of hotel rooms in the area, as well as generate additional revenue in the county. As of April 2002, Prince George's County was home to approximately 6,600 hotel rooms and expected to reap $4.1 million in hotel tax revenue for fiscal year 2003. The entire National Harbor development, which is to be completed around 2007, could end up being as large as seven million sf, and will most certainly include other hotel developments.