If
you've never been to the Opryland Hotel or you haven't been
there recently, be prepared for a spectacle. Located just 10 minutes (7
miles) from the Nashville airport, Opryland is the largest hotel-and-convention
complex east of the Mississippi. It has waterfalls, lush foilage and even
a captive river with riverboat rides! The hotel is adjacent to the Opryland
Theme Park and the 4400 seat radio stage theater which hosts the Grand
Ole Opry, world's longest running radio show since 1927.
In June of 1996 a new area called The
Delta opened, adding 979 guest rooms (bringing the hotel total to 2,870)
and meeting rooms and exhibit hall space were added to total over 600,000
square feet in the Convention Center. The Delta is one of five hotel areas
that surround glass-covered "interiorscapes"-- cavernous open
areas with a profusion of exotic and colorful plants, multi-level bridges,
streams and waterfalls. There are computer-controlled dancing fountains
which are the focus of laser light shows every evening. In all, the hotel
has 9 acres under glass which means that one can stroll the "outdoor"
public areas and it's always 72 degrees and sunny. 
For AMIA Symposium goers, the good news about the Delta is that it is immediately adjacent to the convention center rooms where we will hold our sessions, and that the central island of the Delta has a new food court. Here, one can quickly get a variety of culinary fare which includes soups and salads, custom-made sandwiches, pizza and even Chinese food. There are health-conscious menus in many of the hotel's 23 (count ‘em, 23) eateries, and they range from stand-up quick to all the sit-down elegance you could want.
The hotel seems quieter than most. The reason for this is not only its
massive structure, but also the fact that all of the guestrooms which open
onto the glass-covered courtyards benefit from the ever-present sound of
the waterfalls and fountains--a constant source of "white noise"
that muffles the normal clamor of a large hotel. There are Guest Services
desks in the Registration area and Magnolia area where you can get tickets
for the Grand Ole Opry, the Water Taxis to downtown Nashville,
the General Jackson showboat, and other Nashville area attractions.
The hotel staff are courteous and attentive. From clerks at the lobby counters to bellmen to the housekeeping staff, everyone will stop what they are doing to answer a question. And you will have questions. The first and most enduring impression of the Opryland Hotel is that it is "out of scale", much larger than most any convention hotel a business traveler is accustomed to navigating. (Some guestroom hallways are nearly a quarter of a mile long!) Comfortable walking shoes are a must, as is the hotel map that every guest receives on check-in.
The Opryland Hotel is a Nashville attraction in its own right, and it will be the perfect setting for you to enjoy the 1997 AMIA Fall Symposium. See you there!
