By AP
Nashville, TN – The Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center is reopening today thanks to a $270 million face lift after flooding last May shut it down. The Nashville Tennessean reports the company lost $35 million to $40 million in profit at the almost 2,900 room hotel since it closed. But now the company is throwing open its doors with Christmas-themed events, a playground made of ice, fireworks and free concerts.
The remodel also includes five new restaurants, five football fields' worth of new carpeting and 700 renovated rooms. Gaylord CEO Colin Reed says a silver lining to the flood was the opportunity to modernize the hotel's interior design and facilities while no guests were around.