July heat means Christmas prep at Gaylord Hotels

NASHVILLE, Tenn. and BETHESDA, Md., July 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The hottest days of summer are here, and work is already underway at Gaylord Hotels to prepare for over-the-top Christmas celebrations at its four giant resorts.

Officials at the hotel brand announced today that packages and tickets for Christmas at Gaylord Hotels are available at www.ChristmasAtGaylordHotels.com.

From dazzling holiday shows and attractions to atrium gardens packed with millions of holiday lights, towering Christmas trees, enormous wreaths and glistening ornaments, each Gaylord Hotels location becomes a mecca of holiday spirit from mid-November to early January.

"It takes months to transform our spectacular resorts in Nashville, Dallas, Orlando and Washington, D.C. into magical holiday settings," said Mike Stengel, senior vice president of Gaylord Hotels. "Lights are already going up outside, and we have more than 8 million pounds of colorful ice blocks on order to create our most beloved holiday tradition—ICE!"

ICE!—Gaylord Hotels' signature holiday attraction—is hand-carved by master ice artisans from Harbin, China. Each location includes more than 2 million pounds of ice carved into colorful sculptures and multi-story ice slides. The experience is kept at nine degrees Fahrenheit, and themes vary by location. Presented by Pepsi, ICE! will feature Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at Gaylord Opryland; A Charlie Brown Christmas at Gaylord Palms; Santa Claus is Comin' To Town at Gaylord Texan and Christmas Around the World at Gaylord National.

Guests can warm up after experiencing ICE! with heart-warming entertainment for every member of the family, ranging from enchanting live shows, visits with Santa, holiday kids' trains and character breakfasts to thrills like snow tubing, ice skating and more.

While event offerings vary by location, all four resorts will feature The Elf on the Shelf® Scavenger Hunt. By finding all the scout elves hiding in the resort and solving the puzzles in the scavenger hunt booklet, families will reveal the elves' names so they can get their Christmas magic. Guests who help the scout elves will receive a special prize.

At the Gingerbread Decorating Corner, guests can choose a delectable gingerbread kit and decorate to their hearts' content before visiting with a life-sized gingerbread man for heartwarming hugs and photo opportunities.

New for 2016 is an exclusive Build-A-Bear Workshop experience that lets guests make their very own furry winter friend—a cuddly, cute polar bear plush, designed for Gaylord Hotels that can be personalized with cozy winter clothing and accessories.
The full lineup of events at each location may be found on each resort's holiday website:

• Gaylord Opryland Resort (Nashville, Tennessee) – www.ChristmasAtGaylordOpryland.com
• Gaylord Palms Resort (Kissimmee, Florida) – www.ChristmasAtGaylordPalms.com
• Gaylord Texan Resort (Grapevine, Texas) – www.ChristmasAtGaylordTexan.com
• Gaylord National Resort (National Harbor, Maryland) – www.ChristmasOnThePotomac.com

Gaylord Hotels, part of the Marriott portfolio of brands, offers extraordinary environments with everything in one place— diverse dining options, full-service spas, pools, top-notch entertainment, shopping and more. Locations include Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee; Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, Florida; Gaylord Texan on Lake Grapevine, Texas; Gaylord National on the Potomac in National Harbor, Maryland; and The Inn at Opryland in Nashville. For more information, visit www.GaylordHotels.com.

By the Numbers
Across Gaylord Hotels' four resorts, there are:

• 7,796 total guest rooms
• 6.2 million holiday lights that would stretch 226 miles if stung end-to-end
• 101,360 feet of garland
• 27,000 poinsettia plants
• Over 3 million pounds of real snow on snow tubing hills
• More than 8 million pounds of ice used to carve the ICE! attraction

PEPSI, PEPSI-COLA and the Pepsi Globe are registered trademarks of PepsiCo, Inc.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and all related elements © & ™ under license to Character Arts, LLC. All rights reserved.
Peanuts © 2016 Peanuts Worldwide LLC.
Santa Claus is Comin' To Town © Classic Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
The Elf on the Shelf® and © CCA and B, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
© & ® Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160720/391439

SOURCE Gaylord Hotels