Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center is an American hotel and convention center in Grapevine, Texas, 30 minutes from Dallas–Fort Worth. It opened on April 2, 2004. It has 486000 sqft of meeting space and 1,814 guest rooms.
Gaylord Texan is owned by Ryman Hospitality Properties (formerly known as Gaylord Entertainment Company), and operated by Marriott International. It is a sister hotel to the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, and Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center.
The Glass Cactus nightclub located at the hotel was named one of Billboard magazine's 25 Hottest Clubs in North America in 2012.[3]
Annual events
The resort features an annual holiday event with different themes and corporate sponsors each year. The event is called ICE! or Lone Star Christmas. Each annual exhibit has a different theme, with past themes including Charlie Brown, Nutcracker, Shrek, and Frosty the Snowman.[4]
Every year, starting with the second half of the NCAA Division I Football season, the College Football Playoff committee convenes at the hotel on a weekly basis to rank the top 25 teams in its weekly rankings, with their final meeting determining which four teams will advance to play for the National Championship.[5]
History
In 2004, 2005, 2009, 2017, 2018, 2023, and 2024 it was the location of QuakeCon, a gaming convention based in Texas.[6]
In January 2020, Gaylord Texan hosted Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week, an annual gathering of the heavy-duty truck industry.[7] Gaylord Hotels across the U.S. closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] All of them, including Gaylord Texan, re-opened with new safety protocols in June 2020.[9]
The resort hosted the National Conference of the Technology Student Association (TSA) from June 28 through July 2, 2015, as well as the 2022 National TSA Competition.[10]
In 2023, Gaylord Texan hosted the annual meeting of the National Association of Landscape Professionals.[11]
In June 2025, the Turning Point USA Young Women's Leadership Summit was held at the resort.[12]
The 2026 Conservative Political Action Conference was held at the resort in late March 2026.[13][14]
See also
- Silver Lake, Texas
External links
References
- Gaylord Hotels Overview Fact Sheet retrieved September 4, 2008^
- Emporis GmbH. Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, Grapevine - 233517 - EMPORIS Emporis^
- Greg Janda. Glass Cactus Named a Top Nightclub by Billboard NBC Dallas–Fort Worth, 2012-08-03, retrieved 2018-10-23^
- Spring Sault. ICE! Exhibit Now Open at Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine Texas Hill Country, 2019-12-02, retrieved 2026-03-22^
- Inside the room where College Football Playoff teams are chosen: 13 things they don’t tell you about the committee The Athletic, 2021-11-01^
- Quakecon 2009 10 March 2012^
- Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week Organizers Announce New Location For 2020 Conference aftermarketNews, 2019-02-04, retrieved 2026-03-22^
- Natalie Walters. Gaylord Texan resort sets June 8 reopening date after COVID-19 forced its closure Dallas News, May 21, 2020, retrieved 2026-03-22^
- Expansive Gaylord Hotels Re-Open Today Marking a Positive Return for the Hospitality Industry WebWire, June 26, 2020, retrieved 2026-03-22^
- 2022 Link (Archived Links added on 28 March 2026) Recent National TSA Conferences www.tsaweb.org^
- Christina Herrick. The Big One: Everything’s bigger in Texas 2020-11-24, retrieved 2026-03-22^
- Kara Voght. MAGA and the single girl The Washington Post, 2025-06-18, retrieved 2026-03-11^
- Charlotte Hazard. CPAC announces 2026 speakers including Nick Shirley, Ken Paxton, Ted Cruz KTUL, 2026-03-10, retrieved 2026-03-12^
- Kellen Browning. On CPAC’s Main Stage, Fissures in the Party Trump Remade The New York Times, 2026-03-28, retrieved 2026-03-28^