UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

FORM 10-K

FOR ANNUAL AND TRANSITION REPORTS
PURSUANT TO SECTIONS 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission File No. 1-13079

GAYLORD ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

     Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. þ Yes o No

     Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. þ

     Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). þ Yes o No

     The aggregate market value of the shares of Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant based on the closing price of the Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange June 30, 2004 was approximately $1,227,499,860.

(APPLICABLE ONLY TO CORPORATE REGISTRANTS)

As of March 1, 2005, there were 39,991,701 shares of Common Stock outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

     Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held May 5, 2005 are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.

GAYLORD ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY

2004 FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I

Throughout this report, we refer to Gaylord Entertainment Company, together with its subsidiaries, as “we,” “us,” “Gaylord Entertainment,” “Gaylord,” or the “Company.”

Item 1. Business

We are the only hospitality company whose stated primary focus is the large group meetings segment of the lodging market. Our hospitality business includes our Gaylord branded hotels consisting of the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center near Orlando, Florida and the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center near Dallas, Texas. We also own and operate the Radisson Hotel at Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee. Driven by our “All-in-One-Place” strategy, our award-winning Gaylord branded hotels incorporate not only high quality lodging, but also significant meeting, convention and exhibition space, superb food and beverage options and retail and spa facilities within a single self-contained property. As a result, our properties provide a convenient and entertaining environment for our convention guests. In addition, our custom-tailored, all-inclusive solutions cater to the unique needs of meeting planners.

In order to strengthen and diversify our hospitality business, on November 20, 2003, we acquired ResortQuest International, Inc. (“ResortQuest”) in a stock-for-stock transaction. ResortQuest is a leading provider of vacation condominium and home rental property management services in premier destination resort locations in the United States and Canada (based on the number of units it manages), with a branded network of vacation rental properties. As of December 31, 2004, ResortQuest provided management services to approximately 18,000 vacation rental properties, approximately 17,000 of which were under exclusive management contracts and approximately 1,000 of which were under non-exclusive management contracts.

We also own and operate several attractions in Nashville, including the Grand Ole Opry, a live country music variety show, which is the nation’s longest running radio show and an icon in country music. Our local Nashville attractions provide entertainment opportunities for Nashville-area residents and visitors, including our Nashville hotel and convention guests, while adding to our destination appeal.

We were originally incorporated in 1956 and were reorganized in connection with a 1997 corporate restructuring. Our operations are organized into four principal business segments: (i) Hospitality, which includes our hotel operations; (ii) ResortQuest; (iii) Opry and Attractions, which includes our Nashville attractions and assets related to the Grand Ole Opry; and (iv) Corporate and Other. These four business segments — Hospitality, ResortQuest, Opry and Attractions, and Corporate and Other — represented approximately 63%, 28%, 9%, and 0%, respectively, of total revenues in the year ended December 31, 2004. Financial information by industry segment and our Gaylord hotel properties as of December 31, 2004 and for each of the three years in the period then ended, appears in Item 6, “Selected Financial Data,” and Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and in the Financial Reporting by Business Segments note (Note 20) to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Strategy

Our goal is to become the nation’s premier hotel brand serving the meetings and conventions sector and to enhance our business by offering additional vacation and entertainment opportunities to our guests and target consumers. Our Gaylord branded hotels focus on the $86 billion large group meetings market. Our properties and service are designed to appeal to meeting planners who arrange these large group meetings. As a result of the ResortQuest acquisition, we now operate a leading provider of vacation, condominium and home rental management services. The Grand Ole Opry is one of the brands best-known by the “country lifestyle” consumer, which we estimate to number approximately 70 million people in the United States. Country lifestyle consumers are persons who have recently participated in one or more of a number of activities identified by our management. These activities include listening to country music, buying country music recordings, attending country music concerts or reading country-themed publications.

“All-in-One-Place” Product Offering. Through our “All-in-One-Place” strategy, our Gaylord branded hotels incorporate meeting and exhibition space, signature guest rooms, award-winning food and beverage offerings, fitness and spa facilities and other attractions within a large hotel property so our attendees’ needs are met in one location. This strategy creates a better experience for both meeting planners and our guests, allows us to capture a greater share of their event spending, and has led to our Gaylord hotels claiming a place among the leading convention hotels in the country.

Create Customer Rotation Between Our Hotels. In order to further capitalize on our success in Nashville, we opened our Gaylord Palms hotel in January 2002 and our new Gaylord Texan hotel in April 2004, and are scheduled to open the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in the Washington, D.C. area in 2008. In 2001, we refocused the efforts of our sales force to capitalize on our expansion and the desires of some of our large group meeting clients to meet in different parts of the country each year and to establish relationships with new customers as we increase our geographic reach. There is a significant opportunity to establish strong relationships with new customers and rotate them to our other properties.

Leverage Brand Name Awareness. We believe that the Grand Ole Opry is one of the most recognized entertainment brands within the United States. We promote the Grand Ole Opry name through a number of media including our WSM-AM radio station, the Internet, television and performances by the Grand Ole Opry’s members, many of whom are renowned country music artists, and we believe that significant growth opportunities exist through leveraging and extending the Grand Ole Opry brand into other products and markets. As such, we have alliances in place with multiple distribution partners in an effort to foster brand extension. We are currently exploring additional products, such as television specials and retail products, through which we can capitalize on our brand affinity and awareness. We believe that licensing our brand for products may provide an opportunity to increase revenues and cash flow with relatively little capital investment.

Capitalize on the ResortQuest Acquisition. We believe the combination of Gaylord and ResortQuest has formed a stronger, more diversified hospitality company with the ability to offer a broader range of accommodations to existing and potential customers. We believe that there are significant opportunities to cross-sell hospitality products by offering ResortQuest’s vacation properties to our “country lifestyle” consumers and introducing our hotels and “country lifestyle” offerings to ResortQuest’s customers. We believe that we can more fully develop the ResortQuest brand and take advantage of future growth opportunities through increased scale, improved operational efficiency and access to additional sources of capital. In addition, we have completed a number of cost saving opportunities and synergies, including eliminating redundant functions and optimization of the combined company’s infrastructure.

Industry Description

Hospitality

According to Tradeshow Week, the large group meetings market generated approximately $86 billion of revenues for the companies that provide services to it. The convention hotel industry is estimated to have generated approximately $15 billion of these revenues. These revenues include event producer total gross sales (which include exhibitor and sponsor expenditures) and attendee “economic impact” (which includes spending on lodging, meals, entertainment and in-city transportation), not all of which we capture. The convention hotels that attract these group meetings often have more than 1,000 guest rooms and, on average, contain approximately 108,000 square feet of exhibit space and 41 meeting rooms.

The large group meetings market is comprised of approximately one million events annually, of which approximately 80% are corporate meetings and 18% are association meetings. The large majority of these events requires less than 250,000 square feet of exhibit or meeting space, with only 8% requiring over 500,000 square feet. Examples of industries participating in these meetings include health care, home furnishings, computers, sporting goods and recreation, education, building and construction, industrial, agriculture, food and beverage, boats and automotive. Association-sponsored events, which draw a large number of attendees requiring extensive meeting space and room availability, account for over half of total group spending and economic impact. Because associations and trade shows generally select their sites 2 to 5 years in advance, thereby increasing earnings visibility, the convention hotel segment of the lodging industry is more predictable and less susceptible to economic downturns than the general lodging industry.

A number of factors contribute to the success of a convention center hotel, including the following: the availability of sufficient meeting and exhibit space to satisfy large group users; the availability of rooms at competitive prices; access to quality entertainment and food and beverage venues; destination appeal; appropriate regional professional and consumer demographics; adequate loading docks, storage facilities and security; ease of site access via air and ground transportation; and the quality of service provided by hotel staff and event coordinators. The ability to offer as many of these elements within close proximity of each other is important in order to reduce the organizational and logistical planning efforts of the meeting planner. The meeting planner, who acts as an intermediary between the hotel event coordinator and the group scheduling the event, is typically a convention hotel’s direct customer. Effective interaction and coordination with meeting planners is key to booking events and generating repeat customers.

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     Largest Hotel Exhibit Hall Rankings 2004

Source: the Company; Tradeshow Week Major Exhibit Hall Directory 2004

Gaylord Hotels — Strategic Plan. Our goal is to become the nation’s premier brand in the meetings and convention sector. To accomplish this, our business strategy is to develop resorts and convention centers in desirable event destinations that are created based in large part on the needs of meeting planners and attendees. Using the slogan “All-in-One-Place,” our hotels incorporate meeting, convention and exhibition space with a large hotel property so the attendees never have to leave the location during their meetings. This concept of a self-contained destination dedicated primarily to the meetings industry has made Gaylord Opryland in Nashville one of the leading convention hotels in the country. In addition to operating Gaylord Opryland, we opened the Gaylord Palms in January 2002 and our new Gaylord Texan on April 2, 2004, and have purchased land for the development of the Gaylord National hotel in the Washington, D.C. area. We believe that our new convention hotels will enable us to capture additional convention business from groups that currently utilize Gaylord Opryland but must rotate their meetings to other locations due to their attendees’ desires to visit different areas. Gaylord also anticipates that our new hotels will capture new group business that currently does not come to the Nashville market and will seek to gain additional business at Gaylord Opryland in Nashville once these groups have experienced a Gaylord hotel in other markets.

Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center — Nashville, Tennessee. Our flagship, Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, is one of the leading convention destinations in the United States based upon number of rooms, exhibit space and conventions held. Designed with the lavish gardens and magnificent charm of a glorious Southern mansion, the resort is situated on approximately 172 acres in the Opryland complex. Gaylord Opryland is one of the largest hotels in the United States in terms of number of guest rooms. It also serves as a destination resort for vacationers due to its proximity to the Grand Ole Opry, the General Jackson Showboat, the Springhouse Links (Gaylord’s 18-hole championship golf course), and other attractions in the Nashville area. Gaylord Opryland has 2,881 guest rooms, four ballrooms with approximately 121,000 square feet, 85 banquet/meeting rooms, and total dedicated exhibition space of approximately 289,000 square feet. Total meeting, exhibit and pre-function space in the hotel is approximately 600,000 square feet. The Gaylord Opryland has been recognized by many industry and commercial publications, receiving the Meeting News’ Planners Choice Award, Travel & Leisure’s World’s Best Award and Meeting & Convention’s Gold Key Elite Award.

Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center — Kissimmee, Florida. We opened Gaylord Palms in January 2002. Gaylord Palms has 1,406 signature guest rooms and approximately 380,000 square feet of total meeting and exhibit space. The hotel is situated on a 65-acre site in Osceola County, Florida and is approximately 5 minutes from the main gate of the Walt Disney World® Resort complex. Gaylord Palms has a full-service spa, with 20,000 square feet of dedicated space and 15 treatment rooms. Hotel guests also have golf privileges at the world class Falcon’s Fire Golf Club, located a half-mile from the property. The Gaylord Palms has been recognized

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by many publications, receiving Meeting and Convention’s Gold Key Elite Award and being named Best Florida Resort by Florida Monthly for 2003 and 2004.

Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center — Grapevine, Texas. We began construction on our new Gaylord Texan in June 2000, and the hotel opened on April 2, 2004. The 1,511 room hotel and convention center is located eight minutes from the Dallas/ Fort Worth International Airport. Like its sister property in Kissimmee, Florida, our Texas hotel features a grand atrium enclosing several acres as well as over 360,000 square feet of pre-function, meeting and exhibition space all under one roof. The property also includes a number of themed restaurants. Earlier this year, the Gaylord Texan was named the Development of the Year (prevailing over the other finalists, Mandarin Oriental in Washington, D.C. and the Omni Resort at ChampionsGate) by the Americas Lodging Investment Summit.

Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center — Prince George’s County, Maryland. We have announced plans to develop a hotel, to be known as the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center and to be constructed on approximately 42 acres of land we acquired on February 24, 2005 located on the Potomac River in Prince George’s County, Maryland (in the Washington, D.C. market). We currently expect to open the hotel in 2008. In connection with this project, Prince George’s County, Maryland approved, in July 2004, two bond issues related to our development. The first bond issuance, in the amount of $65 million, will support the cost of infrastructure being constructed by the project developer, such as roads, water and sewer lines. The second bond issuance, in the amount of $95 million, will be issued directly to us upon completion of the project. We will initially hold the bonds and receive the debt service thereon which is payable from tax increment, hotel tax and special hotel rental taxes generated from our development. We refer to this project as our Gaylord National hotel project.

Radisson Hotel at Opryland. We also own and operate the Radisson Hotel at Opryland, a Radisson franchise hotel, which is located across the street from Gaylord Opryland. The hotel has 303 rooms and approximately 14,000 square feet of meeting space. In March 2000, we entered into a 20-year franchise agreement with Radisson in connection with the operation of this hotel.

Our management is also considering other sites to locate future Gaylord Hotel properties.

ResortQuest

ResortQuest’s rental properties are generally second homes or investment properties owned by individuals who assign to ResortQuest the responsibility of managing, marketing and renting their properties. ResortQuest earns management fees as a percentage of the rental income from each property, but generally has no ownership interest in the properties. In addition to the vacation property management business, ResortQuest offers real estate brokerage services and other rental and property owner services.

ResortQuest provides value-added services to both vacationers and property owners. For vacationers, ResortQuest offers the value, convenience and features of a condominium or home while providing many of the amenities and services of a hotel, such as centralized billing, check-in and housekeeping services. For property owners, ResortQuest offers a comprehensive package of marketing, management and rental services designed to enhance rental income and profitability while providing services to maintain the property. Property owners also benefit from ResortQuest’s QuestPerks program, which offers benefits such as discounts on lodging, air travel and car rentals. To manage guests’ expectations, ResortQuest has developed and implemented a five-tier rating system that segments its property portfolio into five categories: Quest Home, Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze.

Utilizing its marketing database, ResortQuest markets its properties through various media channels, including direct mail and targeted advertising solicitations. ResortQuest has significant distribution through ResortQuest.com, its proprietary website offering “real-time” reservations, and its inventory distribution partnerships that include Expedia, Travelocity, Condosaver, retail travel agents, travel wholesalers and others. ResortQuest is constantly enhancing its website to improve the booking experience for leisure travelers. In addition to detailed property descriptions, virtual tours, interior and exterior photos, floor plans and local information, vacationers can search for properties by date, activity, event or location; comparison shop among similar vacation rental units; check for special discounts and promotions; and obtain maps and driving directions.

On January 2, 2005 ResortQuest completed the acquisition from East West Resorts of vacation rental units in Aspen and Breckenridge, Colorado and the South Carolina beach destinations of Hilton Head and the Charleston Outer Islands, specifically Kiawah Island, Seabrook Island, Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms. On February 1, 2005 ResortQuest acquired the Whistler, British Columbia lodging business of O’Neill Hotels and Resorts, Ltd. As a result of these acquisitions, ResortQuest had over 19,000 units under exclusive management as of March 1, 2005.

Opry and Attractions

The Grand Ole Opry. The Grand Ole Opry, which will celebrate its 80th anniversary in 2005, is one of the most widely known platforms for country music in the world. The Opry features a live country music show with performances every Friday and Saturday night, as well as a Tuesday Night Opry on a seasonal basis. The Opry House, home of the Grand Ole Opry, seats approximately 4,400

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and is located in the Opryland complex. The Grand Ole Opry moved to the Opry House in 1974 from its most famous home in the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville.

Each week, the Grand Ole Opry is broadcast live to millions of country lifestyle consumers on terrestrial radio via WSM-AM and on satellite radio via Sirius Satellite Radio. In addition, the Grand Ole Opry is broadcast weekly on television via the Great American Country network and CMT-Canada. The broadcast of the Grand Ole Opry is also streamed on the Internet via www.opry.com and www.wsmonline.com. The show has been broadcast since 1925 on WSM-AM, making it the longest running live radio program in the United States. The television broadcast schedule on the Great American Country network will include 52 weekly telecasts airing on Saturday nights at 8 p.m. EST and repeating three times on weekends and twice on Tuesday evenings. The Grand Ole Opry produces a two hour show each week that is aired on 205 radio stations across the country through syndication of “America’s Grand Ole Opry Weekend,” which is distributed by Westwood One and also on the Armed Forces Radio Network. In addition to performances by members, the Grand Ole Opry presents performances by many other country music artists.

Ryman Auditorium. The Ryman Auditorium, which was built in 1892 and seats approximately 2,300, was recently designated as a National Historic Landmark. The former home of the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium was renovated and re-opened in 1994 for concerts and musical productions. The Grand Ole Opry returns to the Ryman Auditorium periodically, most recently from January to February 2005. In 2003 and 2004, the Ryman Auditorium was named “Theatre of the Year” by Pollstar Concert Industry Awards.

The General Jackson Showboat. We operate the General Jackson Showboat, a 300-foot, four-deck paddle wheel showboat, on the Cumberland River, which flows past the Gaylord Opryland complex in Nashville. Its Victorian Theatre can seat 620 people for banquets and 1,000 people for theater-style presentations. The showboat stages Broadway-style shows and other theatrical productions. The General Jackson is one of many sources of entertainment that Gaylord makes available to conventions held at Gaylord Opryland. During the day, it operates cruises, primarily serving tourists visiting the Opryland complex and the Nashville area.

The Springhouse Links. Home to a Senior PGA Tour event from 1994 to 2003 and minutes from Gaylord Opryland, the Springhouse Links was designed by former U.S. Open and PGA Champion Larry Nelson. The 40,000 square-foot antebellum-style clubhouse offers meeting space for up to 450 guests.

The Wildhorse Saloon. Since 1994, we have owned and operated the Wildhorse Saloon, a country music performance venue on historic Second Avenue in downtown Nashville. The three-story facility includes a dance floor of approximately 2,500 square feet, as well as a restaurant and banquet facility that can accommodate up to 2,000 guests.

Corporate Magic. In March 2000, we acquired Corporate Magic, Inc., a company specializing in the production of creative and entertainment events in support of the corporate and meeting marketplace. We believe the event and corporate entertainment planning function of Corporate Magic complements the meeting and convention aspects of our Gaylord Hotels business.

WSM-AM. WSM-AM commenced broadcasting in 1925. The involvement of Gaylord’s predecessors with country music dates back to the creation of the radio program that became The Grand Ole Opry, which has been broadcast live on WSM-AM since 1925. WSM-AM is broadcast from the Gaylord Opryland complex in Nashville and has a country music format. WSM-AM is one of the nation’s “clear channel” stations, meaning that no other station in a 750-mile radius uses the same frequency for nighttime broadcasts. As a result, the station’s signal, transmitted by a 50,000 watt transmitter, can be heard at night in much of the United States and parts of Canada.

On July 21, 2003, we, through our wholly-owned subsidiary Gaylord Investments, Inc., sold the assets primarily used in the operations of WSM-FM and WWTN(FM) to Cumulus Broadcasting, Inc. for $62.5 million in cash, and Gaylord entered into a joint sales agreement with Cumulus for WSM-AM in exchange for approximately $2.5 million in cash. Under the joint sales agreement with Cumulus, Cumulus sells all of the commercial advertising on WSM-AM and provides certain sales promotion and billing and collection services relating to WSM-AM, all for a specified fee. The joint sales agreement has a term of five years.

Corporate and Other

Bass Pro Shops. We own a 26.6% interest in Bass Pro, Inc. Bass Pro, Inc. owns and operates Bass Pro Shops, a retailer of premium outdoor sporting goods and fishing tackle. Bass Pro Shops serves its customers through an extensive mail order catalog operation, a retail center in Springfield, Missouri, and additional retail stores at Opry Mills in Nashville and in various other U.S. locations.

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Nashville Predators. On February 22, 2005, we concluded the settlement of litigation with the Nashville Hockey Club Limited Partnership (“NHC”), which owns the Nashville Predators NHL hockey team, over (i) NHC’s obligation to redeem our ownership interest, and (ii) our obligations under the Nashville Arena Naming Rights Agreement dated November 24, 1999. Under the Naming Rights Agreement, which had an original 20-year term, we were required to make annual payments to NHC, beginning at $2,050,000 in 1999 and with a 5% escalation each year thereafter, and to purchase a minimum number of tickets to Predators games each year. At the closing of the settlement, NHC redeemed all of our outstanding limited partnership units in the Predators pursuant to a Purchase Agreement dated February 22, 2005, effectively terminating our ownership interest in the Predators. In addition, the Naming Rights Agreement was cancelled pursuant to the Acknowledgment of Termination of Naming Rights Agreement.

As a part of the settlement, we made a one-time cash payment to NHC of $4 million and issued to NHC a 5-year, $5 million promissory note bearing interest at 6% per annum. The note is payable at $1 million per year for 5 years, with the first payment due on the first anniversary of the resumption of NHL hockey in Nashville, Tennessee.

Our obligation to pay the outstanding amount under the note shall terminate immediately if, at any time before the note is paid in full, the Predators cease to be an NHL team playing its home games in Nashville, Tennessee. In addition, if the Predators cease to be an NHL team playing its home games in Nashville prior to the first payment under the note, then in addition to the note being cancelled, the Predators will pay us $4 million. If the Predators cease to be an NHL team playing its home games in Nashville after the first payment but prior to the second payment under the note, then in addition to the note being cancelled, the Predators will pay us $2 million.

In addition, pursuant to a Consent Agreement among us, the National Hockey League and owners of NHC, our Guaranty dated June 25, 1997 has been limited so that we are not responsible for any debt, obligation or liability of NHC that arises from any act, omission or circumstance occurring after the date of the Consent Agreement. As a part of the settlement, each party agreed to release the other party from any claims associated with this litigation.

Viacom. We hold an investment of approximately 11 million shares of Viacom Class B common stock (“Viacom stock”), which was received as the result of the sale of television station KTVT to CBS in 1999 and the subsequent acquisition of CBS by Viacom in 2000. We entered into a secured forward exchange contract related to 10.9 million shares of the Viacom stock in 2000. The secured forward exchange contract protects us against decreases in the fair market value of the Viacom stock, while providing for participation in increases in the fair market value. At December 31, 2004, the fair market value of our investment in the shares of Viacom stock was $400.4 million, or $36.39 per share. The secured forward exchange contract protects the Company against decreases in the fair market value of the Viacom stock by way of a put option at a strike price below $56.05 per share, while providing for participation in increases in the fair market value by way of a call option at a strike price of $67.97 per share, as of December 31, 2004. The call option strike price decreased from $75.30 as of December 31, 2003 to $67.97 as of December 31, 2004 due to the Company receiving dividend distributions from Viacom during 2004. Future dividend distributions received from Viacom may result in an adjusted call strike price. For any appreciation above $67.97 per share, the Company will participate in the appreciation at a rate of 25.93%. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

Implementation of Strategic Direction

During the second quarter of 2001, we hired a new Chairman of the Board and a new Chief Executive Officer. Once the new senior management team was in place, they devoted a significant portion of 2001 to reviewing the many different businesses they inherited when they joined the Company. After significant review, it was determined that, while we had four business segments for financial reporting purposes (Hospitality, Opry and Attractions Group, Media, consisting of our radio stations and other media assets, and Corporate and Other), the future direction of the Company would be based on two core asset groups, which were aligned as follows: (i) Hospitality Core Asset Group: consisting of the Gaylord Hotels and the various attractions that provide entertainment to guests of the hotels and (ii) Opry Core Asset Group: consisting of the Grand Ole Opry, WSM-AM radio, and the Ryman Auditorium. As a result, it was determined that Acuff-Rose Music Publishing, Word Entertainment, Music Country/CMT International, Oklahoma RedHawks, Opry Mills, GET Management (comprised of multiple businesses), WSM-FM and WWTN (FM) were not core assets of the Company, and as a result each has either been sold or otherwise disposed of by the Company as reflected in the following table:

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Gaylord Digital, Z Music and the Opryland River Taxis, also not core assets of the Company, had previously been sold or otherwise disposed of by the Company. The Company also has miscellaneous real estate holdings that will be sold from time to time. Management has yet to make a final decision as to whether to sell its minority interest in Bass Pro Shops, which it has determined to be a non-core asset. Following the decision to divest certain businesses, we restructured the corporate organization to streamline operations and remove duplicative costs.

Employees

     As of December 31, 2004, we had approximately 8,649 full-time and 3,016 part-time and temporary employees. Of these, approximately 4,984 full-time and 1,800 part-time employees were employed in Hospitality; approximately 398 full-time and 662 part-time employees were employed in Opry and Attractions; approximately 2,984 full-time and 539 part-time employees were employed in ResortQuest; and approximately 283 full-time and 15 part-time employees were employed in Corporate and Other. We believe our relations with our employees are good.

Competition

Hospitality

The Gaylord Hotel properties compete with numerous other hotels throughout the United States and abroad, particularly the approximately 100 convention hotels located outside of Las Vegas, Nevada that have approximately 1,050 rooms on average and a significant amount of meeting and exhibit space. Many of these hotels are operated by companies with greater financial, marketing, and human resources than the Company. We believe that competition among convention hotels is based on, among other things: (i) the hotel’s reputation, (ii) the quality of the hotel’s facility, (iii) the quality and scope of a hotel’s meeting and convention facilities and services, (iv) the desirability of a hotel’s location, (v) travel distance to a hotel for meeting attendees, (vi) a hotel facility’s accessibility to a recognized airport, (vii) the amount of entertainment and recreational options available in and in the vicinity of the hotel, and (viii) price. Our hotels also compete against municipal convention centers. These include the largest convention centers (e.g., Orlando, Chicago and Atlanta) as well as, for Gaylord Opryland, mid-size convention centers (between 100,000 and 500,000 square feet of meeting space located in second-tier cities).

The hotel business is management and marketing intensive. The Gaylord Hotels compete with other hotels throughout the United States for high quality management and marketing personnel. There can be no assurance that the Company’s hotels will be able to attract and retain employees with the requisite managerial and marketing skills.

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ResortQuest

The vacation rental and property management industry is highly competitive and has low barriers to entry. The industry has two distinct customer groups: vacation property renters and vacation property owners. We believe that the principal competitive factors in attracting vacation property renters are:

	•	market share and visibility
	•	quality, cost and breadth of services and properties provided; and
	•	long-term customer relationships.

The principal competitive factors in attracting vacation property owners are the ability to generate higher rental income and the ability to provide comprehensive management services at competitive prices. ResortQuest competes for vacationers and property owners primarily with over 4,000 individual vacation rental and property management companies that typically operate in a limited geographic area. Some of our competitors are affiliated with the owners or operators of resorts in which such competitors provide their services. Certain of these smaller competitors may have lower overhead cost structures and may be able to provide their services at lower rates.

ResortQuest also competes for vacationers with large hotel and resort companies and timeshare operators. Many of these competitors have greater financial resources than we have, enabling them to finance acquisition and development opportunities, to pay higher prices for the same opportunities or to develop and support their own operations. In addition, many of these companies can offer vacationers services not provided by vacation rental and property management companies, and they may have greater name recognition among vacationers. These companies might be willing to sacrifice profitability to capture a greater portion of the market for vacationers or pay higher prices than we would for the same acquisition opportunities. Consequently, we may encounter significant competition in our efforts to achieve our internal and acquisition growth objectives as well as our operating strategies focused on increasing the profitability of our existing and subsequent acquisitions.

Opry and Attractions Group

The Grand Ole Opry and other attractions businesses compete with all other forms of entertainment and recreational activities. The success of the Opry and Attractions group is dependent upon certain factors beyond our control including economic conditions, the amount of available leisure time, transportation cost, public taste, and weather conditions. Our radio station competes with numerous other types of entertainment businesses, and success is often dependent on taste and fashion, which may fluctuate from time to time. Under a joint sales agreement with Cumulus, we own and operate WSM-AM, and Cumulus sells all commercial advertising on WSM-AM and provides certain sales promotion and billing and collection services for a specified fee.

Seasonality

Portions of our business are seasonal in nature. Our group convention business is subject to reduced levels of demand during the year-end holiday periods. Although we typically attempt to attract general tourism guests by offering special events and attractions during these periods, there can be no assurance that our hotels can successfully operate such events and attractions. In addition, certain of the geographic regions in which ResortQuest operates, such as ski resorts, typically attract fewer vacationers in certain off-peak seasons.

Regulation and Legislation

Hospitality

The Gaylord Hotels and the Radisson Hotel at Opryland are subject to certain federal, state, and local governmental laws and regulations including, without limitation, health, safety, and environmental regulations applicable to hotel and restaurant operations. The hotels are also subject to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and similar state laws, as well as regulations pursuant thereto. We believe that we are in substantial compliance with such laws and regulations. In addition, the sale of alcoholic beverages by a hotel requires a license and is subject to regulation by the applicable state and local authorities. The agencies involved have the power to limit, condition, suspend, or revoke any such license, and any disciplinary action or revocation could have an adverse effect upon the results of operations of the Company’s Hospitality Group segment.

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ResortQuest

The operations of ResortQuest are subject to various federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations, including licensing requirements applicable to real estate operations and the sale of alcoholic beverages, laws and regulations relating to consumer protection and local ordinances. Many states have adopted specific laws and regulations which regulate our activities, such as:

	•	anti-fraud laws;
	•	real estate and travel services provider license requirements;
	•	environmental laws;
	•	telemarketing and consumer privacy laws; and
	•	the Fair Housing Act.

The agencies involved in enforcing these laws and regulations have the power to limit, condition, suspend, or revoke any such license or activity by ResortQuest, and any disciplinary action or revocation affecting a significant portion of the operations of ResortQuest could have an adverse effect upon the results of operations of ResortQuest.

Opry and Attractions Group

WSM-AM is subject to regulation under the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the “Communications Act”). Under the Communications Act, the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, among other things, assigns frequency bands for broadcasting; determines the frequencies, location, and signal strength of stations; issues, renews, revokes, and modifies station licenses; regulates equipment used by stations; and adopts and implements regulations and policies that directly or indirectly affect the ownership, operation, and other practices of broadcasting stations.

Licenses issued for radio stations have terms of eight years. Radio broadcast licenses are renewable upon application to the FCC and in the past have been renewed except in rare cases. Competing applications will not be accepted at the time of license renewal, and will not be entertained at all unless the FCC first concludes that renewal of the license would not serve the public interest. A station will be entitled to renewal in the absence of serious violations of the Communications Act or the FCC regulations or other violations which constitute a pattern of abuse. The Company is not aware of any reason why its radio station license should not be renewed.

The foregoing is only a brief summary of certain provisions of the Communications Act and FCC regulations. The Communications Act and FCC regulations may be amended from time to time, and the Company cannot predict whether any such legislation will be enacted or whether new or amended FCC regulations will be adopted, or the effect on the Company of any such changes.

In addition, our Nashville area attractions are also subject to the laws and regulatory activities associated with the sale of alcoholic beverages described above.

Additional Information

Our web site address is www.gaylordentertainment.com. Please note that our web site address is provided as an inactive textual reference only. We make available free of charge through our web site the Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. The information provided on our web site is not part of this report, and is therefore not incorporated by reference unless such information is otherwise specifically referenced elsewhere in this report.

Risk Factors

You should carefully consider the following specific risk factors as well as the other information contained or incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K as these are important factors, among others, that could cause our actual results to differ from our expected or historical results. It is not possible to predict or identify all such factors. Consequently, you should not consider any such list to be a complete statement of all our potential risks or uncertainties. Some statements in this “Business” section and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are “forward-looking statements.”

The successful implementation of our business strategy depends on our ability to generate cash flows from our existing operations, our new Gaylord Texan hotel and other factors.

We have refocused our business strategy on the development of additional resort and convention center hotels in selected locations in the United States; on our attractions properties, including the Grand Ole Opry, which are focused primarily on the country music genre, as well as our recently acquired ResortQuest vacation rental and property management business. The success of our future operating results depends on our ability to implement our business strategy by successfully operating the Gaylord Opryland, the

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Gaylord Palms and our new Gaylord Texan hotel in Grapevine, Texas, by successfully developing and financing our proposed Gaylord National hotel project near Washington, D.C. and by further exploiting our attractions assets and our vacation rental business. Our ability to do this depends upon many factors, some of which are beyond our control. These include:

	•	our ability to generate cash flows from existing operations;
	•	our ability to hire and retain hotel management, catering and convention-related staff for our hotels and staff for our vacation rental offices;
	•	our ability to capitalize on the strong brand recognition of certain of our Opry and Attractions assets; and
	•	the continued popularity and demand for country music.

If we are unable to successfully implement the business strategies described above, our cash flows and net income may be reduced.

Our hotel and convention business and our vacation rental and property management business are subject to significant market risks.

Our ability to continue to successfully operate the Gaylord Opryland, the Gaylord Palms and our new Gaylord Texan hotel in Grapevine, Texas, as well as our ability to operate our ResortQuest vacation rental business, is subject to factors beyond our control which could reduce the revenue and operating income of these properties. These factors include:

	•	the desirability and perceived attractiveness of the Nashville, Tennessee area; the Orlando, Florida area; and the Dallas, Texas area as tourist and convention destinations;
	•	the ability of our proposed Gaylord National hotel project near Washington, D.C. to operate in a new market which is extremely competitive;
	•	adverse changes in the national economy and in the levels of tourism and convention business that would affect our hotels or vacation rental properties we manage;
	•	the hotel and convention business is highly competitive and Gaylord Palms and our new Gaylord Texan hotel are operating in extremely competitive markets for convention and tourism business;
	•	our group convention business is subject to reduced levels of demand during the year-end holiday periods, and we may not be able to attract sufficient general tourism guests to offset this seasonality; and
	•	the vacation rental and property management business is highly competitive and has low barriers to entry, and we compete primarily with local vacation rental and property management companies located in its markets, some of whom are affiliated with the owners or operators of resorts where these competitors provide their services or which may have lower cost structures and may provide their services at lower rates.

Our acquisition of ResortQuest International, Inc., which we completed on November 20, 2003, involves substantial risks.

The ResortQuest acquisition, which we completed on November 20, 2003, involves the integration of two companies that previously have operated independently, which is a complex, costly and time-consuming process. The process of integrating operations could cause an interruption of, or loss of momentum in, the activities of the combined company’s business and the loss of key personnel. The diversion of management’s attention and any delays or difficulties encountered in connection with the ResortQuest acquisition and the integration of the two companies’ operations could harm the business, results of operations, financial condition or prospects of the combined company. In addition, we may be unable to achieve the anticipated cost savings from the ResortQuest acquisition for many reasons.

Unanticipated costs of hotels we open in new markets, including our proposed Gaylord National hotel project near Washington, D.C., may reduce our operating income.

As part of our growth plans, we may open or acquire new hotels in geographic areas in which we have little or no operating experience and in which potential customers may not be familiar with our business. As a result, we may have to incur costs relating to the opening, operation and promotion of those new hotel properties that are substantially greater than those incurred in other areas.

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Even though we may incur substantial additional costs with these new hotel properties, they may attract fewer customers than our existing hotels. As a result, the results of operations at new hotel properties may be inferior to those of our existing hotels. The new hotels may even operate at a loss. Even if we are able to attract enough customers to our new hotel properties to operate them at a profit, it is possible that those customers could simply be moving future meetings or conventions from our existing hotel properties to our new hotel properties. Thus, the opening of a new hotel property could reduce the revenue of our existing hotel properties.

Our hotel development, including our proposed Gaylord National hotel project, is subject to timing, budgeting and other risks.

We intend to develop additional hotel properties as suitable opportunities arise, taking into consideration the general economic climate. New project development has a number of risks, including risks associated with:

	•	construction delays or cost overruns that may increase project costs;
	•	construction defects or noncompliance with construction specifications;
	•	receipt of zoning, occupancy and other required governmental permits and authorizations;
	•	development costs incurred for projects that are not pursued to completion;
	•	so-called acts of God such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods or fires that could delay the development of a project;
	•	the availability and cost of capital; and
	•	governmental restrictions on the nature or size of a project or timing of completion.

Our development projects may not be completed on time or within budget.

Our plans to develop the Gaylord National hotel project are subject to numerous risks.

Our plans to develop the Gaylord National hotel are subject to market conditions, the availability of financing, receipt of necessary building permits and other authorizations, and other factors, including those described in the preceding risk factor. In addition, we do not have experience operating in the Washington, D.C. market. We cannot assure you that the project will be completed, that it will be opened on time or on budget, or that its future operations will be successful.

Our real estate investments are subject to numerous risks.

Because we own hotels and attractions properties, we are subject to the risks that generally relate to investments in real property. The investment returns available from equity investments in real estate depend in large part on the amount of income earned and capital appreciation generated by the related properties, as well as the expenses incurred. In addition, a variety of other factors affect income from properties and real estate values, including governmental regulations, insurance, zoning, tax and eminent domain laws, interest rate levels and the availability of financing. For example, new or existing real estate zoning or tax laws can make it more expensive and/or time-consuming to develop real property or expand, modify or renovate properties. When interest rates increase, the cost of acquiring, developing, expanding or renovating real property increases and real property values may decrease as the number of potential buyers decreases. Similarly, as financing becomes less available, it becomes more difficult both to acquire and to sell real property. Finally, governments can, under eminent domain laws, take real property. Sometimes this taking is for less compensation than the owner believes the property is worth. Any of these factors could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations or financial condition. In addition, equity real estate investments, such as the investments we hold and any additional properties that we may acquire, are relatively difficult to sell quickly. If our properties do not generate revenue sufficient to meet operating expenses, including debt service and capital expenditures, our income will be reduced.

Our hotel and vacation rental properties are concentrated geographically and our revenues and operating income could be reduced by adverse conditions specific to our property locations.

Our existing hotel properties are located predominately in the southeastern United States. As a result, our business and our financial operating results may be materially affected by adverse economic, weather or business conditions in the Southeast. In addition, our ResortQuest vacation rental business manages properties that are significantly concentrated in beach and island resorts located in Florida and Hawaii and mountain resorts located in Colorado. Adverse events or conditions which affect these areas in particular, such as economic recession, changes in regional travel patterns, extreme weather conditions or natural disasters, may have an adverse impact on our ResortQuest operations.

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Hospitality companies have been the target of class actions and other lawsuits alleging violations of federal and state law.

Our operating income and profits may be reduced by legal or governmental proceedings brought by or on behalf of our employees or customers. In recent years, a number of hospitality companies have been subject to lawsuits, including class action lawsuits, alleging violations of federal and state law regarding workplace and employment matters, discrimination and similar matters. A number of these lawsuits have resulted in the payment of substantial damages by the defendants. Similar lawsuits have been instituted against us from time to time, and we cannot assure you that we will not incur substantial damages and expenses resulting from lawsuits of this type, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our properties are subject to environmental regulations that could impose significant financial liability on us.

Environmental laws, ordinances and regulations of various federal, state, local and foreign governments regulate certain of our properties and could make us liable for the costs of removing or cleaning up hazardous or toxic substances on, under or in the properties we currently own or operate or those we previously owned or operated. Those laws could impose liability without regard to whether we knew of, or were responsible for, the presence of hazardous or toxic substances. The presence of hazardous or toxic substances, or the failure to properly clean up such substances when present, could jeopardize our ability to develop, use, sell or rent the real property or to borrow using the real property as collateral. If we arrange for the disposal or treatment of hazardous or toxic wastes, we could be liable for the costs of removing or cleaning up wastes at the disposal or treatment facility, even if we never owned or operated that facility. Other laws, ordinances and regulations could require us to manage, abate or remove lead- or asbestos-containing materials. Similarly, the operation and closure of storage tanks are often regulated by federal, state, local and foreign laws. Finally, certain laws, ordinances and regulations, particularly those governing the management or preservation of wetlands, coastal zones and threatened or endangered species, could limit our ability to develop, use, sell or rent our real property.

Any failure to attract, retain and integrate senior and managerial level executives could negatively impact our operations and development of our properties.

During 2001, we appointed a new chairman and a new chief executive officer and had numerous changes in senior management. Our future performance depends upon our ability to attract qualified senior executives, retain their services and integrate them into our business. Our future financial results also will depend upon our ability to attract and retain highly skilled managerial and marketing personnel in our different areas of operation. Competition for qualified personnel is intense and is likely to increase in the future. We compete for qualified personnel against companies with significantly greater financial resources than ours.

We have certain minority equity interests over which we have no significant control, to or for which we may owe significant obligations and for which there is no market, and these investments may not be profitable.

We have certain minority investments which are not liquid and over which we have little or no rights, or ability, to exercise the direction or control of the respective enterprises. These include our equity interests in Viacom and Bass Pro. When we make these investments, we sometimes extend guarantees related to such investments. The ultimate value of each of these investments will be dependent upon the efforts of others over an extended period of time. The nature of our interests and the absence of a market for those interests restricts our ability to dispose of them. Our lack of control over the management of these businesses and the lack of a market to sell our interest in these businesses may cause us to recognize a loss on our investment in these businesses. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” In addition, we may enter into joint venture arrangements. These arrangements are subject to uncertainties and risks, including those related to conflicting joint venture partner interests and to our joint venture partners failing to meet their financial or other obligations.

We are subject to risks relating to acts of God, terrorist activity and war.

Our operating income may be reduced by acts of God, such as natural disasters or acts of terror, in locations where we own and/or operate significant properties and areas of the world from which we draw a large number of customers. Some types of losses, such as from earthquake, hurricane, terrorism and environmental hazards, may be either uninsurable or too expensive to justify insuring against. Should an uninsured loss or a loss in excess of insured limits occur, we could lose all or a portion of the capital we have invested in a hotel, as well as the anticipated future revenue from the hotel. In that event, we might nevertheless remain obligated for any mortgage debt or other financial obligations related to the property. Similarly, wars (including the potential for war), terrorist activity (including threats of terrorist activity), political unrest and other forms of civil strife as well as geopolitical uncertainty have caused in the past, and may cause in the future, our results to differ materially from anticipated results.

The hospitality industry and the vacation and property management industry are heavily regulated, including with respect to food and beverage sales, real estate brokerage licensing, employee relations and construction concerns, and compliance with these regulations could increase our costs and reduce our revenues and profits.

Our hotel operations are subject to numerous laws, including those relating to the preparation and sale of food and beverages, liquor service and health and safety of premises. Our vacation rental operations are also subject to licensing requirements applicable to real

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estate operations, laws and regulations relating to consumer protection and local ordinances. We are also subject to laws regulating our relationship with our employees in areas such as hiring and firing, minimum wage and maximum working hours, overtime and working conditions. The success of expanding our hotel operations also depends upon our obtaining necessary building permits and zoning variances from local authorities. Compliance with these laws is time intensive and costly and may reduce our revenues and operating income.

If vacation rental property owners do not renew a significant number of property management contracts, revenues and operating income from our ResortQuest vacation rental business would be reduced.

Through our ResortQuest vacation rental business, we provide rental and property management services to property owners pursuant to management contracts, which generally have one-year terms. The majority of such contracts contain automatic renewal provisions but also allow property owners to terminate the contract at any time. If property owners do not renew a significant number of management contracts or if we are unable to attract additional property owners, revenues and operating income for our ResortQuest business may be reduced. In addition, although most of its contracts are exclusive, industry standards in certain geographic markets dictate that rental services be provided on a non-exclusive basis.

Our substantial debt could reduce our cash flow and limit our business activities.

We currently have a significant amount of debt. As of December 31, 2004, we had $576.4 million of total debt, exclusive of our $613.1 million secured forward exchange contract, and stockholders’ equity of $869.6 million.

Our substantial amount of debt could have important consequences. For example, it could:

	•	increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions;
	•	require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to make interest and principal payments on our debt, thereby limiting the availability of our cash flow to fund future capital expenditures, working capital and other general corporate requirements;
	•	limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the hospitality industry, which may place us at a competitive disadvantage compared with competitors that are less leveraged;
	•	increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions; and
	•	limit our ability to borrow additional funds, even when necessary to maintain adequate liquidity.

In addition, the terms of our new $600 million credit facility and the indentures governing our 8% senior notes and our 6.75% senior notes allow us to incur substantial amounts of additional debt subject to certain limitations. Any such additional debt could increase the risks associated with our substantial leverage. Our substantial leverage is evidenced by our earnings being insufficient to cover fixed charges by $97.9 million and $69.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively.

The agreements governing our debt, including our 8% senior notes, our 6.75% senior notes and our new $600 million credit facility, contain various covenants that limit our discretion in the operation of our business and could lead to acceleration of debt.

Our existing financing agreements, including our new $600 million credit facility and the senior notes, impose, and future financing agreements are likely to impose, operating and financial restrictions on our activities. These restrictions require us to comply with or maintain certain financial tests and ratios, including minimum consolidated net worth, minimum interest coverage ratio and maximum leverage ratios, and limit or prohibit our ability to, among other things:

	•	incur additional debt and issue preferred stock;
	•	create liens;
	•	redeem and/or prepay certain debt;
	•	pay dividends on our stock to our stockholders or repurchase our stock;
	•	make certain investments;

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	•	enter new lines of business;
	•	engage in consolidations, mergers and acquisitions;
	•	make certain capital expenditures; and
	•	pay dividends and make other distributions from our subsidiaries to us.

These restrictions on our ability to operate our business could seriously harm our business by, among other things, limiting our ability to take advantage of financing, merger and acquisition and other corporate opportunities.

Various risks, uncertainties and events beyond our control could affect our ability to comply with these covenants and maintain these financial tests and ratios. Failure to comply with any of the covenants in our existing or future financing agreements could result in a default under those agreements and under other agreements containing cross-default provisions. A default would permit lenders to accelerate the maturity for the debt under these agreements and to foreclose upon any collateral securing the debt. Under these circumstances, we might not have sufficient funds or other resources to satisfy all of our obligations, including our obligations under the notes. In addition, the limitations imposed by financing agreements on our ability to incur additional debt and to take other actions might significantly impair our ability to obtain other financing.

Fluctuations in our operating results and other factors may result in decreases in our stock price.

In recent periods, the market price for our common stock has fluctuated substantially. From time to time, there may be significant volatility in the market price of our common stock. We believe that the current market price of our common stock reflects expectations that we will be able to continue to operate our existing hotels profitably and to develop new hotel properties profitably. If we are unable to accomplish this, investors could sell shares of our common stock at or after the time that it becomes apparent that the expectations of the market may not be realized, resulting in a decrease in the market price of our common stock. In addition to our operating results, the operating results of other hospitality companies, changes in financial estimates or recommendations by analysts, adverse weather conditions, increased construction costs, changes in general conditions in the economy or the financial markets or other developments affecting us or our industry, such as the recent terrorist attacks, could cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially. In recent years, the stock market has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. This volatility has had a significant effect on the market prices of securities issued by many companies for reasons unrelated to their operating performance.

Executive Officers of the Registrant

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the executive officers of the Company as of December 31, 2004. All officers serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

The following is additional information with respect to the above-named executive officers.

     Michael D. Rose has served as Chairman of the Board of the Company since April 2001. Prior to that time, he was a private investor, and prior to December 1997, he was Chairman of the Board of Promus Hotel Corporation, Memphis, Tennessee, a franchiser and operator of hotel brands. Prior to January 1997, Mr. Rose was also Chairman of the Board of Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., an owner and

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manager of casinos in the United States. Mr. Rose is a director of five other public companies: Darden Restaurants, Inc.; FelCor Lodging Trust, Inc.; General Mills; First Tennessee National Corporation; and Stein Mart, Inc.

Colin V. Reed was elected President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company in April 2001. Prior to that time, he was a member of the three-executive Office of the President of Harrah’s Entertainment since May 1999 and the Chief Financial Officer of Harrah’s Entertainment since April 1997. Mr. Reed was a director of Harrah’s Entertainment from 1998 to May 2001. He was Executive Vice President of Harrah’s Entertainment from September 1995 to May 1999 and has served in several other management positions with Harrah’s Entertainment and its predecessor, Holiday Corp., since 1977. As part of his duties at Harrah’s Entertainment, Mr. Reed served as a director and Chairman of the Board of JCC Holding Company, an entity in which Harrah’s Entertainment held a minority interest. On January 4, 2001, JCC Holding Company filed a petition for reorganization relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. Mr. Reed is a director of Rite Aid Corporation.

David C. Kloeppel is the Company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining the Company in September of 2001, Mr. Kloeppel worked in the Mergers and Acquisitions Department at Deutsche Bank in New York, where he was responsible for that department’s activities in the lodging, leisure and real estate sectors. Mr. Kloeppel earned an MBA from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management, graduating with highest honors. He received his bachelor of science degree from Vanderbilt University, majoring in economics. Mr. Kloeppel is a director of FelCor Lodging Trust, Inc.

Jay D. Sevigny is Executive Vice President of the Company and Chief Operating Officer, Gaylord Hotels, positions he has held since January 2004. From February 2002 until December 2003, Mr. Sevigny served as President of the Company’s Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville. Mr. Sevigny was hired in October 2001 as the Senior Vice President in charge of the Company’s Marketing and Attractions. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Sevigny worked in different capacities for Harrah’s Entertainment, most recently as Division President Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas during 2000 and 2001, and as President and Chief Operating Officer of Harrah’s New Orleans casino operations from 1998 to 2000. From 1997 to 1998, Mr. Sevigny was President of Midwest Operations for Station Casino in Kansas City, Missouri. Mr. Sevigny has a finance degree from the University of Nevada and is enrolled in the Executive MBA Program at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.

Mark Fioravanti has been an Executive Vice President of the Company and President of ResortQuest International since March 2004. From August 2002 until March 2004, Mr. Fioravanti was the Company’s Senior Vice President of Marketing. Prior to joining the Company in August 2002, Mr. Fioravanti spent nine years with Harrah’s Entertainment, where he was most recently Vice President of Finance and Administration of Harrah’s New Orleans. Mr. Fioravanti’s other roles at Harrah’s Entertainment included Corporate Director of Strategic Planning and Director of Market Planning and Strategy. Mr. Fioravanti, who has over 16 years’ experience in the hospitality, casino entertainment and real estate industries, graduated from The Ohio State University, where he earned his bachelor of science degree. He also holds an MBA from the University of Tennessee.

John P. Caparella is a Senior Vice President of the Company and the General Manager of Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center, positions he has held since joining the Company in November 2000. Prior to such time, Mr. Caparella served as Executive Vice President, Planning, Development and Administration and President of PlanetHollywood.com for Planet Hollywood International, Inc., a creator and developer of consumer brands relating to movies, sports and other entertainment-based themes, in Orlando, Florida since September 1997. Before joining Planet Hollywood, Mr. Caparella was with ITT Sheraton, an owner and operator of hotel brands, for 17 years in convention, resort, business and 4-star luxury properties, as well as ITT Sheraton’s corporate headquarters. Mr. Caparella is a graduate of the State University of New York at Delhi and is enrolled in the Executive MBA program at Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Management.

Carter R. Todd joined Gaylord Entertainment Company in July 2001 as the Company’s Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. Prior to that time, he was a Corporate and Securities partner in the Nashville office of the regional law firm Baker, Donelson, Bearman & Caldwell. Mr. Todd has practiced law in Nashville since 1982 and is a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Law and Davidson College.

Rod Connor is the Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of the Company, a position he has held since September 2003. From January 2002 to September 2003, he was Senior Vice President of Risk Management and Administration. From December 1997 to January 2002, Mr. Connor was Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. From February 1995 to December 1997, he was the Vice President and Corporate Controller of the Company. Mr. Connor has