Lodging Magazine Salutes Opryland's Dave Jones in Group of 75 Top Leaders of Hospitality Industry
NASHVILLE, Tenn. / Aug. 25, 2000--Lodging Magazine, the management magazine of the American Hotel & Motel Association, has chosen Dave Jones, president and CEO of the Opryland Hospitality Group, for its first-ever "Profiles in Leadership" list.
Jones is one of 75 executives from all segments of the hospitality industry featured in Lodging's August issue.
Others in the group include Barron Hilton, chairman of the Hilton Hotels Corp.; J.W. Marriott, chairman and CEO of Marriott International; Marilyn Carlson Nelson, president and CEO of the Carlson Companies; Bill Norman, president and CEO of the Travel Industry Association of America; and Horst Schulze, president and COO of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co.
Jones joined the Opryland Hospitality Group in 1998 as its parent company, Gaylord Entertainment, began expanding the Opryland Hotel brand into new markets. The 2,884-room Opryland Hotel Nashville, the largest combined hotel and convention center under one roof, is a recognized leader in the meetings and conventions industry. Other Opryland Hotels are under construction in Florida (1,400 rooms in Kissimmee/St. Cloud, opening in 2002) and in Texas (1,500 rooms in Grapevine, opening in 2003).
Lodging editor Philip Hayward, noting that leadership comes in many styles, identified "hospitality, service and extroversion" as traits common to all of the 75 leaders.
Jones was president and COO of John Q. Hammons Hotels prior to joining Opryland. He oversaw the development and opening of 16 new properties and led Hammons through its initial public offering in 1994. Hammons had 44 properties when Jones joined Opryland.
Prior to Hammons, Jones was with Holiday Inns Inc. until its spin-off to Bass in 1989. He remained with the new company, Promus, where he served as president and chief executive officer for Homewood Suites Inc. He was responsible for the start-up and development of the extended-stay chain. He began his hospitality career in 1966 with Holiday Inns.
The Opryland Hospitality Group is part of Gaylord Entertainment Company, a diversified entertainment company whose businesses operate in three groups: hospitality and attractions, creative content and interactive media. It is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., and its stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: GET).