Gaylord Entertainment Company Announces Changes to Leadership Team

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(Business Wire)--
Gaylord Entertainment Company (NYSE:GET) announced today several key changes to
its leadership team, effective immediately.

As part of its continuing efforts to streamline the organization, Gaylord
announced that John Caparella, currently chief operating officer, will leave the
Company. David Kloeppel, currently chief financial officer and president, will
take on an expanded role and will now oversee all Gaylord`s operations in
addition to sales, marketing, development, and information technology. Mark
Fioravanti, currently treasurer, is being promoted to chief financial officer.

"During his tenure as chief operating officer, John played an important role
working with our management team in building our unique culture and developing
our Gaylord Hotels brand into a world class destination for convention and
leisure guests," said Colin V. Reed, Gaylord Entertainment chairman and chief
executive officer. "We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors."

Mr. Reed continued, "John`s departure has given us an opportunity to move
forward with our ongoing effort to streamline our management structure while
taking advantage of the strength of our existing executives. In his eight years
at Gaylord, Dave has played an instrumental role in defining the strategic
vision for the Company and has built a deep understanding of our group-centric
business model. In a short period of time during a very difficult economic
environment, Dave led the charge in several areas of our business that helped
the Company maintain its strong margins and preserve revenue. Under Dave`s
guidance, we were able to take quick action on our cost-cutting initiatives, and
shift the focus of our sales team to fill the occupancy gaps vacated by
cancellations, which delivered impressive margins last quarter. I am confident
Dave will continue to make significant contributions to the business as he now
takes on the expanded role of managing the Company`s operations."

"I have great confidence in Mark, who has played a pivotal role in shaping the
financial profile of the Company and has diligently managed our balance sheet
and capital expenditures. Of note, Mark was able to lead the charge on extending
the maturities of our credit facilities, a significant undertaking in the
current tough lending environment."

About Gaylord Entertainment

Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE:GET), a leading hospitality and entertainment
company based in Nashville, Tenn., owns and operates Gaylord Hotels
(www.gaylordhotels.com), its network of upscale, meetings-focused resorts and
the Grand Ole Opry (www.opry.com), the weekly showcase of country music's finest
performers for more than 80 consecutive years. The Company's entertainment
brands and properties include the Radisson Hotel Opryland, Ryman Auditorium,
General Jackson Showboat, Gaylord Springs Golf Links, Wildhorse Saloon, and
WSM-AM. For more information about the Company, visit
www.GaylordEntertainment.com.

Investor Relations:
Gaylord Entertainment
David Kloeppel, 615-316-6101
President
dkloeppel@gaylordentertainment.com
or
Mark Fioravanti, 615-316-6588
CFO
mfioravanti@gaylordentertainment.com
or
Patrick Chaffin, 615-316-6282
Vice President of Strategic Planning & Investor Relations
pchaffin@gaylordentertainment.com
or
Media:
Gaylord Entertainment
Brian Abrahamson, 615-316-6302
babrahamson@gaylordentertainment.com
or
Sloane & Company
Josh Hochberg, 212-446-1892
jhochberg@sloanepr.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009