Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center breaks ground on new ballroom

The Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, located in the National Harbor mixed-use project in Maryland, broke ground Wednesday on a new 23,000-square-foot ballroom.

It’s scheduled to open in July 2017. Situated on the banks of the Potomac River, the new building will feature glass windows on three sides to showcase the view of the river, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, which connects Northern Virginia to National Harbor, and Old Town Alexandria. The ballroom will offer 16,000 square feet of indoor meeting and event space and two outdoor terraces.

Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center is the largest, non-gaming hotel and convention center on the East Coast. Part of the Marriott International family of brands, the resort opened in April 2008 and is eight miles from downtown Washington, D.C.

The AAA-four diamond resort offers nearly 2,000 rooms, 500,000-square-feet of convention space, several restaurants and a rooftop lounge.

Another new project at National Harbor scheduled to open later this year is  $1.3 billion MGM resort and casino. It will have a 308-room hotel, 3,000-seat arena, 26,582-square-foot spa and 12 restaurants in addition to more than 3,000 video lottery terminals and 160 table games.