Remembering Jack Vaughn, CHA – by John Hogan

As the calendar continues to move ahead, I find it a positive reminder for me to reflect on those who have positively influenced me over the years.

Jack Vaughn passed away 10 years ago, on November 14, 2014. Included at the end of this article is a short bio, but the purpose of this column is to remind us of what impact one person can have on so many people in so many ways.

I lived in Nashville in the 1980s and 1990s, when the city was undergoing a major transformation. My original assignment was General Manager of the 300-room downtown Sheraton which was across the street from the post office and the boarded-up Union Station, years before it was repurposed to a lovely hotel.  Downtown Nashville at that time was a hotelier’s nightmare, with lower Broadway, 2^nd street and the entire area offering little draw for meetings or group business other than primarily the tour buses that came on weekends to enjoy the Grand Ole Opry.

A major change started in the mid-1970s when the local owners of the Opry decided to add a major convention hotel adjacent to the Opryland USA theme park and the relocated Grand Ole Opry House from its downtown location in the Ryman Auditorium.  This decision and the selection of Jack Vaughn as General Manager of the Opryland Hotel changed the landscape of Nashville forever.   In its initial phase 1, the hotel was an amazing change to the convention market. It was originally  600 rooms, and  has now evolved to  2,888 rooms and is one of the 30 largest hotels in the world.

I never worked directly on any of Jack’s teams but served with him on two 5-year terms for the Nashville Convention & Tourism Commission and many other regional and national industry committees and boards.

What I remember most about Jack though was his commitment to everyone.

I remember:

• Watching him walk around a group of association executives who were considering the Opryland Hotel for their major convention.  One does not hear many senior hotel general managers introducing a lobby housekeeper (by name) to the association executives and that she would be one of more than 1,500 hospitality professionals who would be caring for their group when they held their international meeting there. (PS- the group booked!)
• Recalling his very deep commitment to all associates when for 20+ years he made certain that either he or his senior, long term manager Joe Henry would be at EVERY weekly New Employee Orientation with remarks about hospitality, their role, how they were each appreciated and more in their part in offering hospitality.
• Recognizing his commitment to home base by never seeking or accepting certain positions such as President of the American Hotel & Lodging Association.  He kept his values in place and his ego intact.

View the original tribute to Jack Vaughn by John Hogan and Eight Others Who Knew Him Well.

Jack Vaughn, CHA  brief bio

• Born in Portland, OR.
• Joined the Marine Corps at age 17, serving in the Vietnam conflict.
• Began his 40+ year career in the hospitality industry as a key clerk at Westin’s Hotel Benson in Portland.
• Worked his way up through the ranks, Vaughn, in 1969, became the General Manager of the Continental Plaza in Chicago.
• Recruited by the iconic Century Plaza Hotel located in Los Angeles, CA, serving as its General Manager through 1975.
• That year, before ground even broke, Vaughn was recruited by Gaylord Entertainment to serve as the first General Manager of the Opryland Hotel and Convention Center. Working out of a trailer and overseeing construction, “The House That Jack Built” went up under Vaughn’s watchful vision, ultimately becoming the largest hotel and convention center in the world at one point in time.
  

Vaughn served in numerous positions with Gaylord Entertainment and its predecessor companies, including

• Vice President of WSM, Inc.,
• Senior Vice President of Opryland USA, Inc.,
• Vice President of Gaylord Entertainment Company,
• Chairman of Opryland Lodging Group, and
• President of Opryland Hospitality and Attractions Group, where he oversaw the Opryland Hotel, the prestigious 5-star Broadmoor Hotel and Resort, Opryland Theme Park, Opryland International Travel, the General Jackson Showboat, Opryland River Taxis, the Music City Queen, Grand Ole Opry Tours, the Springhouse Golf Club, KOA Campgrounds, and the Wildhorse Saloon.
• Vaughn was also instrumental in the concept and design of the Gaylord Palms Resort and  Convention Center located in Kissimmee, FL, and the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center located in Grapevine, TX.

  Additional activities

• An outspoken industry advocate for innovative convention space, Vaughn was named to the Convention Council’s Hall of Leaders in 1988.
• Vaughn also held numerous prominent state and national positions, including membership on the Congressional Travel & Tourism Caucus Advisory Council, director of the American Hotel & Motel Association (AH&MA), President and Chairman of the Tennessee Hotel & Motel Association, and Honorary Trustee for Life of the American Hotel Foundation
• Vaughn received International Exhibitors Association’s Distinguished Service Award in 1986, and the AH&MA Lawson A. Odde Award in 1989.
• He was named Hotels Magazine’s “Independent Hotelier of the World” In 1990.
• He also received the Resort Executive of the Year Award and the American Heart Association’s Heart of the Community Award.
• Vaughn was also one of the first 100 people in the nation appointed as a delegate to the 1995 White House Conference on Travel and Tourism.
• Vaughn participated in many civic organizations, including President of the Middle Tennessee Boy Scouts of America, Executive Committee Member of the Nashville Rotary Club, Chairman of the Metropolitan Convention Center Commission, Director of Easter Seals Society of Tennessee, and as a member of countless other organizations.
• Vaughn also held numerous prominent state and national positions, including membership on the Congressional Travel & Tourism Caucus Advisory Council, director of the American Hotel & Motel Association (AH&MA), President and Chairman of the Tennessee Hotel & Motel Association, and Honorary Trustee for Life of the American Hotel Foundation.
• Vaughn’s career and life’s work was honored by the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1999 as dedicated to the Congressional Record and was likewise honored by Resolution of the Tennessee State Senate. Upon retirement in 1999, by resolution of local government, a portion of Briley Parkway was renamed the “Jack Vaughn Parkway.”

His obituary closed with this observation:

However, of all his many accomplishments, Vaughn’s proudest, and what he considered greatest, achievement was his family, each and every one of whom will miss him beyond what any amount of words could ever hope to express.

John J. Hogan, Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA), Certified Master Hotel Supplier (CMHS), Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE), Certified Hotel Owner (CHO)

John Hogan is a successful hospitality executive, educator, author and consultant and is a frequent keynote speaker and seminar leader at many hospitality industry events. He is CEO and Co-Founder of HospitalityEducators.com , which has more than 2000 resource pages and has become the #1 independent website for hotel owners and managers. He is also the Principal of HoganHospitality.com , which offers hotel expert witness services and hospitality consulting.

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