Cool Springs Conference Center plans August renovation; city to absorb one-month outage but expects modest profit

Matthew Leif, general manager of the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs, told the Budget & Finance Committee on March 20 that the Cool Springs Conference Center has produced steady profits over its 25-year history but will undergo a monthlong renovation in August that will reduce revenue in the current fiscal year.

Leif said the center and hotel (managed by Chartwell Hospitality) have generated roughly $4 million in cumulative profit for the city over the life of the facility but noted COVID-19 and renovation years can produce material year‑to‑year variation. He projected a modest profit of about $66,000 for the current fiscal year after accounting for the planned August closure; removing August from the projection yields an adjusted revenue increase of about 4.6 percent.

Capital work planned or underway includes replacement of falling air walls ($678,000), the center’s share of a chiller replacement (about $138,000; center responsible for roughly 30 percent of the total project), a cooling tower contribution of about $78,000, replacement of banquet tables and kitchen equipment, a scheduled kitchen floor refurbishment of roughly $40,000 planned during the August renovation, and a larger soft‑goods/aesthetic overhaul (carpet, wall coverings, lighting, seating) once the center is taken out of service. Leif said the air‑wall project should be complete in April.

Leif described ongoing operational pressures: staffing remains a challenge as wages rise and competing employers (including downtown Nashville) draw workers; product costs such as linens and food have been volatile; and tariffs and natural‑disaster disruptions have affected supply chains. He said the conference center uses cooperative purchasing through Avendra (a Marriott/Chartwell umbrella) to reduce costs and receive rebates.

Despite a renovation and a temporary closure, Leif said the center expects to remain profitable for the fiscal year and aims to re-open with refreshed facilities positioned to be “the premier facility in Williamson County.” Committee members asked for clarification on staffing and scheduling impacts; Leif and Andy Duncan, who oversees conference operations, said they had mostly filled sales positions and expect the renovation to be complete in time for several large, scheduled events in late summer.

"We're going to do a full soft goods and aesthetic overhaul of the entire conference center," Leif said, adding that the center would be offline in August for carpet, wall vinyl, artwork, and lighting updates. He cited a previous renovation year (2015) and the disruption caused by the COVID pandemic as examples of the business’ volatility.

The presentation was informational; no formal budget action was taken at the meeting.