Hotel & Hospitality Developments

• Hotel project kicks off Phase 1 of long-awaited Apopka City Center

  The long-anticipated Apopka City Center springs to life Thanksgiving week with groundbreaking on the Hilton Garden Inn hotel, the cornerstone of the 35-acre mixed-use development spanning the north and south sides of the interchange of State Road 436 and U.S. Highway 441. Taurus Southern Investments...

• National hotelier acquires Hilton flag near Sea World

  MCR, the nation's sixth-largest hotel operator, made its Orlando market entry this week with the purchase of the Hilton Garden Inn Orlando at SeaWorld. The 224-room hotel at is located at 6850 Westwood Boulevard, within walking distance to the theme park. The hotel offers free shuttle service to...

• Updated: Rare vacation-condo project in Orange to see 160 new units start rising next year

  A short-term-rental condominium project along Universal Boulevard is progressing through the entitlements process in Orange County, with the Ormond Beach-based Taiwanese investors who own the land looking to perform a lot split in order to proceed with construction of Reserve at Vista Cay early...

• South Florida hotelier investing millions for IHG conversions in tourism corridor

  After spending more than $33 million last year to buy two Disney-area hotels, Hollywood-based AD1 Global is now converting them from Choice brands to IHG flags. CFO Alex Fridzon told GrowthSpotter the company is spending a combined $13 million on renovations to comply with IHG brand standards. ...

• Tavistock eyes new hotel site at key Lake Nona interchange

  Tavistock Development Company is eyeing property at a key interchange of the S.R. 417 toll road in Lake Nona for a new hotel with up to 250 rooms. The Lake Nona master developer sent one of its top entitlements specialists to a meeting earlier this month with Orlando planning officials and owner/developer...

• Encore adding townhomes to Nicklaus-themed Bear's Den in Reunion

  The Jack Nicklaus-branded neighborhood on the famed golfer's namesake course in Reunion Resort, where home prices start at $1.2 million, is about to get townhomes. Encore Homes has filed a Preliminary Subdivision plan (PS) with Osceola County for Phase 3 of its gated Bear's Den at Reunion seeking...

• Park Square Homes secures $4M investment for Kissimmee resort community

  Park Square Homes has sold the final phase of its BellaVida Resort community for just less than $4 million to a local Chinese American brokerage that will take over sales and target international buyers. Park Square is wrapping up construction on the resort community's second phase and is in permitting...

• Encore files plans for potential hospital site, vacation homes at Reunion Village

  Encore Capital Management is seeking entitlements for a 240-bed hospital and 96,000 square feet of office space as part of its mixed-use Reunion Village development at the I-4/ChampionsGate interchange. "Orlando Health is continuing to plan for the expansion of healthcare services in Osceola County,...

• New owners to spend at least $30M on massive renovation of Disney-area hotel

  The Sarasota-based hotel company that bought the former Magnuson Grand on Kissimmee's W192 tourism corridor is planning to spend anywhere from $30 million to $50 million on a full renovation and expansion, a company executive told GrowthSpotter. Marc Gagliardi, vice president of Kapstones Holding,...

• Boyland Auto reconsiders Mercedes-Benz dealership move in Orlando

  Mercedes-Benz of South Orlando has reconsidered its plan to relocate the luxury auto dealership near Mall of Millenia to a new site a mile away. Boyland Auto Group paid nearly $13.15 million last year for 23-acres on Millenia Boulevard east of the intersection of Interstate 4 and the Florida Turnpike....

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• New select service Hilton flag headed to Millenia Boulevard

  An Apopka hotelier has filed plans for a new select-service hotel next to the planned Mercedes dealership south of Mall of Millenia. Akber Jamal, who last year sold two Orlando-area hotels, told GrowthSpotter he's planning to start construction on a 129-room Hilton Garden Inn just off Millenia...

• Groves developer details condo-hotel, vacation-townhome timelines

  BTI Partners is aiming for construction of vacation townhomes to begin about 18 months from now across the street from The Grove, as a third tower at the condo-hotel resort is expected to be complete next summer with input from owners at the first two towers providing guidance on design details....

• Multifamily, hotel entitlements sought for South I-Drive property

  The owner of the Caribe Royale resort is looking to add entitlements for 341 multifamily housing units, 300 hotel rooms and 100,000 square feet of commercial space to property it owns along South International Drive and State Road 536 in Orange County. Owner and developer Sierra Land Group, Inc....

• GreenTree readies plan for $300M infill redevelopment next to Amway Center

  Local developer Timothy Green has spent much of the last year assembling nearly two city blocks adjacent to downtown Orlando's Amway Center and will submit plans in October for a $300 million mixed-use entertainment district that highlights the neighborhood's rich cultural heritage. The filing...

• Osceola settles code enforcement case with key Disney-area land owner

  Osceola County Commissioners voted Monday to reduce code enforcement penalties against the owner of the Orlando Sun Resort & Spa by $560,344 and close the case against the long-vacant hotel. The move clears the way for the owner to proceed with a rezoning and DRI rescission for the property and...

• Magic to file revised master plan for downtown entertainment district

  With groundbreaking anticipated in 2019, the Orlando Magic and its new architect have revised the master plan for the long-anticipated Sports and Entertainment District across from the Amway Center and are actively seeking development partners for the hotel and multifamily components of the district....

• Magic Village resorts to be rebranded as Wyndham Trademark properties

  Orlando-based Magic Development and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts revealed the details of their new branding partnership on Tuesday, including relaunching the company's two vacation-home resorts as Wyndham Trademark Collection properties. Magic CEO Rodrigo Cunha told GrowthSpotter the company decided...

• Benge Development outlines big 429 West mixed-use project in Apopka

  Benge Development revealed on Monday plans for a 100- to 130-acre mixed-use development at the northwest corner of state roads 429 and 441, with an early cost estimated of $400 million, that stands to become the largest in development along the Western Beltway north of Florida’s Turnpike. Plans...

• Carter Hospitality planning new Comfort Suites at Buena Vista Park

  With its largest Orlando hotel project just days away from opening, Carter Hospitality Group has filed plans for its next venture in the Disney tourism corridor. The Kissimmee-based hotelier filed a Development Plan (DP) on Friday with Orange County for a new 149-key Comfort Suites in Buena Vista...

• Magic Development signs Wyndham Hotels as branding partner for resort properties

  Magic Development and Wyndham Hotel & Resorts will announce details of a new branding partnership Aug. 28. Orlando-based Magic Development currently has three luxury vacation home resort properties in operations or in development on Kissimmee's West 192 tourism corridor. The firm is now building...

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• Equinox plans 48-acre mixed-use town center across from Margaritaville Resort

  Maitland-based Equinox Development Properties has assembled nearly 50 acres next to Disney's Animal Kingdom and across from Margaritaville Resort for a mixed-use town center combining experiential retail, dining, residential and hotel uses. Dubbed "WaterStar Orlando," the town center in southwest...

• AIC Hotels affiliate buys acreage near Disney Springs from Great Wolf Lodge parent

  Great Wolf Resorts has sold property along Interstate 4 it purchased two years ago to an affiliate of AIC Hotel Group, which is associated with Nobu and other hotel brands, for a recorded $32.75 million, according to Orange County documents Wednesday afternoon. Great Wolf had bought the property,...

• Legoland Florida to add new 150-room hotel tower at theme park

  Legoland has followed through on plans first reported here a year ago to expand its hotel offerings at the Winter Haven theme park. Parent company Merlin Entertainments Group filed a site plan and construction documents on Aug. 16 with the city and Southwest Florida Water Management District for...

• Xentury City marketing land around Gaylord Palms for new luxury hotels

  Next year's opening of Disney's Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge attraction has prompted the Saudi owners of 200-plus acres surrounding the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center to revamp their marketing strategy for the land. Master developer Xentury City has engaged CBRE's Robert McEwan to market...

• Architecture & construction team ready plans to develop own hotel in Orlando

  A hotel architecture and construction team are pursuing the first development of their own in Florida via the Orlando market, filing plans this week for an extended stay property near the University of Central Florida.  Located at 1675 Bonneville Drive, directly southeast of the E. Colonial Drive and...

• Pinellas developers plan new dining, hotel at Haines City Main Street corner

  A family-run commercial development firm based in St. Petersburg is seeking permits for an infill redevelopment project that could bring a 120-room hotel, dining and retail to Haines City. East Madeira Corp. Principal Richard Travis told GrowthSpotter his grandfather started the business in the...

• Developer explores mixed-use project for dormant office bldgs along I-4 in Altamonte

  Tennessee-based developer 3H Group is exploring mixed-use redevelopment plans in Altamonte Springs for two long-vacant office buildings, including a potential hotel, retail and new office product.  Located at the southwest corner of Interstate 4 and S.R. 436, the 4.25-acre site was bought in May...

• Feltrim to build hotel and banquet center at Balmoral resort in Haines City

  Haines City Commissioners unanimously approved a major revision to Feltrim Group's Balmoral at Water's Edge resort community Thursday night to allow for construction of a new hotel at one of the city's prime intersections. Balmoral is a 228-home resort at the southeast corner of U.S. 27 and U.S....

• BTI Partners explores new vacation townhomes across from The Grove Resort

  Fort Lauderdale-based BTI Partners is exploring options for more than 200 vacation rental homes and supporting retail across the street from its The Grove Resort & Spa in southwest Orange County. Located at 14405 Hartzog Road at the intersection with Avalon Road, the 37.8 acres across multiple...

• New plans forward commercial & industrial development for 196-acre Infinity Park

  Tavistock Development Company has pushed forward with plans to subdivide and develop infrastructure for its 196-acre "Infinity Park" property near Orlando's tourism corridor, with roughly half the site forecasted for large-scale industrial buildings.  Located with frontage on S. John Young Parkway,...