LIFESTYLE n ORANGE COUNTY HOSPITALITY UPDATE
Summer Hospitality Drives
New Hotels and Restaurants
By Rick Singh, CFA, Orange County Property Appraiser
R
ising temperatures and sweltering
heat didn’t deter the record number
of tourists who visited the theme
park capital of the world during the
summer of 2018. According to the Orange
County Comptroller’s office, tourist tax
collections for June were $26.1 million, a
16% increase over the past year. Tourist taxes
are charged on short-term rentals, mostly
hotels and motels. So far this year, tourist tax
collections are up 9.6% to $216.7 million.
Metro Orlando—including Sanford, Orlando
and Kissimmee—saw a record 1,300 new
hotel rooms added in 2017 with another 28
new properties scheduled to come online
during 2018.
Universal Orlando completed construction
on its Cabana Bay tower expansion earlier
this year, increasing the resort’s room count
to 2,200. Aventura Hotel opened in August,
featuring 600 rooms in a 17-story tower with
a view of Universal Orlando. Plans to expand
and build upon the land previously occupied
by the Wet n’ Wild theme park are in the
works.
Walt Disney World added to the hotel
expansion wave by adding a 15-story tower
with 500 additional rooms to its convention
hotel, Coronado Springs. The tower features
a rooftop restaurant and lounge that will
provide panoramic views of Disney’s signature
nighttime fireworks shows. The 450-acre
area just west of the Disney World complex,
referred to as Flamingo Crossings, is the site
for a planned half-million square feet of retail,
5,000 hotel and timeshare units, and over
1,000 apartment units. TownePlace Suites, the
first of two planned Marriott branded hotels,
opened in 2016 and is the largest of its kind.
PASSIONATELY PERFECTING
LIFE’S CELEBRATIONS
That’s our promise to you. We understand that each event
is a unique reflection of the hospitality you extend to your
guests. We value your trust, and each member of our team
is passionate about keeping it. That’s why we execute every
event as if it were our own... Because it is!
SERVICES
Weddings Events • Corporate Events
Conventions Events • Special Events • And more!
250 RIO DRIVE | ORLANDO, FL | P: 407.629.7833
5804 E. COLUMBUS DRIVE | TAMPA, FL | P: 813.712.7833
www.PuffNStuff.com
20
IBA Success Magazine
n
VOL 4, Issue 5
Now targeting value-
focused brands, Disney
will add another four
hotels with 1,000 rooms
combined—Hyatt
House, Hyatt Place, Hilton
Garden Inn and Resi-
dence Inn. The commer-
cial concept calls for
237,000 square feet of
retail space split be-
tween two phases.
SODO—south of Down-
town Orlando—which is
the area below the
Orlando downtown corri-
dor, will also have a
new hotel. Scheduled to
open in Spring 2019, the
Delaney Hotel is currently
under construction. This
boutique property will
feature innovative high-
tech expediencies such
as the ability to check-in
remotely, room keys via
smart phone apps, and
smart TVs in the rooms.
The Orlando area is also
known for featuring
authentic cuisine from
all over the world and
the options seem endless. With the number
of visitors to the area, it’s no wonder why so
many different types of ea