After Years of Building Mid-Priced Hotels Here, Developers See Niche in High-End Product

ORLANDO-With 100,000 existing hotel rooms, metro Orlando is still seeking a five-star trophy inn. That dream may materialize next year, as some of the 4,700 new hotel rooms open for business. Developers see a niche in building high-end inns here after years of erecting mid-priced lodging for the tourist guest.

That will be a turnaround for the area which claims to offer the highest number of economically-priced rooms in the nation, according to the Orlando-Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau. The turnaround is happening as the four million-sf Orange County Convention Center draws more business travelers looking for newer hotels with five star-like appeal.

Orlando doesn’t have a five-star hotel yet, but analysts say it could happen next year or in 2002 when a half dozen top drawer inns are scheduled to open their doors. Among them is developer Richard Kessler’s $37 million, 250 room Westin Grand Bohemian across from Downtown’s City Hall. Scheduled to open in March, the Grand Bohemian will charge an average $200 a night. But that may not be enough to break even unless the hotel is full every night, caution some hotel consultants.