Florida's Largest Hotel Opens, Offering $55 Rates

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL-Walt Disney World, the largest hotel owner-operator in Florida, has opened its biggest property to date–the 2,880-room Pop Century Resort with opening promotional room rates of $55 per night.

That price matches many of the Mom-and-Pop-owned motels and hotels on the 15-mile hotel strip of US 192 in Osceola County, forcing several operators out of business, hospitality industry consultants tell GlobeSt.com.

The Pop Century is the 23rd hotel Disney opened over its 32-year presence. Disney’s total 25,172 rooms gives it a 6% market share of the estimated 400,000 hotel rooms in Florida and about a 25% market share of the estimated 120,000 rooms in Central Florida, industry consultants tell GlobeSt.com. Marriott International, Disney’s closest competitor, has about 10,000 rooms in Florida. The 2,880 rooms at Pop Century is more than the total 2,703 rooms in the entire Osceola County and more than the 2,004-room Orlando World Center Marriott when it opened in 1986 as the state’s largest hotel.