HB ON THE SCENE: Grande Lakes Orlando A $600M Reality With Opening Of Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott

ORLANDO, FL— Top executives of Thayer Lodging Group, Marriott International and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. LLC were happily seeing double here July 1 as the official opening of Grande Lakes Orlando brought online a 584-room Ritz-Carlton and a 998-room JW Marriott— a first-time pairing that also represents both brands’ entry into one of the most highly trafficked tourist areas in the world. Campused on a 500-acre, lake-strewn parcel of land that includes an 18-hole championship golf course and a 40,000-square-foot, three-story spa, the nearly $600 million project is the culmination of more than five years of development. Amid a festive crowd of dapper guests on hand for the first of two ribbon cuttings, Marc Hoffman, vp/managing director of Grande Lakes, said “Today is a watershed day, especially in the history of Orlando,” noting Marriott (which transparently umbrellas Ritz-Carlton) now has more than 20% of the area’s inventory, with a total investment in the state of “several millions of dollars.” Brian Gullbrants, GM for the new Ritz-Carlton, said the Italianate-influenced property would serve as “an oasis of luxury in Orlando” and one that the city deserved, citing scant depth in the five-star category within the market. While not exactly an oasis, the sprawling campus is located at the headwaters of the Everglades— another 450 acres— and set adjacent Shingle Creek. Its landscape a mix of manicured lawns, greens and wild flora, offering a distinct and deliberate departure from the highly themed destination resorts and hotels just a few miles away. Leland “Lee” Pillsbury, CEO of Annapolis, MD-based Thayer Lodging Group, owner of Grande Lakes Orlando via Thayer Hotel Investors III, told HOTEL BUSINESS, “The intent was to create a very unique resort in Orlando that was not high density…the objective was to create an oasis where you felt like you were really ‘away,’ particularly on the golf course; you aren’t surrounded by townhouses, apartment buildings, timesharing projects and so on. You’re really out there with nature and all the things that make Florida unique. The density here is by design.” Picking up on the theme, Simon Cooper, president/COO of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., termed the new destination “an oasis of elegance.” He said, “In some ways this really isn’t new, because you go to places like Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai and you’ve got Ritz-Carltons, Marriotts. The key thing here is that it’s probably the first true luxury hotel in Orlando and one of the things we’re hearing a lot from our client base is ‘we wouldn’t typically have thought of Orlando. Now that Ritz-Carlton’s going there, we’re going there,” Simon told HOTEL BUSINESS®. “A lot of our group client customers especially are looking at Orlando now because we’re here. We see this as very positive.” The Ritz-Carlton offers 33,500 square feet of meeting space and 52,000 square feet of outdoor event space. Following a ribbon cutting by the executives which marked the opening of the ninth Ritz-Carlton in the state, the scene was reprised at the JW Marriott. Guests wended their way through the connected properties, the corridors of which were lined with scores of the 1,200 staff associates who clapped and welcomed each stroller as they made their way to the front of the property. There, general manager Steve Contos and William “Bill” Shaw, president/COO of Marriott International Inc., watched as the flag was raised on the chain’s 29th JW Marriott, the largest of the collection. “We are so proud to be in Orlando,” said Contos, adding: “It’s truly our pleasure to be part of the community.” Bruce Seigel, director of marketing for Grande Lakes Orlando, said both hotels would be focusing on the leisure traveler but stressed the group component can’t be ignored. “It’s a major part of our focus here in Orlando based on our convention size, based on our facilities, the amenities that we offer, the proximity to the convention center [which is expanding from