ORLANDO, FL— The 227-room, $22-million Lexington at Orlando CityPlace— which began as a mere hotel redevelopment project, evolved into a condo hotel and mixed-use development centerpiece and ultimately emerged as the first flagship for the new Lexington Collection brand— recently came to the end of its fast-tracked journey here with its much-anticipated grand opening ceremony. The celebration, which took place on a hazy Florida afternoon and was attended by numerous political and lodging industry dignitaries, was the culmination of a project that began only a year-and-a-half ago following the purchase of the hotel, which had sat lifeless following hurricane-related destruction. Leading that project as co-developer and owner was Barry Greer, the chairman of the board at Vantage Hospitality Group, Inc., who along with a host of other characters, set forth to realize a dream of transforming a damaged, dilapidated and shuttered Holiday Inn into an upscale condo hotel that now represents Lexington Collection and will be the drawing card for an eventual $1-billion mixed-use development known as Orlando CityPlace. Only hours before the grand opening, Greer, who redeveloped the hotel along with his partner George Kalivretenos, was still working on miniscule details around the property and halting every few feet to answer staff members’ questions. All the while, the pride he felt for the project and his reborn hotel was quite evident. In the end, such pride and the energy he put into the hotel seemed to render the gregarious Greer speechless at his own grand opening ceremony. Consequently, Kalivretenos did most of the speaking, but, ultimately, let the hotel, which now looks nothing as it did before, speak for itself. “[Greer] and I are thrilled to finally unveil this magnificent addition to Downtown Orlando,” Kalivretenos stated. “This first step in creating Orlando CityPlace demonstrates our commitment to helping revitalize the great Parramore neighborhood. “[Greer] has a favorite saying that he’s the dumb old tile guy and I’m the dumb old dirt guy. Together we’ve changed this project,” he continued. “And now we’re going to have, when it’s all complete, three of the tallest buildings in Orlando with condominiums, retail, a spa and more. In five to six years, a whole bunch of new buildings will be here.” For now, though, there is just the Lexington along with its attached restaurant, District Five, which has a completed interior and work still progressing on the exterior. The hotel’s signage is also yet to be installed because of some previous permitting issues. Other than that, everything else seems to be in place despite the fact that the hotel— which Greer temporarily operated as an Americas Best Value Inn Hotel (another Vantage brand) last year— only went through its major renovations earlier this year. The hotel site is located along Colonial Drive overlooking Interstate 4 and the rest of downtown Orlando. The hotel has been designed to cater to business travelers primarily. However, each of the hotel’s rooms, which are all condo units, is privately owned with sales ongoing. The hotel is also located within walking distance of several demand generators, including the T.D. Waterhouse Center, which is home to the National Basketball Association’s Orlando Magic; and the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, which recently opened. Each guestroom at the 14-story Lexington features a 42-inch plasma-screen television, a wet bar with granite countertops and wood cabinetry, a refrigerator, a microwave oven and a guest bathroom with Kohler Spa shower heads and granite countertops. The rooms also feature plush signature beds that were designed exclusively for Lexington Collection hotels. The beds also include large, leather headboards. French doors that open up to “Juliet” balconies are also found in each guest-room. The balconies are accented with stone balustrades. The décor of the rooms is contemporary and includes an L-shaped sect
