Proposed Osceola Convention Center Would Have Hotel

KISSIMMEE, FL— Three developers are vying for a deal to build a convention center in Osceola County that consultants say could pull in business considered to small for the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. The consultants, Orlando-based Conventional Wisdom and Chicago-based Johnson Consulting, say a convention center of up to 483,000 square feet could reduce the county’s dependence on family tourism while pulling in the mid-sized convention market. The Orange County Convention Center is undergoing an expansion which will double it in size to more than 2 million square feet. Developers seeking the deal are Landmark Organization, Xentury City Development and Tempus Resorts International. The first attempt for such a project failed after an ambitious World Expo Center project failed to garner enough financing to get off the ground, according to The Orlando Sentinel. Each of the three proposals includes a hotel: • Xentury City Development proposes a 250,000-square-foot convention center which would be attached to a 1,000-room Westin Hotel that would rise up to 30 stories, making it the tallest building in the county. • Tempus Resorts International proposes up to 535,000 square feet of convention space that attach to a 600- to 800-room Wyndham Resort hotel. • Landmark Organizations convention center would be built next to a proposed 700-room Hilton Hotel. Osceola County Manager Bob Fernandez will review the proposals with staffers Friday and develop a timeline for presentations. SOURCE: Orlando Sentinel