Orlando and Central Florida Add Even More to the Mix

Around this time of year for the past four years, Visit Orlando, the central Florida tourism authority, has been able to announce that a record number of visitors had been to Orlando the year before. This culminated last year, when Visit Orlando President and CEO George Aguel announced that 2013 had seen more than 59 million tourists, meeting attendees, and convention-goers come to the city. The question is whether Orlando can break its own record for a fifth straight year and, if so, can it crack 60 million?

Well, here is a good indication: in February, Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced that the state attracted 97.3 million visitors, a new record and up 3.9 percent over 2013. Here's another: in November, Mayor Buddy Dyer told Orlando's News 13 that "we're going to have over 60 million visitors this year."

What's attracting all of those tourists and attendees? Better food, for one thing. The 2015 James Beard Awards listed five chefs from four Orlando restaurants as semifinalists, only one from a theme park. They are Kathleen Blake of The Rusty Spoon (whose slow-braised lamb, Remodeled Lasagne, and Rusty O-Rings onion rings I heartily recommend); Scott Hunnel of Victoria & Albert's at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa; James and Julie Petrakis of The Ravenous Pig; and Hari Pulapaka of Cress.

"When you are in a community like ours that has so much visitation, it's an opportunity for a lot of chefs to come in here and develop ideas that really can be more attractive and appealing," George Aguel, president and CEO of Visit Orlando, told Successful Meetings' online sister publication, Meeting News, last year. "We now find even locally we have grown tremendously with the amount of concepts that our local chefs have created as well."

Two other restaurants that fit that bill are 2014 James Beard semifinalist Chef Henry Salgado's Txokos Basque Kitchen and Spanish River Grill. Orlando is also home to a burgeoning farm-to-table culinary movement. Farmers, ranchers, and fishermen work together to offer seasonal menus to visiting groups.

On the celebrity chef side, this summer Walt Disney World's Disney Springs -- which, when finished will have double the number of shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues of the Downtown Disney area it is replacing -- is unveiling Morimoto Asia, by Masaharu Morimoto of Iron Chef America fame.

In other news, Zita Steglich-Ross, who until February was Visit Orlando's director of convention sales, has stepped out on her own after 16 years with the CVB to start Steglich Ross Business Solutions, a boutique destination management company (DMC) that will provide a wide array of services to the meetings, incentives, conventions, and events (MICE) market in Orlando. Steglich-Ross holds a certified meeting planner designation from the Convention Industry Council. Last September, she was an expert speaker featured on the Successful Meetings webcast, "Meeting the Diversity Challenge."

New and Renewed Venues 
The biggest news in town is the I-Drive 360 entertainment complex that will open next month. Its centerpiece is the 400-foot-tall Orlando Eye observation wheel

Orlando's center of gravity has always been its theme parks, but this year all eyes are on the International Drive area, where the observation (aka Ferris) wheel now rises above the otherwise fairly flat landscape, illuminated with changing LED lights that can be customized. The glassed-in, air-conditioned, 15-person capsules of the Orlando Eye offers amazing and unblocked 360-degree views of the surrounding area during its 30-minute cycle. A hospitality suite can hold up to 70 for a reception.

Of course, the Orlando Eye is not in the middle of nowhere. It is the centerpiece of the I-Drive 360 entertainment complex, which also includes the 420-foot-tall StarFlyer swing attraction, a 570-foot-tall Skyscraper rollercoaster, the SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium, and a Madame Tassauds wax museum, as well as many restaurants and nightlife venues.

The Orange County Convention Center has embarked on the next phase of its five-year renovation and capital improvement plan with the renovation of its West Building, which will receive upgrades to its Wi-Fi to enable it to handle more participants with more devices at once. West Halls E and F and the meeting rooms will be renovated, with Hall E getting a refreshed look and safety improvements. Hall F is being converted into a 50,000-square-foot ballroom, with new carpeting and décor, and four signature boardrooms. These will feature a bamboo ceiling, hardwood floors, and overlook an outdoor meeting deck with scenic views. Work is scheduled for completion by this August.

The five-year renovation plan began in 2013, and will eventually encompass updated Wi-Fi in both buildings; new furniture grouping in the concourses to facilitate impromptu meetings and discussions; new restroom designs; upgraded curtain walls, lighting, and utilities; and fire alarm system improvements.

Opened last fall, the half-billion-dollar Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is located in a wonderfully designed glass building in Downtown Orlando. It features five main event spaces suitable for groups, the largest being the 2,700-seat Walt Disney Theater. The others are:

• Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater: 330, reception style

• The DeVos Family Room: 510, reception style

• Della Grand Lobby - Tier 1: 400, reception style

• Kessler Lobby- Tier 5:  200, reception style

The Dr. Phillips Center is home to everything from concerts to Broadway musicals to the Orlando Philharmonic. It opens onto the CNL Arts Plaza, beyond which lies City Hall. The Plaza, which the mayor has called "the front porch of the city," will be able to hold groups of 3,000 when it is finished. There are plans to add a 1,700-seat Acoustical Theater to the complex.

Universal Orlando Roars
With a wave of a wand (as well as a lot of money and cranes) Universal Orlando has opened Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida, a second area inside the hugely popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Connected to the original Hogsmeade by the Hogswart Express -- an attraction in and of itself -- the main feature is the Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts ride, but the real showstopper (and centerpiece) is the life-size, fire-breathing Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon sitting atop Gringotts Wizarding Bank. There are many indoor and outdoor spaces that will serve groups of all sizes.

Last fall, Loews Hotels & Resorts announced plans for a new, Caribbean-themed hotel at Universal Orlando Resort, called the Loews Sapphire Falls Resort. Scheduled to open in summer 2016, the 1,000-room property will be built around a tropical lagoon with a large waterfall, and will offer a resort-style pool, fitness center, and full-service restaurant, as well 131,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 41,000-square-foot ballroom, a 32,000-square-foot second ballroom, 43,000 square feet of pre-function space, and 15,000 square feet of meeting-room space. An air-conditioned walkway will connect the resort to its surrounding properties -- the Cabana Bay Beach Resort and Loews Royal Pacific Resort -- allowing meeting planners access to a combined 2,000 guest rooms and 272,000 square feet of meeting space.

Beyond that, the 1,000-room Loews Royal Pacific Resort is nearly doubling its own meeting space, from 85,000 square feet to more than 141,330 square feet on a single level. This will include a nearly 36,000-square-foot divisible ballroom, four additional breakout rooms, and pre-function space. It is scheduled for completion this fall.

The Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando Resort has unveiled newly renovated guest rooms that have, needless to say, a décor that is "inspired by the essence of music," as well as rock-themed artwork. It has 6,000 square feet of flexible meeting space onsite, as well as more than 140,000 square feet of function space available at the nearby Hard Rock Café and Hard Rock Live venues at Universal CityWalk.

Disney Magic 
Walt Disney World has fully instituted its MyMagic+ technology for groups visiting the park, holding meetings or events, or staying in one of its hotels. MyMagic+ combines the MagicBand wristband that acts as a room key and theme park ticket, and can act as a payment system for any and all purchases in the park and its resorts; the Disney FastPass+ that lets users make FastPass attraction reservations and acts as a ticket when entering; and the My Disney Experience website and mobile app.

Last August, the stunning Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort held its grand opening with 444 guest rooms, four restaurants, a five-acre recreation area, an 18-hole championship golf course, a spa and 24-hour fitness center, and an adults-only pool. The 37,450-square-foot conference facility includes two ballrooms -- the largest a 14,000-square-foot grand ballroom with two outdoor terraces -- as well as eight meeting rooms, and two outdoor lawns that can accommodate groups of up to 1,000.

In October, the new 394-room B Resort & Spa at Walt Disney World wrapped up all of its renovations and fully opened. This includes the American Q restaurant by restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow and the B Indulged AVEDA spa. It has more than 25,000 square feet of conference and meeting space, including the 10,182-square-foot Grand Ballroom, 11 meeting rooms, and a 5,000-square-foot outdoor event terrace. Complimentary Wi-Fi is available throughout the resort. The recently renovated Sheraton Lake Buena Vista Resort at Walt Disney World has added five new, naturally lit breakout spaces totaling 2,400 square feet to its existing 20,000 square feet of space.

Around Orlando 
Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) named the 1,501-room, AAA Four-Diamond Rosen Shingle Creek its ALHI Hotel of the Year in October, and in January, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection awarded the property Three Palm status in recognition of its environmental policies. The Rosen Shingle Creek is one of three major meeting hotels by locally owned Rosen Hotels & Resorts.

The Westgate Lakes Resort & Spa is working on an $11-million retail development, Westgate Lakes Retail Village, that will include 32,000 square feet of banquet and meeting space, several restaurants including a high-end steakhouse, and retail outlets. It is scheduled for completion by the end of this year. The resort currently has 32,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space.

The JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lake and its sister property, The Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes, have wrapped up renovations to the 100,000 square feet of meeting space in the JW Marriott and 47,000 square feet of meeting space in the Ritz-Carlton. There is also a combined 107,000 square feet of outdoor event space. Both lobbies have been renovated and The Ritz-Carlton's moved to take advantage of the view. The Ritz-Carlton has a new restaurant, Highball & Harvest, a casual restaurant featuring southern cuisine and craft cocktails using produce from the properties' 7,000-square-foot Whisper Creek Farm. This month, the JW Marriott will open Whisper Creek Kitchen there. There is also a 26-gallon craft brewery under the farm, which will provide two brews per year.

The 1,641-room Hyatt Regency Orlando, formerly the Peabody Orlando, was a great host to the 2014 Successful Meetings University Florida event. It has 200,000 square feet of meetings space. It has a new restaurant, Urban Tide, focused on fresh Florida seafood that is line-caught and sustainable, as well as locally sourced produce. And this spring, it will open one of two new kosher kitchens coming to Orlando for the first time. The Hyatt Regency's 1,500-square-foot, meat-only kosher kitchen will be able to accommodate plated dinners for up to 1,000, and receptions for 1,500. (The other is at the Rosen Plaza, see sidebar p. 54.)

The LEGOLAND Hotel is scheduled to open 152 brightly colored and "highly themed" rooms this year in the LEGOLAND theme park. It will have interactive play areas, a pool, and a restaurant. The LEGO Event Room is a great venue for up to 80 either theater or banquet style, or 30 boardroom style, with colorful patios for reception.

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel is undergoing a multi-phase, multi-year, $125-million redesign project that will see every guest room in the 758-room Swan Hotel and the 1,509-room Dolphin Hotel overhauled.

The Hyatt Regency Orlando has also joined with its next-door neighbor, the Hilton Orlando, in a partnership targeting planners who need blocks of 2,500-3,000 rooms, either for events at the two hotels' combined 490,000 square feet of meeting space or at the Orange County Convention Center, to which both are directly connected.

The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress has opened a $1.5 million, 5,200-square-foot Marilyn Monroe Spa with seven treatment rooms including a couples suite and a full salon.

The 769-room Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate is participating in an ALHI program to custom all-inclusive packages to groups. The Omni has 128,000 square feet of meeting space.

Questions or comments? Email [email protected]

This article appears in the April 2015 issue of Successful Meetings.