Weddings will be a focus of new
The developers of a new J.W. Marriott Hotel/Convention Center & Residences in downtown Orlando are focusing on the wedding business as a key revenue stream, based on the design plans submitted to the city.
The city’s Appearance Review Board granted a major certificate of approval for the 33-story mixed-use tower project recently with several conditions.
Developers Albert Socol and Marlene Weiss, the husband-wife heads of Summa Development Group, made several revisions to the design over the past two years, since the project received a positive courtesy review from the ARB. A gallery and rooftop sculpture garden featuring works by world-famous glass artist Dale Chihuly were added to house a branch of the Orlando Museum of Art, but then the museum backed out of the project earlier this year.
Although the museum branch is gone, the brightly colored rooftop garden remains in the plan as an outdoor event space for the hotel on the roof the nine-story podium of the building, a space that was largely unused in the original building design by DLR Group.
The detailed renderings identify the blue-glass structure as a wedding chapel, and the floorplans call out a designated area in the lobby for wedding check-ins. The wedding chapel and garden will require a separate review, said ARB Executive Director Richard Forbes.
The hotel portion of the tower comprises 155,628 square feet with 218 guest rooms, 13 suites, a dozen meeting rooms and large and small ballrooms.
The architectural plans also provide more details for the 113 luxury residences that will share the JW Marriott branding. The lobby will have a concierge station, conference room, three elevators to serve the 16 residential floors and a private entrance to the hotel bar/restaurant.
The condo owners will have their own swimming pool separate from the hotel, as well as a private gym, library/card room, massage studio, cafe and sunset lounge on the 19th floor.
As new development continues to spring up around Lake Bryan, this is the latest project t to emerge for this prime 17-acre piece of property just north of World Center Drive behind the Caribe Royale Resort on Lake Bryan Beach Boulevard.
Since 2018, three other proposals — including one for a high-end “glamping” resort — have been filed to the county but abandoned.
In 2021, a pre-application request was submitted for a high-rise hotel with three buildings totaling 382 rooms, a ninth-floor restaurant and bar, and a second-floor bakery, fitness center and spa. It didn’t go any further.
“Different developers have presented projects and for one reason or another they never panned out,” said Raj Patel, who has owned the land since 2012.
Patel told GrowthSpotter that the property is now under contract by a developer who intends to build the latest hotel. He declined to name the developer and that information is not included in application materials.