Storied Brevard hotel under new ownership

The Holiday Inn in Cocoa Beach may now be known as the International Palms Resort & Conference Center, but its historical legacy remains firmly rooted in its glamorous past. Last month, real estate investment trust FelCor Lodging Limited Partnership of Irving, Texas, quietly unloaded the property to International Palms, which also runs an Orlando hotel, and terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 500-room hotel, on 27 acres, was one of Cocoa Beach’s first and biggest vacation spots when it opened in 1960. Johnny Carson and Walter Cronkite were among the many celebrity guests who stayed during visits to the nearby Kennedy Space Center. Records show FelCor bought the Holiday Inn for $22.2 million in 1998. It was recently assessed at $15.2 million, according to the Brevard County Property Appraiser’s Office. Current rates for the Cocoa Beach location start at $79.95 a night. [Florida Today]