AIC plots 50-acre resort in Orlando

AIC Hotel Group is spearheading a massive hotel and resort project in Orlando, highlighting the hospitality industry’s continued recovery after a few rough years during the pandemic.

The company is plotting a four-hotel development with 1,934 keys and 16 restaurants, spanning 50 acres, just north of the Orlando Marriott World Center Resort, the Orlando Sentinel reported. AIC bought the land for a little under $33 million in 2018.

The preliminary plan also calls for 270 apartments exclusively for club members, an entertainment venue accommodating up to 1,625 guests and a 26,000-square-foot spa. Over 100,000 square feet of restaurant space is planned, along with nearly 35,000 square feet of retail, and 73,000 square feet of event space. It would also have pools, waterslide and a lazy river.

A 2026 opening date is proposed.

Nobu Hotels, an AIC subsidiary whose founders include culinary icon Nobu Matsuhisa and actor Robert De Niro, will anchor the development. The Nobu component will comprise 300 rooms, including eight villas and 50 branded residences, along with exclusive dining options and event spaces, the outlet reported. 

The venture marks a significant addition to Orlando’s thriving tourism landscape, recently punctuated by the opening of the Conrad at Evermore Orlando Resort and forthcoming luxury establishments like the Fairmont Hotel on International Drive. Marriott is poised to introduce its W Hotel brand near Universal’s Epic Universe theme park, and North America’s first Mysk Hotel in Kissimmee’s Everest Place is planned.

AIC also owns several Hard Rock Hotels, including locations in Cancun, Punta Cana and Vallarta.

Nobu, meanwhile, has locations in Chicago, Miami Beach, Atlanta, Los Cabos and Santorini. 

—Quinn Donoghue

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