Arts center's parking garage plan sweetens deal for future hotel

Enlarge Photo

Jim Carchidi

A hotel with a parking garage could fill this view of downtown Orlando form the arts center's DeVos Family Room.

Richard Bilbao

Reporter- Orlando Business Journal

Email  |  Twitter

The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and the city of Orlando are looking for a hotel partner to build an on-site 250-room property, and part of its selling pitch may be to throw in approvals for a parking garage.

As we previously reported, the city of Orlando will review an amendment ordinance that could make way for a future parking garage on the northern parcel of land of the Seneff Arts Plaza.

Arts center executives said the amendment is so the future hotel partner has a properly-defined entrance and exit in place when it builds its hotel and parking structure.

City of Orlando officials said the garage would only serve hotel guests. Currently, guests of the arts center have to park at nearby parking garages and lots or use the center's valet services.

Also, it is not known what type of hotels the city and arts center are targeting for the plaza. However, in a November discussion, a hotel expert told me the best types of hotels to call that property home would be modern lifestyle brand hotels like Marriott's AC Hotels or the Canopy by Hilton.

Covers tourism, hospitality and sports business