Fort Lauderdale-based InSite Group has filed plans to build a new 18-story tower addition that will add 506 rooms and suites to the property across from the Universal theme parks.
The dual-branded tower from Marriott would bring the select-service Aloft and extended-stay Element flags to the property, which is currently home to the 390-room Holiday Inn & Suites across from Universal Orlando. The new tower addition would include a parking garage, additional meeting space, and a new rooftop restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining.
The Aloft Hotel would have 264 rooms, while the Element Hotel would have a mix of 242 rooms, suites, and studio units. InSite Group is seeking a density bonus to expand the total room count to 896, which is allowed under the current zoning with certain conditions. One such requirement is that 10% of the total project contains secondary uses.
The new tower will be a dual-branded Marriott hotel, combining the Aloft and extended-stay Element flags. (Rendering by Baker Barrios)
The design team from Baker Barrios and Harris Civil Engineers satisfied the requirement by expanding the food and beverage component to 25,420 square feet and adding two new commercial buildings along Major Boulevard with a combined 25,567 square feet of retail space.Those buildings would include a new restaurant, shops, and a car rental office. Meeting rooms ranging from 200 to nearly 2,000 square feet, a grand ballroom, a fitness center and a yoga studio in the Marriott tower also count toward the secondary space requirements.
InSite is also seeking a 10% parking reduction. The plan would retain the hotel’s existing 220 surface parking spaces, while adding 56 surface spaces and a new garage that could accommodate another 355 vehicles. The total number of parking spaces provided would be 631, which includes 25 ADA-compliant spaces.
InSite Group purchased the 7.34-acre site in 2020 for $46.2 million and followed with a comprehensive renovation of the IHG hotel in 2023 that included each of the 239 guest rooms and 151 suites with new seating, lighting, headboards, and more in a coral coastal color palette to create a more home-like feeling. Accommodations also boast new modern kitchenettes with mini-fridges, microwaves (suites only), and Keurig® machines.
All three hotels will share the existing pool amenities. The new tower will add a rooftop restaurant with outdoor dining. (Rendering by Baker Barrios)
“These renovations deliver the hotel into the modern era and provide a comfortable stay at an exceptional price, which is a valuable opportunity for those visiting our local theme parks and attractions,” Carlos Adorno, general manager of the property, said at the time.
The Holiday Inn & Suites, which was built in 1971, has 13,000-square-feet of meeting and event space, including ballrooms. The property improvement plan, or PIP, also included new paint, carpet, lighting, and furnishings in the common areas and event space. The hotel currently features a TGI Fridays as its on-site restaurant and breakfast area, but the restaurant may be relocated to one of the new buildings, according to plans filed with the city. The space would be replaced with Marriott’s “Rise” dining option, which serves complimentary breakfast to all hotel guests.
The three hotels would share an expanded pool deck, which would include the existing pool and kids’ splash pad, and add a third pool just off the new tower. The site plan also calls for the addition of a pool pavilion and a new mechanical building.
Marriott currently operates four Aloft hotels in the Orlando market: downtown, I-Drive, Lake Buena Vista and Lake Nona. The company has two Element hotels — one on Universal Boulevard at Icon Park and another on I-Drive near SeaWorld.
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