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Richly Ornate Hotel in Downtown Orlando, Fla., Opens at Bad Time

By Tim Barker, The Orlando Sentinel, Fla.
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News 

Apr. 8--Given a choice, the middle of April in the middle of an economic downturn is not the ideal time to open a luxury hotel in downtown Orlando. 

But that's what hotelier Richard Kessler will do later this month when his 250-room Westin Grand Bohemian opens its richly European-themed doors. 

The April 19 opening comes just in time to miss out on the strongest quarter of the year for downtown hotels and at a time when many businesses -- expected to be a key market for the pricey property -- are cutting back on travel. 

Still, the Orlando hotelier appears unfazed by the sour state of the nation's economy and its potential impact on the gem of his growing hotel fiefdom. Kessler owns several area hotels, including the Doubletree Castle on International Drive. 

"This is a 40-year investment," Kessler said. "The first year we're going to have to work hard, but from there on we'll be in good shape." 

Regardless of his optimism, the downtown market is not as thirsty for new inventory as it was back in early 1998 when Kessler first announced plans to build the $30 million hotel on the northeast corner of South Street and Orange Avenue, catty-corner to Orlando City Hall. 

Since then, a pair of smaller inns -- a 200-room Courtyard by Marriott and a 167-room Embassy Suites -- opened in the area, which also saw a renovation of the long-neglected 250-room Harley Hotel, now called Four Points Hotel by Sheraton Downtown Orlando. 

Some competitors wonder whether Kessler will be able to capture the room rates -- $145 to $185 a night -- he wants in a market where visitors are used to paying no more than $120 or so. 

"He's going to have some interesting days," said Mark Moravec, general manager of the Orlando Marriott Downtown. 

Along with an increase in the number of downtown hotels, the market is feeling the impact of the country's growing economic uncertainty. Moravec said the Marriott has witnessed a significant downturn in calls by the all-important business travelers. 

"Those are people who don't dicker with you over room rates," said Moravec, who sees no immediate end to the drop-off in demand. 

Kessler, however, is banking on the Bohemian's charms -- deep colors, dark wood, marble, antiques and original artwork -- to draw both business and leisure travelers, while also appealing to weddings and other group business on the weekends. The hotel's advance group bookings are already at 40 percent of what Kessler is expecting for 2001. 

Among the hotel's features: 

-- The fifth floor will have 9,600 square feet of meeting space, divided into a series of breakout rooms -- each with a distinct theme, including one dedicated to Orlando history -- and a ballroom appointed with four 700-pound bronze-and-alabaster chandeliers. 

-- A sixth-floor outdoor pool that is certain to be a point of interest for the desk-bound office workers in the Republic Bank building next door. 

-- A pair of Bosendorfer concert grand pianos: Kessler hopes to showcase the instruments with performances by well-known musicians. 

-- A host of small details that might go unnoticed, including hand-blown light fixtures in the hallways, 24-carat gold-leaf trimmings and glass ceiling tile imported from Italy. 

The extensive theming of the hotel, which also features an upscale restaurant, should give the property a boost over its more ordinary competitors, said Scott Brush, a Miami-based hotel consultant who follows the Orlando market. 

"It's more than just a hotel," Brush said. "It's got a little bit of entertainment value as well." 

If all goes well, the expansion-minded Kessler sees big things down the road for the Bohemian, or at least its European theme. 

Rattling off a list that includes Miami, New York City, Dallas and Atlanta, Kessler said, "I'd like to take this to all the major cities around the United States." 

OTHER DOWNTOWN HOTELS 

Courtyard by Marriott Orlando Downtown, 198 rooms. 

Orlando Marriott Downtown, 290 rooms. 

Holiday Inn Orlando Downtown, 276 rooms. 

Four Points Hotel by Sheraton Orlando Hotel, 250 rooms. 

Radisson Plaza Hotel Orlando, 340 rooms. 

Embassy Suites at Capital Plaza, 167 rooms. 

-----To see more of The Orlando Sentinel, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.orlandosentinel.com 

(c) 2001. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. MAR, 


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