Hilton Orlando Hotel Hits Construction Milestone

Hilton Hotels Corporation has celebrated a new milestone in the construction of the Hilton Orlando with a topping off ceremony. The 19-story building broke ground in May of 2007 and is scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2009. The hotel, connected to the Orange County/Orlando Convention Center, will increase the convention center’s size and will add 1,400 hotel rooms for guests. Additionally, the three-winged Hilton Orlando will add 200,000 square feet to the convention center’s meeting room capacity on two separate floors. The largest new areas will be the 50,000 square foot Orlando Ballroom and the 30,000 square foot Orange Ballroom. The new facilities will include 21 new meeting rooms, 9 boardrooms, a business center, among other convention amenities. Hilton Hotels teamed with Apollo Real Estate Advisors, Rida Development Corp., and Welbro Construction on the development of the new hotel.“The topping off of the Hilton Orlando signifies an important milestone in the construction as we have reached the highest elevated point,” a Hilton spokeperson for the southeast region told CPN. “Topping offs are generally celebrated to mark that the construction of the physical plant is complete and now the focus is on the opening which is scheduled for August 2009.” In addition to the convention and meeting capabilities, the Hilton Orlando will focus on resort amenities as well. Among the features of the new hotel will be seven restaurant and extensive recreation facilities. The opening of the hotel in August 2009 is expected to add 1,500 new jobs in Orlando. The Hilton Orlando will be the first hotel that will be connected to the Orange County Convention Center, currently the second largest facility in the country. The hotel, situated on 26 acres, will connect to the 2.1 million-square-foot convention center by way of a sky-pedestrian bridge.