A University of Central Florida Board of Trustee committee will meet Thursday to discuss the possibility of an on-campus boutique hotel.
The University of Central Florida is considering putting a 150-room boutique hotel on campus at the intersection of University Boulevard and Alafaya Trail, according to the Orlando Business Journal. The 11-acre area of land was once the site being considered for an organic grocery store.
According to OBJ, the idea would be for developers to pay for the construction and lease the land from UCF.
“If the committee supports moving forward, UCF will ask developers to submit proposals to build a hotel on 11 acres fronting Alafaya Trail between University and Centaurus boulevards. An invitation for developers to submit proposals would be forthcoming later this spring,” Chad Binette, spokesman for UCF, told the Orlando Business Journal.
UCF has been interested in seeking new revenue streams that don’t originate from tuition or taxes in recent years due to budget cuts.
“If the income is substantial, a hotel could provide a service to the university community, families and visitors while generating revenue for the university at the same time.” Binette told OBJ.
Binette also told OBJ that the school wouldn’t provide money for the hotel; the developer would have to pay for construction and operation, and the hotel would have to “blend in well with the look of the UCF campus.”
The initial plan for an organic grocery store at the site fell through after university officials felt the revenue from leasing the land wouldn’t amount to enough money to make a substantial impact.
A UCF board of trustees committee will discuss the idea at Thursday meeting.
