Universal Orlando submits plan for a sixth hotel

Universal Orlando has plans for another hotel in the city. The company submitted plans to the city for a 600-room development on Adventure Way, south of Universal’s Loews Sapphire Falls resort, which is opening July 14.

The new hotel’s rooms will be located in one tower, which will in turn be connected to a parking garage. Universal’s interest in building another hotel dates back to 2014, when it submitted documents to the comptroller’s office of Orange County that included details for a fifth, sixth and seventh hotel at its resort. Since then, Universal has gone through with the development of the Loews Sapphire Falls property, which is filling in as its fifth.

When Sapphire Falls opens, Universal will have 5,200 hotel rooms in operation. This newest property will add 1,000 guestrooms to Universal’s portfolio, and the property will have a 16,000-square-foot pool.

In a statement, company executives said they see the potential for two to three times as many guestrooms for the resort, and is looking for existing locations to fill in with some more rooms. 

The Wet ’N Wild water park, which is closing later this year, is currently a prime candidate for hotel development, and Universal also recently bought 475 acres of land near the Orange County Convention Center, where a number of projects are expected to begin construction. Despite this, the city of Orlando said in a statement that there is no timetable in place for a sixth Universal hotel.