The developers behind Orlando’s Westcourt, a proposed sports and entertainment district, have selected Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants for the project’s hotel component.
It will be the hospitality brand’s seventh Florida location and second arena-adjacent property in the U.S.
Westcourt is being developed by JMA Ventures and Machete Group. The new 11-story Kimpton Hotel, expected to open in early 2027, will include 261 rooms and be the first Kimpton in Orlando. Plans for the hotel call for 16,000 square feet of indoor meeting space, a full-service restaurant and lobby bar, as well as a café, poolside bar and lounge.
The new hotel will provide guests with a “one-of-a-kind boutique respite, which will open the door to an array of new and expansive experiences for travelers and locals to enjoy within the heartbeat of the city,” said Leanne Harwood, managing director for luxury and lifestyle for the Americas at IHG Hotels & Resorts, the owner of the Kimpton brand, in a statement.
The deal is the second collaboration between the developers and Kimpton, Harwood said. San Francisco-based JMA Ventures previously worked with IHG to build the Kimpton Sawyer in Sacramento, California, the group’s first arena-adjacent hotel, in 2017. The hotel sits next door to the Golden 1 Center, home of the NBA's Sacramento Kings.
The new Kimpton Orlando hotel is also expected to get its fair share of basketball fans. The hotel and planned mixed-use campus sits on 8 acres bounded by Central Boulevard and Church Street to the north and south, while Hughey Avenue and Division Avenue make up the project’s east and western edges. Directly next door is the Kia Center, a 20,000-seat arena and home of the NBA's Orlando Magic.
Westcourt is a long-time goal of the DeVos family, the owners of the Orlando Magic. The new Westcourt district, estimated to cost $500 million, will help build out a portion of downtown Orlando. Interstate 4 separates the mostly empty development site from the rest of downtown.
Westcourt is targeting to break ground by the end of the year, according to a spokesperson for the developers.
When fully built out, Westcourt will include the new Kimpton Orlando, as well as 265 multifamily units above the hotel. Around 300,000 square feet of office space and 120,000 square feet of retail is also planned, alongside a live event venue with the capacity for 3,500 attendees. The project will feature a 1,140-space parking garage and 1.5 acres of outdoor common space.
Westcourt received approval from city officials in April.