The Alfond Inn at Rollins to Break Ground on Expansion

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USA, Winter Park, Florida. July 19, 2021

The Alfond Inn at Rollins, the award-winning boutique hotel in the heart of historic Winter Park, has announced that it intends to break ground on a much-anticipated expansion this summer.

Owned by neighboring Rollins College, a private coeducational liberal arts college in Winter Park, Florida, The Alfond Inn at Rollins is a unique luxury property. The hotel directs net operating income to The Alfond Scholars Program and has given away millions of dollars in full scholarships to Rollins College since 2013.

"The vision and mission of The Alfond Inn are so inspired, we are thrilled to extend the capacity to support more outstanding students in their studies at Rollins," said Rollins College President Grant H. Cornwell. "The Alfond Inn and The Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art are assets valued by patrons, by Winter Park, and by Rollins College."

Since the hotel opened in 2013, The Alfond Inn at Rollins has been more than a graceful luxury boutique hotel in the upscale setting of Winter Park. It quickly became a community centerpiece, a popular destination for dining, socializing, meetings and weddings. In fact, the demand has been so great that the expansion was planned to address those increasing needs.

"This is an exciting time for The Alfond Inn and for Winter Park as we embark on the much-anticipated next phase of the hotel's evolution," says Jesse Martinez, General Manager of The Alfond Inn at Rollins. "Thanks to the tremendous support from Rollins College, the Winter Park community, partners throughout Orlando and of course, our treasured guests, we will be able to deliver an unprecedented, contemporary experience. The new guest rooms, the additional function space and the new Spa are true game changers, allowing us to serve our guests even better and to fulfill our philanthropic goals, which are always at the heart of our mission."

The design for the new wing is in harmony with the original hotel structure, using natural light, a four story atrium, and striking artwork to provide continuity and a seamless transition from the existing space to the new areas. The Alfond Inn's original architect, Orlando-based Baker Barrios Architects, has designed the addition and the interior design is by a joint venture between Baskervill Architects of Richmond, VA and Sheedy / DeLaRosa Interiors of Chicago IL. The general contractor is Balfour Beatty and the project is led by Olympia Development, who also oversaw the design and construction of the original Alfond Inn.

New Communal Café

The beautiful and imaginative extension of the hotel will include an additional 71 luxury guestrooms and suites. Like the art collection, the design is bold, bright and colorful, with tropical motif rugs over hardwood floors, yellow and blue accent walls, and carved white headboards with decorative hanging lights over the sideboards. The guest room windows are intentionally large to let the Florida sunshine in.

The expansion will include a new light-filled lobby Café serving coffee, crepes and light bites, and transitioning to beer and wine in the evenings. The Café is designed to be a welcoming open space, with long sightlines, warm wood and mid-century modern furnishings, with high top communal tables, as well as inviting private seating areas perfect for impromptu business meetings or quiet reflection of the Inn's growing art collection.

Wellness Spa and Second Swimming Pool

Wellness is at the forefront of the expanded hotel, with a new Spa that will feature seven treatment rooms, steam and sauna, a new fitness area, and luxury locker rooms. The design is clean and minimalist tempered by a palette of warm, soothing understated tones. On the second floor of the new wing, the spa opens onto a new amenity deck that features a second swimming pool, private cabanas, a neo-classical fountain and a shaded canopy that covers an extensive outside living room. The amenity deck will also be available for private events.

The Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art

The property is distinguished as the only hotel in the United States that serves as the formal extension of an art museum. The Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art, from the nearby Cornell Fine Arts Museum (CFAM) at Rollins College, is exhibited throughout the hotel on a rotating basis. The ever-growing collection of seminal works now includes nearly 500 artworks, from the large and dramatic Cloud Cities - Nebulous Thresholds by artist Tomás Saraceno which hangs in the glass-domed Conservatory to important pieces by dozens of other artists, including Jenny Holzer, Jennifer Bartlett, David Hockney, Gordon Parks and Kara Walker. The new installation this summer will include important new acquisitions by Charles Gaines, Shirin Neshat and Noah Davis, among others, as well as a thematic installation in dialogue with the museum's exhibition devoted to redefining American Modernisms.

Many additional artworks from The Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art will be displayed in the new public spaces of the hotel addition.

"For those of us on the museum team, the hotel expansion gives us a unique opportunity not only to share more of the collection but, importantly, to rethink how we can engage every hotel guest with the art of our times in the most meaningful way," says Dr. Ena Heller, Bruce A. Beal Director, CFAM.

Added Meeting and Function Space

The Alfond Inn at Rollins already has a generous amount of existing and customizable meeting and event space that has made it the social hub of the Winter Park community and the first choice for weddings and C-level meetings. The expansion will introduce even more square footage, with a new meeting room and a new boardroom, providing an additional 2,400 square feet to the existing meeting and functions rooms.

The project will also include the renovation of the existing 112 rooms and suites in the hotel. A renovation of the lobby, the library and bar, and the private dining room has just been completed.

Construction is expected to commence in summer 2021 with a project completion date anticipated for summer of 2023.