WINTER PARK, Florida—The Alfond Inn at Rollins, the boutique hotel in the heart of Winter Park, has announced that it intends to break ground on an expansion this summer. The Alfond Inn at Rollins is owned by neighboring Rollins College, a private coeducational liberal arts college. The hotel directs net operating income to The Alfond Scholars Program and has given away 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 quickly became a community staple, a destination for dining, socializing, meetings, and weddings. The expansion was planned to address the increasing demand for the property.
“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 syncs with the hotel’s structure, using natural light, an atrium, and artwork to provide continuity 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, Virginia, and Sheedy/DeLaRosa Interiors of Chicago. 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.
Communal Café
The extension of the hotel will include an additional 71 guestrooms and suites. Like the art collection, the design is bright and colorful, with tropical rugs over hardwood floors, yellow and blue accent walls, and carved white headboards with decorative hanging lights over the sideboards. The guestroom windows are intentionally large.
The expansion will include a new lobby Café serving coffee, crepes, and light bites, and transitioning to beer and wine in the evenings. The Café is designed to be an open space, with long sightlines, warm wood, and mid-century modern furnishings, with high top communal tables and inviting private seating areas.
Spa and Second Swimming Pool
Wellness is at the forefront of the expansion, with a new spa that will have seven treatment rooms, steam and sauna, a fitness area, and locker rooms. The design is clean and minimalist with warm tones. On the second floor of the new wing, the spa opens onto an amenity deck with a second swimming pool, private cabanas, a fountain, and a shaded canopy that covers an outside living room. The amenity deck will also be available for private events.
The Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art
The property is 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 collection of seminal works includes nearly 500 artworks. 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 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.
