A new full-service resort hotel is set to open this week on the site where one of Orlando’s most popular properties, the Royal Plaza, welcomed guests for more than three decades.
In a corridor surrounded by big hotels like the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Resort and Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista, hotel executives say the key to the new B Resort Orlando is its simplicity and sustainability.
“The focus on the hospitality and the leisure market is significant for us in the busy tourism corridor,” said Keith Wolling, general manager. “We expect families who embrace Disney and its parks will want to be indulged in an upscale experience with affordable accommodations and amenities.”
The 17-story, 394-room hotel in Orlando has been fully redeveloped with a new contemporary design, pops of color and a colorful artwork collection. Twenty of the family-friendly rooms include bunk beds, while the master suite also includes a kitchenette.
From its informational touch screens in the lobby, digital concierge service, zero-entry pool, kids’ zone area and family activities to its free Wi-Fi and courtesy iPads and consoles, hotel executives say the guest experience is about relaxation after enjoying a day at the theme parks.
The luxury lifestyle hotel is within walking distance of Downtown Disney shops and restaurants. Through a partnership with Walt Disney World, the B Resort Orlando will offer shuttle service to all of the Disney theme and water parks, arrange tee times on golf courses and reserve tables at Disney restaurants.
The B will spotlight local artists with an artwork collection arranged through a partnership with area galleries. A collection of six or seven pieces created by local artists will be displayed near the meetings space corridor, and works will be changed two or three times a year.
The resort will also feature a first for the brand, a full-service spa with an array of treatments and customized services for men, women, teens and young children. The B Indulged Spa by Aveda is scheduled to open later this summer.
American Q, a full-service signature restaurant developed by China Grill Management with restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow, will offer a modern twist on classic barbecue with specialties from around the U.S. and Latin America.
The centerpiece of the restaurant is a 1951 cherry-red Ford F1 pickup that serves as a tailgate buffet loaded with appetizers and salad options for diners.
Servers will be dressed as cowboys and cowgirls, and line dancing and lots of feet-stomping fun can be expected.
“We want to get [diners] engaged and have fun,” said Ana Suarez, experience manager at the resort. “It’s all about self-expression and hospitality.”
The resort plans to do its part for conservation in the Sunshine State. Guests will find the hotel’s mascot inside their hotel rooms, a stuffed animal named Benson B. Frog, modeled after the gopher frog that is indigenous to Central Florida. If guests choose to purchase the stuffed animal, a portion of the sales will go to the Wildlife Foundation of Florida, a nonprofit that helps protect the preservation of Florida’s fish and wildlife resources and habitats.
This article has been updated to reflect that only the master suite is furnished with a kitchenette, not all 20 family-friendly rooms as previously stated.