Back in February, Vince LaRuffa, senior vice president of resort marketing, and Russ Dagon, vice president and executive project director, sat down with me to chat about the forthcoming Aventura Hotel, the sixth on-property hotel in the Universal Orlando Resort portfolio.
The 600-room all-glass behemoth opened on schedule on Aug. 16, becoming Universal's third Prime Value property. At our meeting, Laruffa talked about the hotel's sleek, modern design and appeal for a younger audience -- perhaps young couples without kids, groups of friends on vacation together, or bachelor/bachelorette parties. "The Aventura is more like [where] my 25-year-old daughter and her boyfriend would want to stay: They're young, modern, West Elm shoppers," he said.
Universal Orlando Resort's new Aventura Hotel opened to the public on Aug. 16. Photo Credit: Cliff Alejos
After the preview I got of the hotel just before opening day, I'd say that's about right. I was wowed by the upscale, chic vibe of the hotel with its glistening open spaces, full embrace of technological advances in hospitality, cool food hall dining concept, and a 360-degree rooftop view of Orlando's burgeoning, almost-Vegas skyline.
One of the first stops on our preview tour was the Urban Pantry food hall. Instead of a signature dining concept, executive chef Mouhssine Benhamacht relished the idea of putting together separate dining stations where there would be something for everyone, and each guest could try a different type of cuisine every night of their stay. "Urban Pantry was inspired by the great food halls of the world from Amsterdam to San Francisco," says Benhamacht. Four major concepts make up Urban Pantry: the continental Asian station, an American burger bar with locally made buns and locally raised cattle, a roast station serving rotisserie chicken and prime rib, and a Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizza station.
Steamed dumplings served at the Urban Pantry food hall concept at Aventura Hotel. Photo Credit: Cliff Alejos
I asked Benhamacht what was different about planning the menu at a food hall concept, rather than a signature restaurant. "We wanted to focus on each concept one at a time," he said. "We wanted it to be authentic as much as possible, not gimmicky. It was a balance between what American palates would be interested in as well as some more intricate recipes like the dumplings at the Asian station." Benhamacht suggests guests not miss the smoked salmon pizza (which I particularly liked on my visit), the paella from the roast station, and the French burger with bacon jam and Brie cheese.
Two other concepts round out the food and beverage offerings at the Aventura. The poolside bar is called Bar Sol, which serves up Latin-themed specialty cocktails -- one I tried combined coconut milk, lime and mezcal -- and other beverages. "This hotel has allowed us to be more themed with the offerings," says food and beverage director David McKeever. "But we're also able to offer PBR, which appeals to the masses, next to a tap with local craft beer. There's something for every palate."
Bar17 Bistro is something new for Orlando -- a rooftop restaurant, bar and lounge area. The views are stunning, and I won't be surprised when it's packed to the brim every night as word gets out among locals and resort-goers alike. We didn't get to try any of the signature $14 cocktails during our preview, but I'll be back to try The Barrel, which combines bourbon, grapefruit juice and maple syrup, or the unofficial drink of summer 2018, the Spritz -- with Aperol, of course.
Half of the menu at Bar17 Bistro are reinvented steamed bao buns (three for $12) filled with goodies like the traditional braised pork belly with cucumbers and green onion, or local Florida grouper with papaya and pickled red onion. I tried both, and liked them equally. The other half of the menu veer toward the European bistro style, with grilled Spanish octopus with almond romesco, and a shiitake mushroom bruschetta on a toast smeared with smoked bone marrow.
All this culinary creativity at a hotel that goes for $116 per night for a four-night stay in low season. Pretty impressive.
The guestrooms are also a wow. Every room flaunts floor-to-ceiling windows, which means every room has a great view, no matter which wing of the hotel you're staying in. The furnishings are minimalist and modern, and feel like something you might see at a W Hotel rather than a Hampton Inn. Next to each bed, guests will find an iPad that can be used to control just about everything in the room (lights, TV, etc.) as well as request services like in-room dining or ask a question of the front desk staff via chat functionality. The Kids' Suite combines a standard guest room with a room with two twin beds and a separate living space, plus a bathroom that houses both a standalone shower and tub for bathing the little ones (or taking a breather from them).
"We kept to an aggressive schedule with this hotel, but it has worked well for us," says Dagon. "We're very happy with the way everything turned out. We've had so many people so excited to see the hotel and especially to see the rooftop space. There was a real appetite for that among our staff, and we're sure our guests will love it, too."
Next up: the new Value hotels called Endless Summer Resort, with two separate hotels: Surfside Inn & Suites opening in summer of 2019, and Dockside Inn & Suites to open in 2020. Orlando residents are already seeing the tilt-wall construction rising high in the place where legacy water park Wet 'n Wild used to stand, and Surfside Inn & Suites, which will offer guest rooms as low as $73 per night for a seven-night stay, and two-bedroom suites starting at $111 per night for a seven-night stay. Surfside Inn & Suites is now accepting reservations for August 2019.