Hyatt Hotels Corp. is reportedly buying the famous Peabody Orlando Hotel for $717 million and rebranding it as the "Hyatt Regency Orlando Convention Center."
According to our partners at the Orlando Business Journal, the sale of the 1,641-room hotel, near the Orange County Convention Center, is expected to be completed by Oct. 1.
The hotel will become Hyatt's sixth in the Orlando area, but the first to be associated with conventions.
The Business Journal said Hyatt is buying the hotel from UST Hotel Joint Venture Ltd., an affiliate of Orlando's Estein & Associates USA Ltd. and Memphis-based Belz Enterprises.
The Peabody recently opened a $440 million expansion in 2010 that included a 750-room guest tower, 450,000 square feet of convention space, an upscale spa and pool complex, and a 2,200-space parking garage.
It was not immediately clear whether the famous Peabody Ducks would remain at the Orlando hotel once it's rebranded by Hyatt. The live ducks, which traditionally march through the hotel's atrium lobby at 11 a.m. every morning, are a staple of the Memphis-based Peabody Hotel Group.
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News release
Hyatt Regency Orlando Convention Center will strengthen Hyatt's position in a key market
Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013
"Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced that a wholly owned Hyatt subsidiary plans to purchase the 1,641-room Peabody Orlando hotel for $717 million from UST Hotel Joint Venture, Ltd., comprised of affiliates of Belz Enterprises and Estein & Associates USA, Ltd. The transaction is expected to close on October 1, 2013, and the hotel will be rebranded as Hyatt Regency Orlando Convention Center upon closing.
'This transaction brings us a very high-quality hotel in one of the most popular cities in the world and enhances the Hyatt Regency brand -- already a leader in meetings and conventions -- with a presence adjacent to one of the largest convention facilities in the U.S.,' said Stephen Haggerty, global head, real estate and capital strategy for Hyatt. 'We are confident that we will be able to build on the strong performance of this property through the depth and breadth of our relationships with meeting planners and corporate travel managers and the global strength of our brand. Orlando, the second largest hotel market in the United States, continues to benefit from strong demand from a variety of different types of guests. The strong base of business booked at the Orange County Convention Center over the coming years demonstrates the attractiveness of the market to associations and corporate groups. The overall number of visitors to Orlando continues to increase and it remains one of the most visited vacation destinations. This addition to the Hyatt Regency portfolio will create value for the company in multiple ways and is consistent with our strategy of applying our capital to increase our brand presence in key markets.'
Hyatt Regency Orlando Convention Center will be the sixth Hyatt-branded hotel in Orlando, but the first large convention hotel presence for Hyatt in the market. The property will be a significant addition to the Hyatt Regency brand, which is well known for extensive meetings facilities around the world. With more than 200,000 square feet of meeting space -- and with over 2 million square feet of space in the Orange County Convention Center to which the hotel is attached -- the hotel will offer the most meeting space of any Hyatt Regency hotel in the U.S. and will position the company to compete successfully for in-house group business in addition to citywide convention business.
The hotel is in excellent condition and enjoys a strong reputation among meeting planners and guests. Because the hotel recently completed a nearly $440 million multi-year expansion and renovation, Hyatt does not plan to invest significant capital in the near future.
Hyatt expects the hotel to generate approximately $10 million of EBITDA in the fourth quarter of 2013 and approximately $55 million of EBITDA in 2014.
The closing of the transaction is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The purchase price is subject to closing adjustments."