Universal Orlando becoming bigger player in the convention hotel market

ORLANDO, Fla. - Rapidly expanding Universal Orlando is becoming a bigger player in the convention and meeting market, with its fifth hotel opening on Thursday

Tropical-themed Sapphire Falls Resort, with 1,000 rooms, this fall will have 115,000 square feet of space for meetings and events. Universal has advertised that a covered walkway will connect Sapphire Falls with Royal Pacific Resort's conference area, creating a 'massive meeting complex” with a combined total of more than 247,000 square feet.

Throughout all its hotels, Universal now advertises almost 300,000 square feet of meeting space.

'The convention business continues to grow,” said Dennis Speigel, president of consulting firm International Theme Park Services. 'It's a piece of the pie they absolutely should be going after.”

Universal would not comment.

Sapphire Falls and Royal Pacific, which has expanded its meeting space by more than 50 percent since 2014 and is Universal's largest convention hotel, are the two largest convention properties in the nationwide Loews Hotels & Resorts chain, which partners with Universal for lodging at its Orlando resort.

Orlando is considered the nation's top meeting destination, and the convention-hotel business is growing. Hotels from Rosen Shingle Creek to the DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando near SeaWorld are adding convention space.

Mixing business with pleasure makes financial sense for hotels, said Abraham Pizam, dean of UCF's Rosen College of Hospitality Management.

'The average conventioneer spends three or four times as much as the average leisure tourist,” he said. 'Why wouldn't a hotelier go into the convention business? If you do have the space and are willing to invest in and create convention facilities, you would want to do that.”

Universal has the potential to build even more hotels in the tourist corridor. Its Wet ‘n Wild water park closes later this year. And Universal last year bought 475 acres near Orange County Convention Center.