ORLANDO, Fla. — WFTV has learned a company overseeing the redevelopment of the struggling Fashion Square Mall on Colonial Drive has signed a deal with a major hotel and resort company.
According to the Tennessee-based retail developer UP Development, the hotel will be an Element by Westin, one of the types of hotels operated by Starwood Hotels and Resorts.
It will be LEED-certified by the U.S. Green Building Council and the first of its kind in Orlando.
It will be the second in Florida, the other being at Miami International Airport.
The biggest change at the Orange County mall won't be built on the ground, but rather on top what's there now.
WFTV obtained a rendering from the city of Orlando that shows the up to 175-room hotel will be built on top of remodeled shops and restaurants.
That means once construction is done by next year, the hotel there will be eight stories high -- like taking three more Macy's buildings and stacking them one on top of the other.
Coliseum of Comics just moved because of the renovations at the mall, but the store's owner said it's all for the better.
"There's nothing servicing the airport right here, it just seems like it would probably be a good fit," Aaron Holland of Coliseum of Comics said.
The only motel or hotel available on that strip of Colonial Drive is Home Suite Home, and Orlando crime statistics show Orlando police have been there 118 times in the last year, which is almost 10 calls per month.
"I think it would be better to have a spiffy new hotel to have your family be comfortable staying in," resident Shelley Preston said.
The company building the hotel, Starwood Hotel and Resorts, owns and operates some Westin and Sheraton locations, like the one in downtown Orlando.
Holland just hopes the one at Fashion Square Mall will mean more customers for his store.
"We've seen the ups and downs. We're very excited to see things on the upswing again," Holland said.
A bowling alley and arcade are going into the mall around the same time as the hotel. The height of the hotel still needs to be approved by the city.