BizBash Best 2020 - 162

orlando/central florida

easY access
Venues inside hotels offer a one-stop shop for out-of-town guests.
Bridges Bar & Grill are both available for buyouts.
(1000 West Buena Vista Drive, disneyworld.com)
Known as the Pink Palace, the 2 Don CeSar
in St. Pete Beach renovated much of its indoor
event space in 2019. New carpeting, paint, lighting,
furniture, drapery, and artwork refreshed the facilities and subtly reference the title character of the
opera maritana (which is based on the French play
don César de Bazan). The 5,671-square-foot Grand
Ballroom's carpeting, for example, has a sweeping
look in tribute to her flowing gown. Two curved
staircases, and Gulf views through arched windows,
add charm. Crystal chandeliers resemble those in
many opera houses. Old hotel photos are a nod to
times gone by, and books by F. Scott Fitzgerald, once a
frequent guest, are on display. New audiovisual equipment as well as virtual meetings and video conferencing support are modern touches. (3400 Gulf Blvd., St
Pete Beach, thedoncesar.com)
Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld added 30,000
square feet of event space in January 2019, for a total
of 215,000 square feet indoors plus another 20,000
outdoors. The Peninsula Ballroom is the center of the
expansion, adding 16,500 square feet with 22-foot
ceilings and flexible rigging points. The venue has a
50-foot multi-use LED media wall with nine screens,
fiber-optic audiovisual infrastructure for fast connections, and Wi-Fi to support as many as 5,000 devices.
(6677 Sea Harbor Drive, marriott.com)

Where to Find Summer Year-Round

rentals

in the works
Universal Orlando's eighth hotel, dubbed
Universal's Endless Summer Resort-Dockside Inn
and Suites, will open on March 17. The massive
property will have 2,050 guest rooms and
complimentary transportation to theme parks.
The Pointe Orlando shopping district plans
to unveil a $32 million makeover in summer

162

2020 bizbash best bizbash.com

2020, adding new restaurants, central gathering spaces, and experiential elements.
Later in 2020, the Dr. Phillips Center
for the Performing Arts is adding a new 1,700seat multiform theater called Steinmetz Hall.
Country star Blake Shelton will open his
fourth Ole Red property in the spring. The $15
million bar, restaurant, and music venue spans
15,000 square feet and seats 500.

From Cort Events (cortevents.com) comes
a versatile, sleek, and Florida-friendly
furniture line. The Capri Collection (price
available upon request) includes a sofa
and chair in sage green, Sunbrella fabric,
and faux-beechwood metal frames. The
organic and soft seating option is suitable for both indoor and outdoor events
and adds comfort to any cabana-style
setting. -T.B.

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stneve troC fo ysetr uoC ,)e r ifgi B( iksnZyZClok n ivek

Outdoor barbecues at a lakeside summer house are the idea
behind Bigfire, a two-story restaurant opened by Universal
Orlando's culinary team in June 2019. Located in the CityWalk
entertainment complex, the 11,414-square-foot eatery features
a central grill on which foods are cooked with specifically paired
woods, as well as decor touches like plaids, camp lanterns,
and twinkly lights. Two semiprivate rooms each seat 50, while
buyouts are available for groups of as many as 275 guests. Most
meals end with s'mores, prepared by each guest on a tabletop
grill. Pre-dinner teambuilding activities, V.I.P. theme park
access, and CityWalk Party Passes are optional add-ons. (6000
Universal Blvd., universalorlando.com)

photos: Jason dewey (walt disney world dolphin hotel), sCott Baker photography (don Cesar),
kevin kolCZyZnski (Bigfire), Courtesy of Cort events

Designed like a speakeasy, with dim lighting, brick
walls, and cushy sofas, the Stockroom opened at the
Orlando World Center Marriott. The Prohibitionstyle bar used exclusively for group buyouts debuted
in May 2019 and holds 45 guests. Its specialty is
craft cocktails, served as blues music plays. Groups
seeking a longer event can continue to the HyCube
& Harvest Terrace venue for a seated meal. (8701
World Center Drive, marriott.com)
Corporate groups have dined at Shula's at the
1 Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel for 20 years,
and now the steak restaurant named for retired football
coach Don Shula has been revamped. While still clublike in style, the eatery has an enlarged, three-sided
bar with an illuminated wine tower and a three-part
display about the coach's N.F.L. career. Four private
dining rooms with mahogany walls each seat 16; they
can be combined to seat 80. A new lounge holds 75;
semiprivate options are also available. (1500 Epcot
Resorts Blvd., Lake Buena Vista, disneyworld.com)
Disney's Coronado Springs Resort was designed
to hold big events, but its Gran Destino Tower
addition offers options for smaller gatherings. Part of
a reimagining of the entire resort, the 15-story tower
added 3,000 square feet of event space, bringing the
resort's total to 223,000. The highlight is Lantana-a
flexible meeting space that holds 100 guests. There's
also an exhibition kitchen and a semiprivate patio;
the rooftop restaurant Tolédo and the casual Three

http://www.disneyworld.com http://www.marriott.com http://www.thedoncesar.com http://www.disneyworld.com http://www.marriott.com http://www.universalorlando.com http://www.cortevents.com http://www.bizbash.com

BizBash Best 2020

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