A ceremonial groundbreaking was held on the premises of Melbourne Orlando International Airport (MLB) on October 5, 2021, to officially start the construction of a Hyatt Place airport hotel.
The five-story, 143-room hotel is scheduled to open in 2022 but its conception took place long before that.
It was seven years ago when executives from aircraft manufacturer Embraer asked Melbourne Orlando International Airport officials to build a hotel for the aircraft company’s jet-setting customers, who fly in from various countries to pick up newly manufactured business jets.
Airport officials listened, and Hyatt’s fly-in hotel is now being constructed west of the passenger terminal, along the airport perimeter fencing.
“We see people come in from all over the world to take delivery of those aircraft. Where do they stay? What amenities do we have?” Greg Donovan, MLB airport executive director, asked during Hyatt Place groundbreaking ceremony which was covered by the local press.
“Think about the companies that are within a 1-mile radius of where we are right now. Think about how important they are to our industry and our community,” Donovan said
Anticipated to open late 2022, the fly-in hotel will accommodate air travelers and the general public alike. Pilots will be able to taxi aircraft just outside the hotel, where passengers can disembark and walk inside conveniently.
“Think about the 150,000 international passengers that will be coming through our terminal, starting March 7,” he said.
The 150,000 passengers that Donovan is referring to is the projected number of annual visitors from the UK and Ireland traveling with leading UK-based travel agency TUI Travel. TUI Travel entered into a 7-year agreement with MLB to make it its new Central Florida gateway airport.
Beginning March 7, 2022, TUI will operate two or three flights a day using Boeing 787 Dreamliners configured to carry 300 to 345 passengers. To prepare for this, MLB is undergoing a $72 million passenger terminal expansion renovation project.
On top of this, American ultra low-cost carrier Allegiant Air is debuting its twice-weekly nonstop flights to Nashville, Tennessee; Pittsburgh and Concord, North Carolina from November 2021.
“We are so confident that Hyatt Place Melbourne Airport will provide guests from all over the world a comfortable stay experience before embarking on their next leg of their travel journey,” Connor Wielgus, Hyatt Hotels regional vice president of development said, noting that developing a new hotel is no easy feat — especially in the middle of a pandemic.