It’s looking like the University of Central Florida will get a boutique hotel and conference center sometime in the next couple of years. UCF expects to negotiate a contract for a boutique hotel with KUD International LLC, pending a protest filed against the award by a competitor. The $24.2 million dollar, six-story hotel will have 100 to 130 rooms and will be built on 4.4 acres with 15,000 square feet of conference space. Hotel amenities would include a restaurant, cocktail lounge, fitness center, pool and a water feature.
In other business news, Memphis, Tenn.-based FedEx Corp.’s ground shipping division signed a lease to put an 85,583-square-foot package distribution center in the John Young Business Park industrial park in southwest Orlando. FedEx Ground is the first tenant in a speculative portion of the development, which includes two industrial buildings totaling 243,000 square feet. This is also an expansion for the company, which means there should be job opportunities in the coming months.