Boardman Architect Designs Universal Orlando Resort

BOARDMAN, Ohio – A ribbon-cutting Aug. 8 to officially open the Hyatt House across from the Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Fla., marked the completion of one of the most ambitious commissions to date for architect Stephen Berry and his firm, Stephen Berry/Architectural Design Inc..

The Hyatt Orlando Universal cost $25 million to build over 18 months, Berry says. Construction was interrupted last year for one month when Hurricane Irma pounded Orlando.

The architect’s high-profile urban hotel projects include the expansion of the Wyndham Grand in downtown Pittsburgh and the Crowne Plaza Pontchartrain in Detroit’s Civic Center.

Joining Berry (second from left in picture below)  for the Orlando press event was the city’s mayor, Buddy Dyer, , the CEO of the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association, representatives of Hyatt Corporation and executives from Summit Hotel Properties of Austin, Texas, which owns and manages the new hotel.

The 168-room, nine-story hotel features apartment like kitchen suites, a resort style swimming pool and outdoor commons and a spacious open-plan ground floor with lobby and dining areas. Post-tension concrete construction was used for the building’s super-structure.

The hotel achieved 100% occupancy during its firm month of operation, setting a Hyatt record for the quickest ramp-up for a Hyatt House, according to Berry.

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