One major company is helping to create more Orlando hotel jobs.
Walt Disney World recently announced its plans to open the Art of Animation Resort in 2012, a move that will create up to 800 new construction jobs, as well as many positions in the hospitality industry. The resort also will bring in some much-needed revenue for nearby tourist-dependent businesses.
The 1,984-room resort is the first new resort Disney has moved forward with in about seven years. Many business and tourism advocates in the are see the effort as a sign that the Orlando area may be making an economic recovery.
"That bodes well for the destination," Brian Martin, spokesman for the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau, told Sunshine State News. "As Disney goes, so goes the destination."
The Art of Animation Resort will be included in Disney's value resort line, which is marketed to families on a budget. Based on many of Disney's popular animated movies, the hotel will have 1,120 family suites themed after "Cars," "Finding Nemo," and "The Lion King," as well as 864 rooms themed after "The Little Mermaid."
The resort is the largest new value resort in the Orlando area, where most companies are simply renovating existing properties instead of building new ones. Local experts hope the effort could persuade other companies to look at new projects in order to compete with Disney.
Another plus - the new Disney resort should bring more business to nearby restaurants, shops and retailers that have suffered during the economic downturn, and could in turn cause more small businesses to consider locating in Orlando.
Check out this recruiting video for Disney:
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