A boutique luxury Kimpton Hotel is headed to downtown Orlando’s mixed-use sports and entertainment district across from the Kia Center.

The Wednesday morning announcement from the co-developers of the Westcourt project, JMA Ventures and Machete Group,  marks a significant milestone in the development of the much-anticipated district surrounding the home of the Orlando Magic, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.

The Kimpton Orlando, an IHG Hotels & Resorts property, will occupy the first 11 floors of a 27-story mixed-use tower. It will mark the brand’s entry into the Orlando market and its seventh location in Florida.

The development team will break ground by the end of the year on the estimated $500 million arena district that will transform the property once home to the city’s police headquarters and Orlando Union Mission. The Orlando City Council voted earlier this year to approve an incentive package that includes $2.5 million to fund the construction of meeting space and $40 million in property tax abatements over about a decade.

The Westcourt District is primarily owned by The Machete Group and JMA Ventures, with the DeVos family, who own the Orlando Magic, as minority partners, holding a 20% stake. The team has relocated its corporate offices from Maitland to downtown Orlando and opened a new $70 million practice facility just north of the Westcourt site.

Slated to open in early 2027, the 261-room Kimpton Orlando hotel will feature over 16,000 square feet of indoor meeting space, a full-service restaurant and lobby bar, a cafe, and pool bar and pool lounge. As with all Kimpton hotels, the property will also feature perks such as morning coffee and tea service, a social hour every evening, in-room yoga mats, and pet-friendly policies.

“We join Westcourt on a journey to provide guests with a one-of-a-kind boutique respite, which will open the door to an array of new and expansive experiences for travelers and locals to enjoy within the heartbeat of the city,” said Leanne Harwood, SVP, Managing Director for Luxury & Lifestyle Americas at IHG Hotels & Resorts.

Situated on an 8-acre site bounded by Church Street to the south, Division Avenue to the west, Central Boulevard to the north, and Hughey Avenue to the east, Westcourt will integrate 265 multifamily rental units atop the hotel — including five penthouse units. The rest of the unit count breaks down as 119 studios, 90 one-bedroom units and 59 two-bedroom units. Residents will have their own amenity center and rooftop pool on the 27th floor of the tower.

Harwood said residential units would open about three months after the hotel. This is one of several Kimpton hotels that are part of mixed-use towers with residential components, including properties in Sacramento, Nashville and Miami.

The project will also feature up to 300,000 square feet of office space and a 120,000-square-foot retail offering. The Orlando Magic will move their headquarters to the new office building, which will feature a full amenity level on the top floor with a glass-enclosed, regulation-sized basketball court, fitness center, locker rooms, yoga lawn, game room and lounge.

Additionally, there will be a 3,500-capacity live event venue, multiple meeting spaces, and a 1,140-space parking garage and an outdoor plaza space spanning 1.5 acres.

Future phases will include two more residential towers in the northeast and northwest corners of the site, bookending the parking garage. Those towers would raise the total development size of Westcourt to over 2 million square feet and the number of residential units to 781.

The new Kimpton Orlando will become the seventh Kimpton in Florida. IHG has transformed its luxury and lifestyle portfolio in recent years to become one of the largest in the hospitality industry.

Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at lkinsler@GrowthSpotter.com or (407) 420-6261. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook and LinkedIn.