The city of Winter Park, in particular Park Avenue and its genteel, brick-lined radii, has long been a favorite of locals and visitors, a charming and organically grown Main Street-style oasis amid the big box-anchored suburban sprawl common to so many American landscapes. Stores run end-to-end to the ardent window-shoppers' delight, alluring aromas emanate from its bistros and the green space of Central Park tempts with its cooling shade and gurgling fountains.
Guests at the Alfond Inn can take full advantage of Winter Park's notable nightlife with no need for a car — Photo courtesy of www.thealfondinn.com
Charmed? You’re not alone. Many leisure travelers choose Winter Park as their Orlando home base, staying here and commuting for visits with Mickey and Shamu. And now they’ll have a new boutique property to call home base. The 112-room Alfond Inn at Rollins College, set to open on August 18, looks to become a chic new social hub for the city with a glittering elevated pool, lush landscaping, well-appointed rooms and architecture inspired by the beautiful Spanish Mediterranean style for which Rollins College has long been known. Interesting related note: the Alfond Inn’s business model also incorporates philanthropy. The property’s proceeds will provide financial aid and full scholarships for high-achieving students at Rollins, where tuition runs about $40,000 per year.
Rollins College has been a fixture in Winter Park since 1885 — Photo courtesy of www.thealfondinn.com
A prime location puts it in easy walking distance from all the shopping, dining and nightlife of Park Avenue, as well as the college itself, along with cultural attractions like the Alvin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art.
Rooms run from Classic Kings on up to the Presidential Suite, and the hotel is pet-friendly, as well — Photo courtesy of www.thealfondinn.com
In addition, the Alfond Inn hopes to create its own dining fixture with Hamilton’s Kitchen, a restaurant and lounge overseen by Executive Chef J. Christopher Windus, formerly of Todd English’s Bluezoo at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel. The Alfond's meeting – and wedding – spaces will no doubt tempt event planners and their clients lured by Winter Park’s well-deserved rep for sophistication.
