Orlando Hotel Market 2026: Occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, Sales, Epic Universe and TDT
The Hotelier Times · Southeast Desk
Visit Orlando counted 76.7 million visitors and 71.4% occupancy at a $202.71 ADR across 132,685 rooms in 2025. Universal Epic Universe opened May 22, 2025 (Comcast).
Last updated: October 30, 2026 · The Hotelier Times · Southeast Desk
Orlando’s hotel market in 2026: the destination Visit Orlando counted at 76.7 million visitors and 132,685 rooms in 2025 is absorbing Universal Epic Universe’s first full seasons, filling the Orange County Convention Center at record fiscal-year attendance, and still clearing some of the year’s largest U.S. resort trades. This page tracks Visit Orlando and STR performance, Orange County Tourist Development Tax, OCCC demand, Epic Universe and International Drive supply, 2025–2026 sales with price per key where disclosed, the Civitas Capital $386 million construction loan for the 700-key InterContinental Orlando, CMBS distress, and local tax and short-term rental rules. For statewide Florida context see our Florida hotel market 2026 page.
Last updated: October 30, 2026 · Refresh as Visit Orlando, Orange County Comptroller TDT, STR/GMCVB comps and transaction disclosures land. Byline: Nathan Snyder, Editor.
2026 performance at a glance
Visit Orlando’s 2025 year-end baseline was national-scale leisure: 132,685 hotel rooms, 71.4% average occupancy, $202.71 ADR, 34.5 million room nights and 76,663,200 visitors (70.3M domestic / 6.34M international). Implied RevPAR from those published absolute figures is about $144.74 (0.714 × $202.71) — Visit Orlando does not publish RevPAR on that page, so treat that as our math (Visit Orlando Data and Trends).
Through August 2026, STR data published by the Greater Miami CVB put Orlando at 73.2% occupancy (+0.7%), $211.23 ADR (+3.3%) and $154.65 RevPAR (+4.1%) (GMCVB Sept. 2026 PDF). That is solid rate-led growth, but well below the rate-led Miami-Dade and Palm Beach gains tracked on the Florida statewide page.
Orange County’s monthly Visit Orlando series via the Comptroller shows a summer split: July 2026 occupancy 74.1% (+1.5%), ADR $198.25 (−0.2%), with TDT collections a July record $31.47M (+6.4%). August 2026 actuals cooled: occupancy 62.4% (−5.8%), ADR $174.95 (−3.2%), room demand about −5.7%, TDT $24.83M (−3.2%) (July TDT PDF; August TDT PDF). Separately, Visit Orlando’s July commentary said combined hotel room demand for Aug–Oct was pacing ~3% ahead of the prior year — that is a forward booking pace, not the same thing as August’s realized −5.7% demand month. Label each by its period.
The past 28 days ending Sept. 12, 2026 (STR (Greater Miami CVB regional table)) put Orlando at 57.3% occupancy (−2.6%), $165.99 ADR (+1.2%) and $95.05 RevPAR (−1.5%) — a soft late-summer snapshot, not a full-year 2026 read.
Supply and pipeline
Year-end 2025 inventory stood at 132,685 rooms (Visit Orlando). Lodging Econometrics’ Orlando early-planning count jumped from 54 projects / 5,474 rooms at Q2 2026 close to 51 projects / 12,253 rooms at Q3 2026 close — label the quarter; do not average those room counts. Orlando was not in LE’s top-five total-pipeline metros at Q3 (LE Q3 2026; LE Q2 2026).
| Project | Keys | Status | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universal Stella Nova Resort (Loews / Universal) | 750 | Open | Opened Jan. 21, 2025 (secondary timelines) |
| Universal Terra Luna Resort | 750 | Open | Opened Mar. 25, 2025 (secondary) |
| Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel | 500 | Open | Opened ahead of Epic Universe (May 22, 2025 park open — Universal; Comcast) |
| Hotel Beauden, Autograph Collection (ex–Grand Bohemian Orlando) | Downtown | Rebrand live | Effective Sept. 1, 2026; owner Xenia; managed by Davidson Pivot |
| InterContinental Orlando @ 8001 International Drive | 700 | Site work underway | Vertical Q1 2027; complete Q3 2029; Civitas $386M senior construction loan (Flag Luxury Group + Unicorp; GC FINFROCK; advisor JLL) |
| OCCC Grand Concourse Expansion | +44,000 sf meeting + 100,000 sf ballroom | Under construction | Began early 2026; $560M investment |
Civitas Capital Group’s Oct. 2026 senior construction loan for the 700-key InterContinental Orlando is the clearest large I-Drive capital print this year: ~105,000 sf meeting/pre-function, vertical Q1 2027, completion Q3 2029 (Civitas; PR Newswire). Civitas offering materials also cite an HVS appraised stabilized value and LTV — present those as Civitas materials, not as a Hotelier Times valuation.
Tourist Development Tax and local rules
Orange County’s Tourist Development Tax is 6% of lodging consideration for stays of six months or less (current rate since Sept. 1, 2006), self-administered by the Orange County Comptroller (Comptroller FAQ; OCFL TDT). FY2025 annual collections were a record $384.6 million. FY2026 through July reached $356.7 million (+8.6%). Guests also pay applicable Florida sales tax on transient rentals; any “~12.5% total” guest-tax stack from secondary explainers is not locked here as a primary figure.
Osceola County (Kissimmee / Celebration assets) also levies a 6% TDT per the EDR 2026 table — do not blend Osceola dollars into Orange Comptroller totals.
City of Orlando home-sharing rules (effective July 1, 2018) require an owner/resident on-site, one booking at a time, and registration; whole-home short stays fall under Commercial Dwelling Unit rules (City of Orlando). Florida’s minimum wage is $15.00/hour effective Sept. 30, 2026 through Dec. 31, 2027 (FloridaJobs). No Orlando- or Orange County–specific hotel licensing / Safe Hotels–style ordinance was verified for this page.
Notable 2025–2026 Orlando-metro hotel sales
Price per key only where both price and keys were publicly attributed.
| Date | Hotel | Keys | Price | Per key | Buyer / seller |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 1, 2026 | Grande Lakes Orlando (JW Marriott 1,010 + Ritz-Carlton 582) | 1,592 | ~$1.38B | ~$866,834 | Ryman Hospitality Properties from Trinity Investments / GLO Hotel Owner LLC (Ryman PR) |
| Feb 18, 2026 | Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World (sold with Four Seasons Jackson Hole) | Orlando 444 (Host) + Jackson Hole 125 = 569 | Host: $1.1B for both resorts. Orange County deed for Orlando real estate: $438M (GrowthSpotter). Orlando-only enterprise price: not disclosed by Host — unresolved | Combined on Host $1.1B: ~$1.93M. Deed-only Orlando: ~$987k (444 keys) — label deed vs enterprise | Seller Host Hotels & Resorts; buyer BDT & MSD Partners (Host PR; GrowthSpotter deed) |
| Oct 27, 2026 | Delta Hotels Orlando Celebration, Kissimmee | 718 | Not disclosed | — | Accesso Partners from Tishman / KCP Celebration; Aimbridge to manage; Delta franchise through 2042; broker Hodges Ward Elliott (GrowthSpotter) |
Grande Lakes (~$1.38B / ~$867k per key) is the cleanest large Orlando-priced trade for the key-numbers table. Host’s Four Seasons deal is a two-asset $1.1B sale — never publish an Orlando-only enterprise per-key as if Host disclosed one. Secondary CoStar attributions that split ~$750M to Orlando alone are omitted.
Hotels for sale (broker-verified asks)
Every ask below was checked on a broker page on Oct. 30, 2026. Re-verify before publish. The Hotelier Times hotels-for-sale roundups are not a source for these figures.
| Hotel | Keys | Asking price | Per key (math) | Broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everhome Suites International Drive | 109 | $23,000,000 | $211,009 | Marcus & Millichap |
| Baymont by Wyndham I-Drive | 130 | $13,000,000 | $100,000 | Marcus & Millichap |
| La Quinta Inn & Suites UCF Orlando | 130 | $14,750,000 | $113,462 | Kabani Hotel Group |
| Best Western Plus Orlando East – UCF Area | 70 | $9,500,000 | $135,714 | Guidance Hotel Group |
I-Drive development-site asks reported elsewhere ($5M / 200 keys and $50M / 1,400 keys) were not confirmed on a broker page for this merge and are omitted. If those asks later verify, correct per-key math is $25,000 (5,000,000 ÷ 200) and about $35,714 (50,000,000 ÷ 1,400) — not $225k / $200k.
CMBS distress
- DoubleTree Orlando, 60 South Ivanhoe Blvd (342 keys) — transferred to special servicing Sept. 4, 2026 for “imminent default,” ~$22.7M balance, maturity Sept. 6, 2027 (UBS 2017-C4). Present as loan-level CMBS status, not as a foreclosure (cmbs.news). Do not conflate with DoubleTree Orlando at SeaWorld.
What’s driving Orlando
- Epic Universe is a multi-year overlay. Universal’s park opened May 22, 2025 (Comcast / Universal). Opening-weekend metro occupancy was soft (CoStar via Bloomberg: 57.2% on May 22, −7.4% YoY); for 2026 ownership reads, prefer TDT and Visit Orlando monthly series over that single weekend.
- OCCC fiscal 2025–26 was a record. 185 events, 2.3M attendees, $5B economic impact; Grand Concourse expansion ($560M) under way (OCCC). Visit Orlando calendar 2025: 187 events / 2.05M attendees.
- TDT keeps setting collection records even as individual months (August 2026) can soften.
- World Cup diversion is attributed, not proven. Orlando was not a host city; Visit Orlando cited possible FIFA demand shifts while June OCCC citywide attendance rose 19%.
- MCO handled 57.7 million passengers in 2025 (Visit Orlando).
Key sources
- Visit Orlando, Data and Trends
- Visit Orlando, Industry Insights Forum
- Orange County Comptroller, July 2026 TDT PDF
- Orange County Comptroller, August 2026 TDT PDF
- Orange County Comptroller, TDT FAQ
- GMCVB Sept. 2026 (STR Orlando)
- Universal, Epic Universe opens May 22, 2025
- Comcast, Epic Universe open
- Civitas, $386M InterContinental Orlando
- Ryman, Grande Lakes close
- Host, Four Seasons Orlando + Jackson Hole
- cmbs.news, DoubleTree Orlando (Ivanhoe)
- Lodging Econometrics Q3 2026
- Hotelier Times, Florida hotel market 2026
What’s next for Orlando hotels
- Epic Universe is a multi-year demand overlay, not a one-weekend spike. Universal’s Epic Universe theme park opened May 22, 2025, expanding the destination’s on-property and International Drive competitive set as Visit Orlando counted 76.7 million visitors and 132,685 hotel rooms in 2025 (Visit Orlando Data and Trends). STR data published by the Greater Miami CVB put Orlando at 73.2% occupancy, $211.23 ADR and $154.65 RevPAR for January–August 2026 (GMCVB Sept. 2026 PDF).
- Orange County’s 6% Tourist Development Tax keeps setting collection records. The county’s TDT is 6% of lodging consideration for stays of six months or less (Orange County Comptroller FAQ; OCFL TDT). July 2026 collections were $31.47M (+6.4% YoY), and FY2026 through July reached $356.7M (+8.6%), after a record $384.6M in FY2025 (July 2026 TDT PDF).
- Large I-Drive luxury capital is still clearing. Civitas Capital Group provided a $386 million senior construction loan for the 700-key InterContinental Orlando at 8001 International Drive, with vertical construction targeted for Q1 2027 and completion in Q3 2029 (Civitas; PR Newswire). Analysis: That financing shows select large Orlando projects can still raise construction debt even as LE’s total-pipeline ranking favors other Sun Belt metros.
- Labor floor rises statewide while local hotel licensing stays light. Florida’s minimum wage is $15.00/hour effective Sept. 30, 2026 through Dec. 31, 2027, then inflation-indexed from Jan. 1, 2028 (FloridaJobs). No Orlando- or Orange County–specific hotel licensing / Safe Hotels–style ordinance was verified in the Oct. 30 market packet — do not invent one.
- CMBS stress is asset-specific, not a market-wide verdict. The DoubleTree Orlando at 60 South Ivanhoe Blvd (342 keys) transferred to special servicing on Sept. 4, 2026 for “imminent default,” with a ~$22.7M balance and maturity Sept. 6, 2027 (UBS 2017-C4) per CMBS reporting (cmbs.news). Present as loan-level status, not as a foreclosure, unless a later filing says so.
- World Cup diverted some demand; Orlando was not a host city. Visit Orlando attributed softer June Orange County hotel occupancy in part to possible FIFA World Cup demand shifts while OCCC citywide attendance rose 19% that month — present the Cup link as Visit Orlando’s attributed hypothesis, not proven causation (Visit Orlando Insights Forum). Vrbo’s Reserve Now, Pay Later ($0 due at booking for eligible homes) adds another leisure-competitive channel for family groups (Expedia IR).
Future section sources: GMCVB Sept. 2026 · Orange County Comptroller TDT FAQ · July 2026 TDT PDF · Civitas / PR Newswire InterContinental loan · FloridaJobs minimum wage · cmbs.news DoubleTree Ivanhoe · Visit Orlando Insights Forum · Expedia Fall 2026 Product Release.
Orlando hotel market FAQ
How is the Orlando hotel market doing in 2026?
Through August 2026, STR data published by the Greater Miami CVB put Orlando at 73.2% occupancy (+0.7%), $211.23 ADR (+3.3%) and $154.65 RevPAR (+4.1%). Visit Orlando’s 2025 year-end baseline was 71.4% occupancy, $202.71 ADR and 34.5 million room nights across 132,685 rooms. Orange County TDT collections through July 2026 were $356.7 million, up 8.6% year over year.
What is Orange County’s hotel / tourist tax?
Orange County’s Tourist Development Tax is 6% on lodging stays of six months or less, self-administered by the Orange County Comptroller (rate current since Sept. 1, 2006). Guests also pay applicable Florida sales tax on transient rentals.
How did Epic Universe affect hotels?
Universal Epic Universe opened May 22, 2025 (Comcast / Universal). CoStar analysis reported soft opening-weekend metro occupancy (57.2% on opening day, −7.4% YoY). For 2026 ownership reads, Visit Orlando monthly metrics and Orange County TDT collections are the cleaner public series than that single weekend.
What was the largest Orlando hotel sale of 2026?
Ryman Hospitality Properties closed Grande Lakes Orlando (JW Marriott + Ritz-Carlton, 1,592 keys) for about $1.38 billion on Sept. 1, 2026 — roughly $867,000 per key. Host’s February $1.1 billion Four Seasons sale bundled Orlando with Jackson Hole, so there is no Host-disclosed Orlando-only enterprise price; the Orange County deed shows $438M for Orlando real estate only.
What is the Civitas InterContinental Orlando loan?
Civitas Capital Group provided a $386 million senior construction loan for a 700-key InterContinental at 8001 International Drive (Flag Luxury Group and Unicorp). Site work is underway; vertical construction is expected in Q1 2027 and completion in Q3 2029 (Civitas / PR Newswire, Oct. 2026).
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