(Orlando, FL) NOVEMBER 16, 2017 – Tavistock Development Company, a diversified real estate firm owned by Tavistock Group, today announced details surrounding an iconic performance resort and spa at its master-planned Lake Nona community in Orlando, Fla. Arquitectonica, a leading Miami-based architecture firm, is designing the Lake Nona Resort, which is planned to break ground in 2018 with an opening date set for 2020.
Located along the southern shore of Lake Nona and just steps away from the new USTA National Campus – the world’s largest tennis campus with 100 courts – the eight-story Lake Nona Resort will feature cutting-edge design, top-tier amenities including 20,000 square feet of meeting space, a major fitness and spa campus, a 120,000-square-foot beach volleyball venue, one the nation’s largest manmade crystal clear lagoons bringing the beach to Central Florida, and 250 custom-designed guestrooms and 80 condominium units to optimize both performance and comfort.
“With Orlando now approaching 70 million annual visitors, it is a very competitive hotel market with many exceptional properties and operators,” said Tavistock Development Company President Jim Zboril. “Our focus is on sports and performance and we believe this is the first-of-its-kind performance-driven Resort created from scratch in the United States. With our proximity to the airport, this facility will not only serve the Lake Nona community and our growing Sports and Performance District but will provide a unique addition to the Central Florida region. Lake Nona has become synonymous with innovation and wellbeing, and the creation of this iconic Resort highlights our dedication to building a holistic performance environment for residents, businesses and visitors.”
“The new Lake Nona Resort creates a gateway that announces arrival to one of the dramatic man-made water bodies anywhere,” said Bernardo Fort-Brescia, principal of Arquitectonica. “Water and glass interact; they perform together to create an unexpected yet memorable form in the landscape of Orlando's Lake Nona. The crystal lagoon creates a new geography that deserves a strong architectural response. The building folds to create four facets that sinuously undulate in concert with the lagoon's organic edges. At its center, the building bridges over the lagoon forming a gateway into the long perspective of the lagoon as it fades into the horizon. The building skyline lowers at the roofline to create an open terrace overlooking the lake and the USTA tennis complex. It creates a delicate link between the two wings and frames the skies beyond.”
Inspired by Lake Nona’s forward-thinking mission statement, ‘To create the ideal place that inspires human potential through innovative collaboration,’ the Resort will offer the highest level of performance and healthy living in an exceptional resort setting, appealing to athletes, business travelers, weekend warriors and families seeking an escape with an abundance of healthy activity, rejuvenation and relaxation.
Situated within Lake Nona, the world’s most sophisticated wellness community as noted by the Global Wellness Institute, the hotel’s design and offerings are complementary with the community’s forward-thinking wellbeing initiatives. Every detail of the Resort is being designed around optimizing key tenets of performance, including nutrition and recovery.
Performance. To amplify one’s performance, the standard rooms are oversized by approximately 450- square feet to allow extra space for stretching and fitness equipment, television content and onsite programming and classes will be designed around performance and wellbeing, quick-turn laundry will be available for those athletes who demand immediate service, and there will be a kids’ area designed with healthy activities. In addition to the fitness and spa campus, the Resort will feature a 24-hour Technogym-equipped fitness facility and trails throughout the community will be outfitted with Technogym training stations.
Nutrition. To encourage optimal health and nutrition, an onsite nutritionist will be available for all guests. Customized menus will offer pre- and post-workout recommendations across the Resort’s food and beverage services, which will also include juice bars and sports drink stations. An onsite garden will provide the Resort’s chefs local produce.
Recovery. An essential element of health is prescribed rest to allow the body to recover. Resort rooms will feature oversized beds with specialized fitness-designed mattresses, black-out shades and circadian lighting features, recovery-focused locker rooms and amenities that rejuvenate from music and aromatherapy to the world-class spa.
A natural addition to Lake Nona’s growing roster of investments that raise the bar on human performance and wellbeing, the Resort joins recent community anchors including the USTA National Campus, KPMG’s $400-million training and innovation center, as well as Johnson & Johnson’s Human Performance Institute and longitudinal community health and wellbeing study, the Lake Nona Life Project.
“With the Lake Nona Resort, our players and visitors will have unparalleled amenities tailored to amplify their performance and overall experience at the USTA National Campus, from onsite nutritional support and equipment storage to watching streamed matches on their in-room TV,” said Gordon Smith, USTA Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer.
The crystal clear lagoon, designed with Miami-based Crystal Lagoons US Corp, will encompass more than 15 acres (with the potential to expand to more than 20 acres) and will be lined with sandy beaches. The lagoon will be accessible by Resort guests, as well as members from within the Lake Nona Golf & Country Club. Nearly sold out, the top-ranked Club will expand the private residential golf club community along the southern shore of Lake Nona and the new crystal lagoon. Expansion plans include luxurious condominiums, single-family residences and a beach club with access to the lagoon.
"Our partnership with Tavistock Development Company is based on a collective vision to create an environment fostering innovation, sustainability, wellbeing and an active lifestyle which our crystal clear lagoon will provide, further enhancing Lake Nona's reputation as a world-class development," said Kevin P. Morgan, Executive Vice President of Crystal Lagoons, US Corp.
Additionally, the Resort campus will be home to an expansive rooftop lounge and 20,000 square feet in meeting space, including an expansive ballroom designed to accommodate large groups, business meetings, weddings and other functions. Several restaurant options will be available to guests including both sit-down and on-the-go options. In additional to traditional dining experiences, performance-focused food and beverage options will also be available, including menus specifically designed by leading nutritionists to complement the needs of athletes both pre- and post-workout. The Resort is expected to welcome 100,000+ visitors annually.
