Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resorts Selects Winter Park Construction For $16.6 Million Refurbishment

Published November 25, 2009

Winter Park Construction (WPC), one of Central Florida’s largest and most respected general contractors has recently been selected to direct a $16.6 million refurbishment at the 1,450-acre, Kissimmee-based Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort as well as two of their other Holiday Inn Club Vacations resorts in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The yearlong project will include the total interior renovation and upgrade of 224 two-bedroom golf villas and the soft-goods renovation of 408 one, two- and three-bedroom units at the popular vacation ownership properties.

The timeshare developer Orange Lake Resorts, with more than 25 years in the industry, recently became Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort as a result of their recent marketing alliance with IHG (Intercontinental Hotels Group), creating the Holiday Inn Club Vacations timeshare brand. The two companies share a common heritage, customer profile and vision for growth, with Kemmons Wilson having founded IHG’s Holiday Inn hotel chain in 1952 and creating Orange Lake Resort in 1982.

In announcing the new contract, Jeff Forrest, President of Winter Park Construction, (WPC) added that Charlie Cecil has been named to direct the Holliday Inn Club Vacations project. A 25-year veteran in the construction industry and 14 years with Winter Park Construction, Cecil is Manager of the company’s Renovation/ Special Projects Division.

The new assignment will be completed in three phases, beginning in January 2010 and finalized in December. During the renovation project, Winter Park Construction will remove all furnishings, complete interior paint and millwork detail, replace carpeting and ceramic flooring, add new granite countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms and install plumbing and lighting fixtures, all new soft-goods, case-goods, window treatments, artwork and accessories.

Added Forrest, “We are proud of Winter Park Construction’s 29-year relationship with Orange Lake Resort, having built virtually built every structure on this property. In 2009, we launched our Renovations/Special Projects Division that specializes in multi-unit renovations and are currently completing a 108-unit soft-goods renovation at Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort.”

Commented Tammy Oliver, Sr. Director – Warehouse Services for Orange Lake, “I look forward to working with Winter Park Construction in the coming year. They are unsurpassed in their experience within our industry and truly understand what it takes to create a home-away-from-home for our owners and guests. Holiday Inn Club Vacations is growing at a rapid pace, and as we expand outside of Central Florida, it’s like having an extended family growing with us.”

Added Forrest, “While this will be a construction challenge, we will be working closely with the Project Management Team to ensure that there is no inconvenience to guests during peak occupancy times.”

Founded in 1974, Winter Park Construction specializes in the hospitality, commercial, multi-family, student housing, and senior living markets.  WPC has completed projects all over the Southeast United States, Las Vegas, and Cancun, Mexico.

The Orlando Business Journal has ranked Winter Park Construction one of Central Florida’s largest local construction/general contractor companies. Engineering News-Record Magazine also lists them as one of the nation’s Top 400 Contractors. With revenues exceeding $200 million, Winter Park Construction has completed over one billion square feet of construction work including over 10,000 timeshare units and 30,000 units in the multi-family sectors. Over 40% of the operations staff with management responsibilities are LEED accredited.

In announcing the new assignment, Forrest added, “More than 80% of our work is repeat business; we are honored to once again be assisting Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort and its member resorts with their construction needs. Our continuing goal is to provide a construction experience that exceeds our clients’ expectations.” For more information, visit www.wpc.com.

About Holiday Inn Club Vacations
Holiday Inn Club Vacations was created in September 2008 as a strategic alliance between IHG, the world’s largest hotel company, and Orange Lake Resorts, a leader within the timeshare industry with more than 25 years of proven success.  Holiday Inn Club Vacation’s flagship property in Orlando, located next to Walt Disney World_® Resort, was established in 1982 by Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson.  A 1,450-acre golf, water park and sports resort, Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort includes 2,478 villas and plans for expansion to 4,500 villas.  Other member resort locations include Lake Geneva, Wis., Panama City, Fla. Brownsville, Vt., Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Gatlinburg, Tenn.  Holiday Inn Club members enjoy access to Holiday Inn Club Vacations resorts and IHG’s network of more than 4,200 hotels worldwide. Holiday Inn Club Vacations will continue to expand their Member Resorts to top North American destination locations.  For more information on Holiday Inn Club Vacations, visit www.hiclubvacations.com.