Marriott plans £380m Florida resort

Marriott is to open a vast "Vegas-style", $600m (£380.4m) resort in Orlando, Florida, in July.

The Grande Lakes Orlando resort is the biggest non-gaming vacation project under construction in the USA, and will feature a 584-bedroom Ritz-Carlton hotel, a 1,000-bedroom JW Marriott (Marriott's luxury brand), 40,000sq ft spa, 18-hole golf and 105,000sq ft of meeting space. The site is set in 500 acres of landscaped grounds and will employ 2,000.

It will be the first time Marriott has opened a Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott side by side, but Bruce Seigel, director of marketing for the resort, is confident the two brands will not conflict.

"Each hotel is aimed at a different customer base and will offer a unique guest experience," he said. "Orlando is underserviced for the luxury market, and even in the current climate we are confident the demand is there."

Room prices at the JW Marriott will start at $159 (£101) and at $189 (£120) at the Ritz Carlton, well above the area average of around $90 (£57).

Occupancy for the resort's first year is predicted to be 68-70%.