What’s Next for the Orlando Sun Resort Property
If you’ve driven down the West Highway 192 corridor in Kissimmee anytime over the last decade, you’ve seen it: the skeletal, graffiti-covered remains of the Orlando Sun Resort. Sitting at the northeast corner of I-4 and 192, right at the doorstep of Disney World and Celebration, it has lingered as a massive, 77-acre eyesore—a ghost of a tourism era that passed us by long ago. (See my article on What Happened to the Orlando Sun Resort)
©Ovation
But the wait for change is finally over. The demolition crews are moving in, the old Hyatt-turned-Sun-Resort is being leveled, and in its place, a billion-dollar vision called Ovation Orlando is rising. As a local who has watched this stretch of road struggle to find its identity for years, I find myself oscillating between relief and a very specific kind of hope.
For too long, Kissimmee has been the "budget" backyard of the theme parks, a place defined by broken signs, cheap Disney souvenir shops, and an oversaturation of smoke and vape shops. We’ve reached a breaking point where the landscape feels more like a gauntlet of tourist traps than a community. Ovation represents a chance to change that narrative—if the developers are willing to actually cater to those of us who live and work here, rather than just the "wanderers" coming in for Disney.
Catering to the tourist market would be mistake. The trend for Disney guests today is to stay on Disney property than on the 192 corridior. Guests are siting the conveneince of being close to the parks and onsite Disney perks, make staying at a Disney World hotel more attractive.
Not to mention that 192 in Kissimmee is generally viewed as a highly congested area with chain restaurants and abandoned hotels.
For Ovation to work long-term, it must cater to the community and not tourists. Otherwise it will be just another failed attempt to revitalize the failing Kissimmee tourism corridoor
The Death of a Landmark, The Birth of a Vision
The Orlando Sun Resort wasn't always a ruin. Back in the 1970s, it opened as the Hyatt Orlando Resort, a sprawling 900-room complex that served as a premier hub for the then-fledgling Disney tourism boom. But after closing its doors permanently in 2012, it became a playground for urban explorers and a source of constant headaches for Osceola County.
The news that Accesso Development and the Meyers Group finally closed on the property for $70 million is the best thing to happen to this intersection in years. They aren't just putting a fresh coat of paint on a dead building; they are wiping the slate clean. The master plan for Ovation is ambitious, aiming to create 670,000 square feet of "experiential" retail, dining, and entertainment.
When you look at the master plan hosted on the Ovation website, you see a layout that feels intentional. It’s divided into five distinct districts, each designed to offer a different "vibe" or function. The developers are talking about a $1 billion investment that includes not just shops, but 740 hotel rooms and condominiums, music venues, and "world-class" dining.
©Ovation
Breaking Down the Five Districts
The project is structured around five "zones," and as I dig into the details, I’m looking for signs that this won't just be another tourist conveyor belt.
The Celebration District: This is slated to be the central hub. It’s designed as a retail and dining district anchored by a "signature attraction" and open green spaces for pop-up events and live music. The name is a clear nod to my neighbors in Celebration, but I hope the "celebration" here is more about community gathering than selling plastic mouse ears.
The Water’s Edge: This zone focuses on a three-acre lake, with restaurants lining the shoreline. High-end waterfront dining is something this specific part of Kissimmee desperately lacks. Currently, if you want a nice meal with a view, you’re usually headed into Disney Springs or deeper into Orlando. Bringing that caliber of dining to the 192/I-4 interchange would be a massive win.
The Indulgence: This district is the "sophisticated" wing of the project. It will house upscale retail and services, anchored by a four-star, full-service signature hotel. This is where the project tries to separate itself from the "budget" stigma of the surrounding area.
The Street: Reminiscent of the energy of Times Square, this zone is meant to be the urban heart of Ovation. It’s all about bright lights, vibrant retail, and a "big city" atmosphere. While "Times Square" sounds like a tourist magnet, the density of retail and entertainment could provide the kind of walkability we lack in Osceola County.
The Beat: This is the nightlife concept. We’re talking late-night themed clubs, music venues, and "edgy" restaurants. For those of us who live in the area, our options for a "night out" are often limited to hotel bars or driving 20 minutes north. If "The Beat" can foster a legitimate local music scene, it could give Kissimmee a soul it hasn't had in decades.
Why Kissimmee Needs to Step Up Its Game
This brings me to my primary concern, and frankly, my plea to the developers. I love this area, but I am exhausted by what it has become.
Drive five minutes in either direction from the Ovation site, and you’ll lose count of how many "5 for $10" t-shirt shops you pass. You’ll see endless rows of smoke shops and vape lounges that seem to pop up in every vacant storefront. It’s a race to the bottom. It feels like Kissimmee has spent thirty years trying to figure out how to squeeze the last few dollars out of a tourist’s pocket rather than figuring out how to make the city a better place for its residents.
We have enough Disney souvenir shops. We have enough cheap buffets. What we don't have is a "third place"—a spot that isn't work and isn't home, where you can actually enjoy a high-quality meal, see a live band, or walk through a curated retail space without being bombarded by neon "OPEN" signs for discount luggage.
Kissimmee needs to step up its game. For too long, we’ve allowed our most valuable real estate—the land directly adjacent to the most successful theme park in the world—to be defined by blight and low-tier commercial interests. Ovation has the chance to be the "Disney Springs" of Kissimmee, but with a local heart. I want to see local restaurateurs getting a shot at these spaces, not another Olive Garden or Red Lobster. I want to see retail brands that I actually want to shop at on a Tuesday afternoon, not just brands that appeal to someone visiting from overseas for a week.
A Master Plan for the Future
The scale of Ovation is hard to wrap your head around until you see the site. 77 acres is massive. To put that in perspective, that’s roughly the size of a small theme park itself. The fact that the developers are planning to build this in one major phase (with some flexibility) shows a level of confidence in the market that we haven't seen since before the 2008 crash.
With groundbreaking scheduled for the first half of 2026 and an opening target of 2027, the clock is ticking. The demolition of the Orlando Sun Resort isn't just a construction milestone; it’s a symbolic cleansing of the area. It’s the removal of a hazardous, decaying reminder of failure.
But a billion-dollar price tag doesn't guarantee quality. We’ve seen plenty of "mixed-use" projects turn into glorified outdoor malls that lose their luster after two years. What will make Ovation a success isn't the number of hotel rooms or the square footage of the retail; it’s the curation.
If the developers at Accesso and Meyers Group look at the "75 million visitors" statistic (which they highlight on their website) and see only dollar signs, we’re going to get another run down tourist trap in 5 years. But if they look at the thousands of us who live in Celebration, Windermere, Winter Garden, and Kissimmee, the small business owners, the families—and build a place where we want to spend our weekends, then they’ll have something truly "unparalleled."
Ovation is a massive step in the right direction. It’s an acknowledgment that this land is valuable and that the old model of "cheap and disposable" tourism is dying. The demolition of the Orlando Sun Resort is the end of an era of neglect. Now, the pressure is on to ensure that the "Ovation" we’re all waiting for is actually worth the applause.
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The crumbling Orlando Sun Resort is finally meeting the wrecking ball to make way for Ovation, a billion-dollar entertainment district. But as a local, I’m looking past the glitz—will this be a community hub for us, or just another overpriced gauntlet of Disney souvenir shops?