Conde Nast Traveler ranks The Alfond Inn #7 Hotel in US
Conde Nast Traveler ranks The Alfond Inn #7 Hotel in US as Chef Marc Kusche debuts at NYC’s James Beard House
It was a monumental week for The Alfond Inn, the stylish boutique hotel in Winter Park. Condé Nast Traveler named the property the #7 hotel in the United States, the #1 hotel in Florida and #63 in the world in the 28th annual Readers’ Choice Awards. Two days later, Executive Chef Marc Kusche of Hamilton's Kitchen at The Alfond Inn made his debut at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City, where he prepared a multi-course menu for a sold-out crowd.
This is a tipping point for The Alfond Inn, which opened just two years ago and has quickly soared to the top of the Conde Nast Traveler’s readers’ favorite properties. Credit for the hotel’s success is due to its outstanding service and hospitality, but also to its unique philanthropic business model, emphasis on the arts and its inviting Winter Park location. The hotel is in the forefront of a lodging trend, as discerning hotel guests forsake cookie-cutter properties and seek out authentic experiences at distinctive, individually owned hotels like The Alfond Inn.
The Alfond Inn is owned by Rollins College, one of the country's most lauded liberal arts colleges, and managed by The Olympia Companies, an innovative privately-owned real estate company specializing in hotel investment, development and management. It was funded in part with a $12.5-million grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation, which stipulated that net operating income from The Alfond Inn would be directed to The Alfond Scholars program fund at Rollins College. It has successfully funded six four-year full ride scholarships to Rollins College in its first two years of operation.
“We are thrilled by this distinguished vote of confidence from the discerning and cosmopolitan readers of Condé Nast Traveler”, says Jesse Martinez, General Manager of The Alfond Inn. “This is a tribute to our entire team at the hotel, as well as our partners at Rollins College, Winter Park and greater Orlando community.”
Since the beginning, The Alfond Inn has established itself as a prestigious cultural venue for The Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art, an extension of the Cornell Fine Art Museum’s collection, with curated, rotating installations on display in the hotel’s public areas.
Hamilton’s Kitchen, The Alfond Inn’s restaurant under the direction of Executive Chef Marc Kusche, is a bright light in the dynamic restaurant scene in Winter Park and a popular dining destination for Greater Orlando. The hotel has become the hub for top-level CEO association meetings in the the area while weddings and fundraising events have become a specialized niche in Winter Park’s very social community.
The Alfond Inn earned the prestigious AAA Four Diamond status just eight months after opening. The architectural firm Baker Barrios of Orlando, among the most innovative commercial architecture and design firms in the Southeast, are responsible for the elegant interior design and landscaped gardens.
More than 128,000 readers cast their votes for more than 5,000 hotels in the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards, which are the longest-running and most prestigious recognition of excellence in the travel industry. They are commonly known as “the best of the best of travel.”
Under Editor-in-Chief Pilar Guzmán, the Readers’ Choice Awards have become more selective and specific to the passions that inspire today’s travelers. The Readers’ Choice Awards are announced in the November issue of Condé Nast Traveler, on newsstands nationwide on October 28, 2015. The full list is published exclusively online at www.CNTraveler.com
For reservations and information call 407-998-8090 or visit www.thealfondinn.com
