ORLANDO
Rosen Hotels & Resorts celebrated a milestone today as it announced plans to build a new skybridge connecting Rosen Plaza, its 800-room convention hotel, with the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC). The pedestrian skybridge will be named the Gary Sain Memorial Bridge, in honor of the previous Visit Orlando President & CEO who passed away in May 2012. Sain had led the region's main tourism-marketing agency since 2007, bringing about reorganization, a new vision and a name change to what had for years been called the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, or Orlando CVB.
Construction of the $1.5 million bridge will be entirely funded by Rosen Hotels & Resorts, completing the final link in connecting OCCC with adjacent International Drive hotels. Rosen Plaza's sister property, Rosen Centre, installed an aerial walkway for pedestrians in March 2011. The bridges are designed to provide meetings attendees with a safe, weather-proof and traffic-free "commute" from their guestroom to the convention center.
Rather than breaking ground for the aerial project, the plans for the skybridge were announced with a cake cutting ceremony attended by Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, current Visit Orlando President & CEO George Aguel, and Harris Rosen, President and COO, Rosen Hotels & Resorts. They, along with other Orlando tourism industry leaders, used shovels to "dig" into an oversized cake featuring a chocolate bridge connecting Rosen Plaza with the OCCC.
"I am honored to dedicate this project to my friend and colleague, Gary Sain," said Rosen. "It is entirely fitting that this pedestrian skybridge named in his honor will be used to benefit thousands of visitors to Orlando, a destination he worked tirelessly to build and strengthen during his time with us. Rest assured, Gary's legacy continues here today."
The new skybridge comes on the heels of other recent improvements at Rosen Plaza. In fall 2012, the hotel completed a floor-to-ceiling renovation of all 800 guest rooms.
