Rosen Hotels & Resorts celebrate the opening of the Gary Sain Memorial Skybridge, which connects the Rosen Plaza to the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) West Building, with a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony Sept. 19 at the hotel. Completing the fourth and final link, the new skybridge connects the OCCC with adjacent International Drive hotels.
“It is with great honor and respect that we dedicate this skybridge to my friend and colleague Gary Sain,” said Rosen. “Gary worked tirelessly to build and strengthen this destination during his time with us. Rest assured, Gary’s legacy continues here today.”
Construction of the $2.5 million skybridge was funded entirely by Rosen Hotels & Resorts. Coming in well under its $3.2 million budget, the 745-foot connector was built in three months on Sept. 6. It will provide a safe, weather-proof and traffic-free “commute” for attendees from their Rosen Plaza guestrooms to the convention center.
“We’re excited to now offer this pedestrian skybridge from our hotel to the convention center for our meetings guests,” said Victoria Hall, director of sales & marketing, Rosen Plaza. “This is an incredible new benefit to meeting planners and important milestone in the Orlando meetings community now that all four major convention hotels are connected to the convention campus.”
Opening the new skybridge comes on the heels of other recent improvements at Rosen Plaza. In the past year, the hotel completed a recent floor-to-ceiling renovation of all 800 guest rooms. Carpet in all guestrooms, suites and hallways was replaced with the latest in eco-friendly technology.
Celebrating 30 years of success, the Orange County Convention Center is the second largest convention facility in America. Each year, the OCCC attracts more than 200 events to the Central Florida area. As a result, roughly 1.4 million attendees contribute approximately $2.1 billion to the area’s economy each year.
