Wyld Oaks, a 215-acre mixed-use destination in Apopka, Florida, broke ground in 2024. Situated near northwest Orlando, the project seeks to capitalize on the city’s rapid growth in recent years. Led by Founder Joseph Beninati, newly appointed Chief Operating Officer Taylor Edwards, and co-creator partnerships with AdventHealth, Hathaway Development backed by the Carlyle Group, and Wyld Provisions, the project will include two hotels, a full-service emergency room, and approximately 300,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. Wyld Oaks will also include an estimated 4,000 residential units and Wyld Green, an outdoor entertainment venue, highlighting the diverse range of offerings characteristic of mixed-use destinations. Edwards recently spoke with LODGING and detailed Wyld Oaks’ growth thus far and the advantages of mixed-use developments.
With the site’s plans for two hotels, Wyld Oaks targets two different guest profiles. Edwards noted that one is intended for “a select-service or extended-stay flag” and would serve business and medical travelers, while the team would like the other to be more boutique and lifestyle-driven. The latter hotel, Edwards explained, would align more closely with Wyld Oaks’ nature-forward brand identity. He also emphasized that the hotels are designed to complement the other offerings. “The main thing for us is that the hotels aren’t necessarily the destination, but they’ll give people an opportunity to stay overnight and spend across the rest of the project site,” Edwards said, calling the hotels more of a “connective layer” and stating that the other retail uses will bring in traffic that will be “synergistic” to the hotel’s demand as well.
Regarding the planning process with both hotels, Edwards explained that the site is demonstrating demand for an extended-stay property, especially with construction already underway. Whereas this offering is “ready to move,” the boutique hotel is a few years away, as Edwards said they have to further develop Wyld Oaks before the time is right. “It’s just demand driven,” he said. “From what we can tell, there is demand for somewhere to stay, whether it’s construction workers or others in the area. But there’s a lot of activity. There’s no place for them to go currently.”
With other outlets, like the AdVent Health village and Wyld Green, serving as strong overnight demand drivers, each piece of the project is poised to benefit from its neighbors. Edwards outlined how the hotels will be set up for success as well. “The hotels will sit right there inside of our walkable grid to capture that demand and then either feed those guests back into our restaurants and events, or if the hotels have restaurants or amenitized ground floors, that would also contribute to the overall success,” he said.
Mixed-use developments have become increasingly popular for hotels, and from a developer’s perspective, the combination of offerings helps address a key problem properties have faced for years. Edwards detailed how the various uses boost weekday traffic, which can be a vulnerability for hotels. “We think that our mix of uses should help smooth out the classic hotel problem of weekday versus weekend demand,” he explained, noting that office tenants and medical travelers will increase performance during the week while weekends will see the arrival of more guests and family stays. Additionally, Wyld Green will draw regional visitors, so diversified demand will be a boon. “Instead of just leaning on one of those demand drivers, the hotels should have several that offset each other, and that steady daytime traffic also supports the food and beverage and the meeting spaces,” Edwards added.
For operators, mixed-use developments are also advantageous because they typically have less risk than standalone hotels. Edwards reiterated that the latter “live and die” by outside demand, while mixed-used developments have drivers already in place. “Our mixed-use development has embedded demand from the residents, office tenants, and medical visitors plus entertainment traffic, and that’s all before a single outside guest arrives,” he said. “On top of that, we’re delivering the roads and utilities and the fiber network across the whole site. So, the hotel site arrives essentially pad-ready [fully prepared for construction], which changes the capital math for the operators.”
As Wyld Oaks takes shape, its mix of residential, medical, retail, entertainment, and hospitality offerings is designed to create diverse and consistent demand that provides a key advantage for hotels while strengthening the project as a whole.