One of the world’s leading leisure travel companies has announced a plan to move its headquarters downtown.
Travel + Leisure Co., once known as Wyndham Destinations, will relocate more than 900 employees into its new office at the northwest corner of the intersection of Church Street and Division Avenue, near the Kia Center.
The goal is to attract talent downtown and retain it once it’s here.
“Having prominent headquarters in our region serves as an economic catalyst, attracting a pool of skilled professionals and fostering a vibrant job market,” said Tim Giuliani, president and CEO of the Orlando Economic Partnership.
The economic impact will be felt far beyond Church Street, he said.
“It stimulates local businesses, creates a robust ecosystem of innovation, and contributes significantly to the overall economic prosperity of our region,” Giuliani said in a press release.
Travel + Leisure Co. has been recognized as a top membership and leisure travel company. The company employs about 900 right now and leaders expect to add another 100 jobs within the next five years.
The company will invest $29 million into improvements as part of the move.
Another publicly traded company downtown
Travel + Leisure Co., one of Orlando’s largest publicly traded companies, first moved its headquarters to Orlando in 2018.
“This move is more than just a relocation; it’s a move that showcases the power of urban centers to drive economic growth and progress,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said in the press release. “We look forward to welcoming Travel + Leisure to downtown Orlando and are excited about how they will add to the vibrant energy of the area, grow jobs and opportunity for our residents and contribute to the continued success of our urban core.”
The entire deal was a collaboration with City of Orlando, the Orlando Economic Partnership, FloridaCommerce, the Orlando Utilities Commission, Global Commercial Real Estate Services, Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Stream Realty Partners and Newmark Group Inc.
The lease at Travel + Leisure’s current office building on Sea Harbor Drive expires in 2025, which prompted the exploration of new options, including a downtown Orlando office building.
Among the top headquarters based in the Orlando region are AAA, Darden Restaurants, Universal Orlando and others. Additionally, the region hosts operations for prominent tech companies like as KPMG, Siemens, Lockheed Martin and Deloitte.