Buying a hotel, motel or RV park in Orlando and Central Florida

Orlando and Central Florida has 54 established hotels, motels and RV parks by our count: companies in business at least 15 years that still file with the state every year and aren't part of a larger group. Of those, 70% have been in business 20 years or more. Most will never be listed for sale, and many of their owners have never been asked.

established companies

70%

built over 20+ years

$114k+

a year, earned by the top quarter

28%

built over 30+ years

What it takes to own one

Hotels, motels and RV parks in Orlando and Central Florida come in every size. Here's what owning one could look like at three levels, from a solid company to one of the leaders, with a small business loan covering most of the price.

A solid company

Earns about: $52,000 a year
Price about: $114,000
Your cash: $16,000
Could pay you: up to $31,000 a year

A strong company

Top quarter in Orlando and Central Florida

Earns about: $114,000 a year
Price about: $251,000
Your cash: $35,000
Could pay you: up to $69,000 a year

One of the leaders

Top tenth in Orlando and Central Florida

Earns about: $345,000 a year
Price about: $758,000
Your cash: $106,000
Could pay you: up to $208,000 a year

Earnings are owner earnings: profit plus what the owner pays themselves, before loan payments and taxes. They and the prices are our estimates from public records, not the owners' figures, and we value companies like these at about 2.2 times a year's owner earnings. Your cash covers the down payment and closing costs, and what the business could pay you is what's left after the loan payments and the cushion lenders require. The more cash you bring, the further up you can go.

Age, size and location

Revenue is our estimate from public records, grouped into wide ranges.

In business	Companies
Under 20 years	16
20 to 29 years	23
30 to 39 years	10
40 years or more	5

Estimated yearly revenue	Companies
Under $1M	19
$1M to $2M	4
$4M to $8M	2
Over $8M	1

County	Companies
Lake	16
Orange	12
Osceola	10
Marion	6
Sumter	6
Other counties	4

Town	Companies
Kissimmee	7
Ocala	5
Orlando	5
Tavares	5

What the best hotels, motels and RV parks have in common

Guests coming for more than one reason: vacations, business, sports and events, nearby hospitals or construction work.
Plenty of direct bookings and repeat guests, not total reliance on online travel agencies.
For RV parks, seasonal guests who rebook before they leave, and monthly sites that stay rented in summer.
Roofs, air conditioning, plumbing and pools in good repair, with records of what was replaced and when.
A good general or resident manager who plans to stay.
Review scores that have held up over several years.
For a branded hotel, a franchise agreement with years left and no large property improvement plan (the list of upgrades a brand requires) hanging over it.
A site outside the worst flood zones, or buildings that came through recent storms well.

What to check before you buy

Occupancy and rate by month for several years, checked against the sales and tourist tax returns actually filed.
The buildings. A full property inspection covering roofs, air conditioning, fire alarms and sprinklers, pools and elevators (which need annual inspections under chapter 399), plus any open code or fire marshal violations.
Insurance. Get your own quotes for wind, flood and liability before you sign. In Florida they can change the whole picture.
The franchise. Whether the brand will approve you, what upgrades it will require, and what it charges.
Booking sources. How much comes through online travel agencies, and what they keep.
For an RV park. The list of long-term residents and their agreements, any duties under chapter 723, and the condition of water, sewer and electrical service to the sites. Many parks run their own utility systems, which have their own permits and repair costs.
Staffing. How hard it is to keep housekeepers and maintenance staff in that town during peak season.

Questions to ask the owner

How full are you, and what do you charge, in your best and slowest months?
Where do your bookings come from: direct, online travel agencies, the brand's system or repeat guests?
What major work has the property needed in the last five years, and what's coming next?
How did the property come through the last few hurricanes, and what did insurance cover?
Who runs things day to day, and will they stay?
For an RV park: how many guests return every season, and how many sites are rented by the year?
If it's branded, has the brand said what upgrades it would require from a new owner?

To learn what these companies do, which licenses they need and how ownership works, read our full guide to buying a hotel, motel or RV park in Florida.

Owning a company in Orlando and Central Florida

The local economy

This region covers Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Sumter and Marion counties: Orlando, Winter Park, Kissimmee, St. Cloud, Sanford, Clermont, Leesburg, Ocala and the large retirement communities of Sumter and Lake counties. Tourism is what the area is best known for, built on the theme parks, the hotels, the vacation rental homes around Kissimmee and the Orange County Convention Center. It's far from the only business. The University of Central Florida and the military simulation and training offices near it support a technology base, and health care is a major employer.

Marion County is horse country, with thoroughbred farms around Ocala, and it has added warehouses and distribution centers along Interstate 75. Retirees in Sumter and Lake create steady demand for medical practices, home care, home maintenance and auto services. The building trades, restaurants, and companies that serve hotels and rental homes do well across the region.

What's different about owning a company here

Central Florida is inland, so storm surge isn't the worry it is on the coasts. Hurricanes still bring wind damage and flooding, though: Hurricane Ian flooded neighborhoods in Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties in 2022. Ask whether the business or its customers were affected.

Tourism keeps demand steadier through the year than in markets that depend on winter residents, with busy stretches around school holidays. Hotels, parks and restaurants compete hard for workers, which pushes up wages for any company that hires hourly staff. New homes have spread fast in Osceola, south Lake and southeast Orange counties and around Ocala, so check whether a company's customers are in growing areas or older ones. Traffic on Interstate 4 limits how much ground a service company can cover in a day.