A new TownePlace Suites by Marriott hotel is coming to On Top of the World in Ocala and is the second business to announce expansion plans at the popular retirement community in the past two months.
HDG Hotels is planning to break ground on the hotel in June, with plans to open in the fall of 2022. It is slated to be a 125-room, extended-stay property providing the comforts of home for visitors staying a couple days, a couple of months or more.
The hotel will feature a zero-entry saltwater pool and stocked kitchenettes in each room, multi-bedroom or suite options and a fitness center. The facility’s amenities are expected to pair well with the On Top of the World community.
“HDG is headquartered in Ocala. The TownePlace Suites at On Top of the World will be our eighth Marion County hotel. We know this market well,” says Azim Saju, chief executive officer and president of HDG Hotels. “We are confident this project will positively impact this growing area of the county.”
Located along State Road 200, the $20 million property is minutes away from local hospitals, the Florida Aquatic Swimming and Training (FAST) facility, and less than 15 minutes away from the World Equestrian Center.
The TownePlace Suites is the second business in the past couple of months to announce plans to build facilities at On Top of the World. In March, it was announced that a new Cody’s Original Roadhouse restaurant was coming to the retirement community.
The new restaurant, which is owned by Allen and Amy Musikantow of Cody’s American Restaurants LLC, is targeting a December opening. It will include staples that are extremely popular at two locations in The Villages, such as nightly entertainment, hand-cut steaks, fresh seafood, fall-off-the-bone ribs and a variety of desserts, as well as various all-day drink specials and 2-for-1 drink specials from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. seven days a week.
The Cody’s building, which will be built by Tallen Construction, will be the same design as the Brownwood Paddock Square location in The Villages. It will feature a large covered, climate-controlled outdoor patio where dining and nightly entertainment will take place. Musikantow said the eatery also will feature a putting green for customers to enjoy while they wait for their tables to become available.
Musikantow is the co-founder of Apple American Restaurants (Applebee’s). He and wife Amy are residents of Ocala.