New hotel in downtown Ocala breaking ground next quarter

A new, six-story hotel in downtown Ocala that will feature a rooftop restaurant and over 150 rooms is slated to break ground later this year.

Construction of The AC Hotel by Marriott in downtown Ocala is scheduled to begin next quarter (i.e., May – July).

The new hotel will be managed by Ocala-based Home Development & Management Group (HDG). SSC Construction Management, LLC, which is also based in Ocala-based, is the general contractor, and multiple firms have worked on the engineering for the project.

Located at 210 West Silver Springs Boulevard, the hotel will occupy the former site of the European Car Clinic, which was demolished in 2023 and replaced with a parking lot.

The new hotel will be approximately 130,000 square feet and will feature 176 guest rooms. The hotel will offer a bar and a lounge, as well as a rooftop restaurant and speakeasy.

A rendering of the new facility produced by Elevate Architecture Studio shows a contemporary, stylish design for the structure.

When AC Hotel by Marriott opens its doors next year, downtown Ocala’s landscape will have changed dramatically with the additions of the Marion Hotel, which is currently under renovation, and the city’s second parking garage, which is replacing the former Mount Moriah Baptist Missionary Church.

That church was demolished last month, and construction of the new parking garage is scheduled to begin soon.

Over the past five years, in addition to the opening of another hotel in the Hilton Garden Inn, downtown Ocala has added several new restaurants and businesses, including MOOYAH Burgers, Mellow Mushroom, 18 South, District Bar and Kitchen, Brown Dog Coffeehouse, Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop, Cantina Tex Mex & Tequila, and Slice, among others.