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Robin Hayes

JetBlue opens Orlando boutique hotel

Ben Mutzabaugh
USA TODAY
The pool area of JetBlue's new 'The Lodge at OSC.'

JetBlue is getting into the hotel business. The airline opens its new Orlando boutique property today, but reservations at "The Lodge at OSC" will be hard to come by for most travelers.

That's because the new four-story, 196-room hotel was built for JetBlue crewmembers visiting the carrier's Orlando Support Center (OSC). JetBlue uses the Florida location for new-hire orientation and for regular training, with about 7,000 employees visiting the airline's adjacent "JetBlue University" facility each year.

In its own words, JetBlue says The Lodge at OSC "will operate as a boutique hotel, with every element thoughtfully designed to reinforce JetBlue's values, inspire collaboration and team building, and deliver the JetBlue Experience to the airline's own crewmembers."

"JetBlue's one-of-a-kind culture literally starts from day one. Instead of ending the collaboration process as crewmembers disperse for the night, we can continue to build lasting relationships in our very own hotel," JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes says in a statement. "I personally try to attend each and every new-hire orientation to greet our new crewmembers as does our entire executive leadership team. With the Lodge we are investing in our most important asset – our people."

JetBlue says the The Lodge at OSC was designed to evoke the feel of an airport terminal design and is meant to create a space where its crewmembers can "gather, connect, and celebrate" while they are on-site at the training facility.

Among the hotel's perks:

- A 24-hour, 2,000-square-foot gym and fitness facility

- Walking track and bicycles for use on local roads

- Outdoor fire pit seating area

- Basketball half-court, soccer practice field, fields for kickball and softball

- Saltwater pool

- Complimentary guest laundry facilities

- On-site restaurant and bar

JetBlue will operate The Lodge at OSC in conjunction with the Boston-based Pyramid Hotel Group, which also runs about five dozen other hotels across 25 states, Washington, D.C., and the Caribbean.

In opening The Lodge at OSC, JetBlue also touted its broader presence in Orlando. Already, the carrier counts Orlando International as one of its focus cities, flying nonstop to nearly two dozen destinations from the airport. In addition to its JetBlue University and new hotel, the airline also operates a maintenance facility, a bilingual call center and various training facilities in Orlando.

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