Winter Park's Boutique Hotel Expands the Definition of a Fine Arts Museum

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. January 31, 2014

Winter Park, Florida - January 31, 2014 - The Alfond Inn, Winter Park's new boutique hotel, has a deep connection to the arts that begins with the culturally rich community that surrounds it. Winter Park was settled in the 19th century by some of America's most visionary art collectors and philanthropists and has long been one of the leading cultural and artistic hubs in Florida.

The fine arts are an integral part of the guest experience at The Alfond Inn, which is owned by Rollins College, one of the country's most lauded liberal arts colleges, and the focal point of the cultural world of Winter Park. On display in the hotel's public spaces is The Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art for Rollins College, a 100-plus piece collection of contemporary art that was assembled and donated to the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College by alumni Barbara and Ted Alfond. The Alfonds are avid and knowledgeable art collectors, and Barbara Alfond serves on the board of trustees at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The couple amassed the artwork with the assistance of independent Boston-based curator Abigail Ross Goodman. In an interview with Art in America, Barbara Alfond noted that "when we began to develop this collection, what resonated with me was the notion of literacy-the idea of understanding other cultures, past and present, and being conversant beyond your subject area."

Works by contemporary artists and photographers such as Tracey Emin, Joseph Kosuth, Steve McCurry and Maya Lin are part of The Alfond Collection, which includes paintings, photographs, sculptures and alternative visual forms. It is a museum collection of 21st century contemporary artworks by both established and emerging artists, works that are eye-opening, challenging and sometimes provocative. A number of pieces in the collection are text-based, paying homage to the importance of language, literacy and global diversity. The Alfond Collection is part of the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollin College, which has one of the oldest and most distinguished fine arts collections in Florida.

"The Alfond family has a passionate sense of ownership and responsibility," says Deanne Gabel, General Manager of the hotel. "They have given Rollins College a world-class collection of important 21st-century works that we are delighted to have on display for our guests. It's exciting when a boutique hotel like ours can serve as an extension of a fine arts museum."

Guided tours of the collection, never before on view publically, are offered daily at 10 am and 2 pm by a Concierge trained by Barbara Alfond and Dr. Ena Heller, the Bruce A. Beal director of the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College. The tour is free but reservations are requested.

Frequent guests will also see that the collection changes every few months, with a hands-on rotation by Barbara Alfond and curator Abigail Ross Goodman.

"The collection is dynamic," says Goodman, "and the rotations of artworks will keep the visitor experience ever-evolving as new connections are made between the objects on the view."

In addition to The Alfond Inn, guests can visit the Cornell Fine Arts Museum on the campus of Rollins College as well as discover other Winter Park treasures, such as the Polasek Museum and the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, which has the most extensive collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany in the world.

Art can be found on a grassroots level in the city as well, especially at the annual Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, March 21 - 23, 2014, named America's Best Art Fair for 2013 by ArtsFairCalendar.com. The festival welcomes more than 225 artists and more than 350,000 visitors to the city's Central Park for the annual show.

For reservations and information call 407-998-8090, or visit the website at www.thealfondinn.com

About The Alfond Inn

The Alfond Inn, a Preferred Boutique Hotel, is located in Winter Park, Florida and managed by The Olympia Companies, an innovative leader in hospitality.

Owned by Rollins College, a private coeducational liberal arts college, also in Winter Park, The Alfond Inn opened in August 2013 and was built with a $12.5-million grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation. Net operating income from the Inn will be directed to The Alfond Scholars program fund, the College's premier scholarship fund, over the next 25 years or until the endowment principal reaches $50 million, whichever comes later. The 112-room boutique hotel includes the popular Hamilton's Kitchen restaurant under the direction of Executive Chef Christopher J. Windus, a pool and fitness center, and 10,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. It is 15 minutes from downtown Orlando and 30 minutes from Walt Disney World and Orlando International Airport. The Alfond Inn, 300 East New England Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789. 407-998-8090.

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