Kissimmee Unno Boutique Hotel reopens after massive fire

Blaze displaced 250 people at extended-stay hotel

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Almost two months after a fire destroyed parts of a Kissimmee hotel and displaced more than 200 people, the Unno Boutique Hotel reopened for business Tuesday.

The hotel managers told News 6 the hotel passed an inspection and rooms are available to book.

Maintenance workers made their rounds Monday at the hotel, putting new locks on the doors. There are also shiny new air conditioners at the hotel.

Flames tore through the extended-stay hotel on Dec. 23. Investigators said someone set fire to a pile of mattresses outside the building.

The fire displaced families right before the Christmas holiday. The Red Cross assisted 80 families after the fire.

The Osceola County community also helped support fire victims by donating food, blankets and clothing.

Some people drove to the facility with truckloads of donations. Volunteers told News 6 they wanted to keep the holiday spirit alive for the families who were displaced by the fire.

Front desk manager Michelle Young said the past two months have been tough. She gave News 6 a look at the newly renovated rooms at Unno Boutique Hotel.

Sixty units are now outfitted with laminate flooring and new bedding, and are available to rent out.

She may not live in the hotel, but that doesn't mean she wasn't affected.

"I was with them the day of the fire," Young said. "I stood with them at the shelter. I just gave my all, and I did it from my heart."

Young comforted guests days after the fire, at times praying with them and helping them find alternative housing.

"(It was) tough, really hard -- a lot of stress. Of course, (it was) heartbreaking for all the families that lost everything and just going through all of the emotions with them," Young said.

Two months without guests is costly. At times, Young said, it wasn't a question of when the hotel would reopen, but if.

"We were wondering if we were ever going to be able to open, but here we are today," Young said.

Investigators identified Kevin Stewart in January as a person of interest who had been seen near the hotel before the fire. Stewart is not a suspect in the fire, but detectives believe he may have valuable information about what happened, officials said.

"It's hard. It hurts," Young said. "Someone could have gotten hurt. Thank goodness no one did, and I thank God for that every day. We didn't lose a life, but it's just, it's sad to think that that person is still out there. He can continue doing this somewhere else."

 

Young said the owners plan to rebuild the back portion of the hotel, which is still heavily damaged.