🛏️Resort or rental? This Florida space-themed mansion sleeps nearly 50

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Summer is around the corner and you may be thinking of vacation or “stay-cation.” Those plans may involve a stay in a hotel or Air BNB, but one area is seeing a rise in mansion vacation rentals with unique themes.

“This is the command center of the entire experience. There are six laser guns for individual or team games. There are also objectives kids can complete to get a launch code and the room will simulate a lift-off experience,” said Erich Neugebauer. President of Dreamport Studios, the company that helped create the immersive space-themed attraction.

No, this isn’t part of a theme park. But a three-story spaceship-inspired kids room. The ceiling is black with shimmering stars and there are separate areas with spaceship structures with beds and space-themed equipment to climb through to get to different parts of the room.

It’s all part of a 16,000-square-foot mansion built as a vacation rental in Kissimmee.

This property, called the Morlando Space Mansion can sleep up to 46 people with a dozen bedrooms and 14 bathrooms. I know what you’re thinking, ‘a vacation rental... why so large?’

“More and more folks, Americans and international travelers, are traveling as groups. Whether it’s an extended family, with generations traveling together, or groups of friends, this is the ideal situation where everyone can stay under one roof and enjoy these incredible amenities that the house has to offer,” said Experience Kissimmee CEO, DT Minich.

Amenities include a bowling alley, gym, private spas, a home theater, game rooms and a resort-style pool. Many of the areas take on the space theme.

“I’ve been doing this now for 19 years and certainly I would say over the last 10 years, people want more value for their money. So the themed rooms are a big attraction to get families in. It entertains the kids and it’s something different,” said Jeeves Florida Rentals President Sharon Harley. “Also, there are kitchens so you control when you eat without having to leave and activities on site.”

Jeeves Florida Rentals is the company managing Space Mansion vacation home. Harley said an investor purchased the land, and a team of architects, builders and designers worked on the layout and themes of each room building from the ground up. The home took 3 years to build and is now valued at over $7 million.

But is the investment really worth it?

“The owner wouldn’t be on his third rental house if it didn’t work from an investment standpoint,” said Harley.

Experience Kissimmee’s CEO said it’s all about location.

“We have about 35,000 vacation homes in Osceola County,” said Minich. “It’s close to the theme parks, you’ve got three championship golf courses here at Reunion so it’s an ideal location. For Disney especially, the access through World Drive is great without having to get on I-4... It’s just a really great convenient location and 10-15 minutes from OIA.”

Right around the corner from the Space Mansion is another rental property dubbed ‘Treehouse Mansion,’ owned by the same investor. Another over-the-top themed luxury home. This one can sleep 36.

But are these homes really worth the price compared to hotels?

“If you work that out with the number of bedrooms and the number of people who can stay in here, it’s a bargain. You certainly wouldn’t be able to get four hotel rooms at a luxury resort for that price,” said Harley.

Let’s crunch the numbers. Morlando Space Mansion is the most expensive ranging from $2,400 dollars a night to $5,000 during peak travel times.

Let’s say you bring 40 people during the off-season at $2,400. That’s $60 a night per person, and it’s not even at capacity. $125 per person, during the peak season.

You can get a virtual tour of Morlando Space Mansion and Morlando Treehouse by clicking the links.

What do you think? Would you consider staying in one of these unique vacation rentals? Tell me what you think by commenting below.