August 11, 2020
Hotel Eleo at the University of Florida has opened for business.
Located adjacent to UF Health Shands Hospital, the $32 million structure opened its doors last month after requiring 20 months of construction. The hotel consists of 173 rooms, and at present, rates appear to range from $120 to $200 per night. Guests must valet park for $15 per day.
In an interview with Gainesville.com, UF Health CEO Ed Jimenez declared that the primary reason Shands, as well as other hospitals, are building hotels on their campuses is to be able to enhance the experience for patients. “It’s completely common for people from all over the state to come here, and to a lesser extent, from across the nation, to receive the best medical care in the state,” Jimenez said.
Jimenez went on to explain that patients travel to Shands, in some cases from fairly great distances, to receive more complicated procedures. As a result, they might need to stay in town to recover for at least an extra day or two. Hotel Eleo was specifically constructed so that guests are a quick walk away from the main Shands hospital.
But providing a place to stay for families of hospital patients isn't the only way that Hotel Eleo provides convenience for its customers. The hotel also serves as a great location for potential medical students and medical professionals to spend the night before interviewing or going to work the next day, in some cases very early in the morning.
“Families are going to want to be close to their loved ones,” Jimenez said. “Whether it’s one block or 500 blocks away, you shouldn’t need to deal with traveling any farther and parking somewhere else when you can be this close.”
