Owners, Parliament House Resort, Orlando
The husband and wife team of Don Granatstein and Susan Unger have been at the core of the LGBT scene in Orlando since purchasing the iconic Parliament House Resort 17 years ago. And while the 130-room hotel was already a legend in town for its multiple gay bars, a full-service restaurant and a theater at that time, the Granatstein/Unger one-two punch has brought renewed life to the place as it celebrates its 40th anniversary.
Having moved to Florida from Toronto, the couple has poured millions of dollars into renovating the resort, and have confirmed that the room-by-room project is currently half completed. “When we first bought the Parliament House, it was in awful shape. We were approached to invest in it for time shares and ended up getting the entire place. It was a giant leap of faith,” Granatstein said.
Even more than the physical property, the pair had and continue to have faith in the LGBT community in Orlando. “We are the core,” Granatstein said. “Our guests and our staff are our family. And we do what we do as much for them as ourselves.”
In addition to the renovations at the resort, the couple has concluded a deal with a major hotel chain to build on a portion of their ten-acre lakefront property to the north side of the complex. “It’s going to become the destination that Susan and I have always envisioned it to be.”
