The Parliament House Motor Inn chain was founded in Kansas City, Missouri, by Ned Eddy and his family. The Orlando Parliament House (part of the original franchise) was a 120-room hotel, and the first motor inn established by the chain. The inn was was built on Orlando’s Rock Lake and located approximately 1 mile from downtown Orlando. Parliament House officially opened on February 11, 1962.

With the opening of the Walt Disney World Resort in 1971, came the construction of hotels and motels on International Drive, leaving the Parliament House Motor Inn outside the tourist district. The motor inn soon became a pariah for tourists and the area declined. By 1975, the Parliament House was near bankruptcy, and consequently on March 27, 1975, William G. Miller (d. 1987) and Michael Hodge (d. 1992) purchased the motor inn and converted it into a gay resort. And almost Instantly it became the largest and most unique gay resort in the country. 

During the 1970’s to 1990’s the resort grew in reputation in the gay community and became a heavily travelled resort and entertainment venue. After the untimely deaths of Miller and Hodge, the property and business were sold to Don and Susan Granatstein in 1999.

The Granatstein’ s instantly renovated the resort, which at the time was in need of modern upgrades. Under the new management structure, the brand’s reputation and image grew across the US, and over time became known as one of the most popular and famous gay resorts in the World. In 2019, Parliament House was voted the Number 1 Gay Bar/Nightclub in the country.  The reputation and aura of Parliament house resonated across the globe, and truly has a place in the highest echelons in the gay movement.

Unfortunately, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Parliament House closed its doors.  Post-Covid, however,  management decided to re-tool the business and recapitalize the company for the new version of Parliament House. In October and November 2024, there will be the re-opening of two new locations in Orlando, Florida. The company is now publicly traded, with a vision to become the ‘venues of choice’ in the gay entertainment and hotel/resort space. Parliament House’s vision is to grow quickly, but strategically across the country and to certain markets around the world. 

So, after 50 years, the story of Parliament House is only just beginning. We invite you to come along on this exciting journey for our next 50 years. We will see you soon at one of our locations, whether it be Tampa, Florida, Sydney, Australia or London in the UK, and finally we invite you to be a part of future ownership, through becoming a shareholder