ORLANDO, Fla. _ Universal Orlando has invested hundreds of millions of dollars during the past four years in attractions that have drawn throngs of new visitors to Central Florida.

Now, Orlando, Fla.’s No. 2 theme-park resort is trying to keep more of those visitors on its property.

On Monday, Universal will welcome its first guests to the Cabana Bay Beach Resort, the first hotel built at Universal in more than a decade.

The largest hotel under construction in North America, the retro, beach-themed Cabana Bay will be Universal’s fourth hotel. Once the final phase is completed by summer, the hotel will increase the resort’s inventory of rooms from 2,400 to 4,200.

Universal isn’t done, however. Executives at Comcast Corp., which owns the NBCUniversal media-and-entertainment empire, say they plan to build more hotels in Orlando in the coming years _ potentially quadrupling or quintupling Universal Orlando’s current inventory.

Experts say Universal’s aggressive hotel expansion threatens to take business from other hotels, particularly competitors that ring the resort and rely on Universal visitors to fill their rooms. Some hotel operators acknowledge they are worried.

“Once they get fully opened, I’m sure we’ll see an impact, especially in peak season,” said Jane Miller, general manager of the Holiday Inn Express & Suites on Major Boulevard, less than a mile from Universal.

 “I think we’re all concerned because that’s quite a bit of an impact on this area.”

Universal would not make executives available for interviews.

But NBCUniversal President Steve Burke told investment analysts last fall that the company’s research shows travelers who stay at Universal Orlando hotels, operated through a joint venture with Loews Hotels & Resorts, typically spend an extra day or two in the resort’s theme parks.

In ordering more hotel rooms, Comcast is borrowing a page from the Walt Disney Co. playbook.

Disney has built about 30,000 hotel rooms and time-share suites in the U.S. _ 90 percent of them at Disney World _ that allow the company to capture

rooms and 900 family suites, will start at $94 per night for a suite.

Disney has made a similar push into rooms that target price-conscious consumers. Twenty-five years ago, only about 55 percent of the resort’s rooms were in the value or moderate categories.

Today, more than 75 percent of its rooms are in the cheaper categories.

As Universal adds more hotel rooms, it also threatens to siphon bookings away from Disney, whose domestic hotel occupancy slipped to 79 percent last year, down from a pre-recession peak of 89 percent. But Smith said Disney will be somewhat insulated because it targets slightly different core audiences than Universal.

A Universal spokesman would not say when the resort expects to begin construction on a fifth hotel or what categories of rooms it plans to add. Universal has limited land available for expansion, though it added to its holdings last year when it bought about 50 acres under and near Wet ‘n Wild. NBCUniversal owns Wet ‘n Wild but hadn’t owned the land.

Universal isn’t done adding attractions, either. Comcast says it plans to spend $500 million a year on theme-park capital spending during the next few years, an amount that should allow it to open major attractions each year at both Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood in Southern California.

And this summer, it will open the highly anticipated Wizarding World of Harry Potter _ Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida _ the sequel to its smash-hit original Harry Potter area at Islands of Adventure.

That makes some competing hoteliers optimistic that the market ultimately could absorb Universal’s infusion of new hotel rooms.

“Orlando is the second-largest hotel market in the country, welcoming millions of travelers each year looking for a variety of experiences,” said Frank Dolley, area general manager for Hyatt, whose properties include a Hyatt Place just outside Universal.

We believe that the enhancements to Universal, especially the Harry Potter attractions, will drive more visitors to the Universal Studios resort area, creating benefits for all area businesses.”

• MCT Campus