Every return visit to Orlando is a new experience, with so many changes at its dozens of hotels and resorts.
New Hotels & Resorts
Set to open December 2023, Conrad Orlando will debut with 433 rooms, including 51 regular suites and 10 spacious family suites. Other features include 40,000 square feet of indoor meeting space, a tranquil spa, numerous dining options and a signature rooftop experience. The hotel will be part of the massive, 10,000-bedroom resort complex, Evermore Orlando Resort, offering an array of stay experiences from single homes to villas, flats and hotel guestrooms.
Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando — Disney Springs® Area is the newest Official Disney Partner Hotel with 604 guestrooms and over 17,000 square feet of meeting space. Your attendees will be able to enjoy a resort-style pool, splash pad and poolside dining and refreshments, as well as an extensive marketplace, a cozy dining experience, complimentary hot breakfast, shuttle service to all four Walt Disney World® Resort theme parks, and evening snacks and beverages.
The Grand Bohemian Hotel Orlando, in downtown Orlando, completed a comprehensive renovation with new additions — like the upscale Altira Rooftop Pool Lounge where your attendees can savor seasonally influenced dishes and specialty cocktails — and reimagined spaces like the property’s signature restaurant, The Boheme, as well as the Bösendorfer Lounge and guestrooms. The hotel includes over 10,000 square feet of meeting space.
JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes completed several multimillion-dollar renovations just in time for 2023 travel. The property’s new amenities and offerings include: an expansive waterpark, refreshed guestrooms and suites, the introduction of inspired executive family suites, and a redesigned and upgraded lobby lounge. There is over 144,000 square feet of functional space for planners to incorporate into their events.
Set for completion in late 2023, Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek has commenced on elevating the meetings experience with the new Waterside expansion. This two-story addition of over 90,000 square feet of meeting space will be located directly adjacent to the existing meeting space, overlooking the Bonnet Creek waterways. The Waterside expansion includes one ballroom, a screened lanai with incredible views of the Walt Disney World® fireworks, an outdoor patio, event lawn, and seven additional meeting rooms.
The Alfond Inn at Rollins College, the award-winning boutique hotel in the heart of historic Winter Park, will renovate 112 existing rooms and suites and add an additional 71 luxury guestrooms and suites and a lobby cafe. The expansion, set to be completed in summer 2023, will also include a new meeting room and boardroom, providing an additional 2,400 square feet to the existing meeting and functions rooms. In addition, a new spa will feature seven treatment rooms, a new fitness area and added meeting space.
Caribe Royale Orlando completed a $125 million renovation, including a new lobby with an expansive skylight and a new 50,000 sq. ft. grand ballroom. The property now has 220,000 sq. ft. of total meeting space. The 1,215 one-bedroom suites and 120 two-bedroom villas feature spacious interiors.
Brightline High-Speed Rail Service
Brightline Orlando Station, conveniently located at Orlando International Airport’s (MCO’s) new Terminal C, will connect domestic and international visitors traveling between Orlando and Miami with stops in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Your group will enjoy touchless ticketing, premium in-station lounges, complimentary Wi-Fi, and topnotch bars and restaurants at every Brightline station.
New Dining & Nightlife
The MICHELIN Guide Miami, Orlando and Tampa was updated with inspectors announcing 13 new MICHELIN restaurants in Orlando alone, among other honors. Michelin’s recognition of 46 Orlando restaurants, including four starred venues, 11 Bib Gourmands and 31 Recommended, confirms what locals and a growing number of meeting professionals have long known have known all along — that Orlando has an exceptional culinary community. In 2023, Hyatt Regency Orlando opened its newest food and beverage concept: Descend 21. A dynamic, all-new lounge and entertainment venue that can host private events, Descend 21 features indoor and outdoor seating, communal tables, billiards, virtual golf and an expanded terrace with fire pits. The hotel commissioned Central Florida mural artist, Maureen Hudas, to create a feature wall for the space.
Rosa Mexicano opened its first Orlando-area location in the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin in early 2023. The menu showcases a contemporary interpretation of authentic Mexican cuisine, including beloved classics and innovative dishes that pay tribute to Mexico’s richly varied culinary regions. The restaurant features an extensive beverage program boasting over 100 varieties of tequila and agave-based spirits. A private events team can host everything from small dinner parties of up to 12 guests to larger gatherings of 200 people.
Pointe Orlando’s newest restaurant addition KAVAS Tacos + Tequila, a restaurant concept by the owners of Tapa Toro Tapas Bar & Paella Pit and Taverna Opa, pays tribute to Mexico’s rich culinary history with savory comfort food, fresh tableside experiences and recipes hand-crafted from the freshest ingredients. The 7,000-square-foot venue can host groups as large as 500 people.
For more information, go to orlandomeeting.com.
