Best hotels in Orlando, Florida for 2024

Orlando’s reputation for soulless chain hotels used to be well-deserved – in the 1980s and 90s. Then, hotels were designed as little more than a place to sleep after long days of navigating theme parks such as Disney World and Universal Studios.

Nowadays, Orlando, Florida, is home to luxury names such as Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton and Waldorf Astoria, among a growing trend for smart-casual resorts and even experimental experiences, such as the alcohol-free Ette Hotel.

Deluxe brand Fairmont Hotels will arrive in 2025, joining a collection of high-end stylists that have also helped raise Orlando’s proliferating foodie profile. On a culinary level, the city may not offer as much as New York or other major cities, but it is now home to Michelin-rated restaurants. But don’t worry if you have fussy little eaters in tow, as it’s still the US, and the golden M is never too far away.

While there is still a strong family focus in Orlando, there is also a distinctly grown-up approach, making for excellent romantic possibilities for you and your significant other.

The best hotels in Orlando

At a glance

1. Ette Hotel

A hotel that doesn’t serve alcohol? They’re joking, right? No, it’s the brainchild of CEO Alex Ekbatani, who believes his zero-alcohol policy is cool and catchy, and guests are better served by the wildly imaginative mocktails from “cocktail professor” Jarl De Vries. Allied to the cuisine of Michelin-starred chef Akira Back at the super-trendy Salt & The Cellar restaurant, it makes for a spell-binding combo of sizzling flavours and modern design in a 126-room hideaway (on Disney’s doorstep) that is hugely detail-orientated, right down to the Zen-effect garden patio.

Address: 3001 Sherberth Rd, Kissimmee, FL 34747