Waldorf Astoria Orlando Opens

The first new-build Waldorf Astoria since the New York original officially welcomed its first guests today. Set in Hilton's Bonnet Creek resort area, the 497-room Waldorf Astoria Orlando shares the surrounding acreage with the much larger 1,000-room Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek.

Introductory room rates at the hotel start at $179 per night. A quick look today at available rooms for a weekend stay in November turned up rooms starting at $199 for a deluxe king and $249 per night for a two-queen suite.

Reasons to go:

- 482 acres that include jogging and biking trails

- A dedicated kids' concierge and kids program

- Private poolside cabanas

- A Championship Rees Jones 18-hole golf course

- The Spa by Guerlain, which offers indoor and outdoor treatment areas and full fitness facilities

- Even the most basic rooms offer perks like fresh flowers, bathrobes and slippers, 42-inch televisions and bathrooms with separate showers and soaking tubs.

More new hotels....