Marking six consecutive wins, Orlando has again been ranked as Cvent’s No. 1 meeting destination in the United States (Orange County Convention Center pictured).
For the sixth straight year, Orlando has earned the top spot on Cvent’s annual list of Top 50 Meetings Destinations in the United States. Further solidifying Orlando’s reputation as a world-class city for meetings and events of all sizes, the ranking is based on booking activity across Cvent’s venue-sourcing sites, including the Cvent Supplier Network (CSN).
“We lead the pack for a variety of reasons,” says George Aguel, president & CEO, Visit Orlando. “Affordability, accessibility, quality and variety of facilities, positive brand awareness about Orlando, and our culture of service and hospitality all come to mind.”
Read on to see more reasons why we’re No. 1 — and why the best is yet to come for meetings in Orlando!
Why Orlando Is Still No. 1
To calculate its rankings, Cvent evaluated more than 5,000 U.S. cities featured on Cvent’s marketplace. Activity was tracked from January 2018 through December 2018. Rankings were then determined by a set of qualifying criteria, which include unique requests for proposals (RFPs) received, total room nights received, award RFPs, awarded room nights, percentage of qualified meeting venues, and quantity of profile views.
Given Orlando’s room supply and connectivity, it’s no surprise that we came out on top. Currently, we boast more than 450 hotels and 123,000 rooms. Constantly improving, the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) is directly linked to four of those hotels with a system of pedestrian bridges, and the center offers walkability to more than 42 hotels within a 2-mile radius.
What’s more, our accommodations run the gamut to no-frills, value-priced hotels to four- and five-star luxury resorts, ensuring the perfect fit for every group and price point. And that’s just the start of the reasons to meet in Orlando!
More Places to Meet in Orlando
The OCCC isn’t the only thing about Orlando that keeps improving — our hotel supply continues to grow by leaps and bounds, too, including two particularly exciting projects. They include:
Grand Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Already one of the most beautiful onsite properties at Walt Disney World® Resort, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort has gotten bigger and better with the debut of the all-new Gran Destino Tower.
Named after the surrealistic Disney short film, Destino, the tower features 545 modern guest rooms, including 40 suites and club-level services. It also boasts a grand, two-story lobby and new meeting venues, enhanced connectivity with three pedestrian bridges, and spectacular, rooftop views courtesy of Tolédo — Tapas, Steak & Seafood and Dahlia Lounge.
Gran Destino Tower’s meeting space includes the 2,859-square-foot Lantana room, which divides into three smaller rooms, as well as a 24-seat boardroom. Furthermore, the Lantana room is adjacent to a 1,674-square-foot pre-function space complete with a show kitchen. Finally, Destino Plaza off the lower lobby level is perfect for outdoor events.
New Ballroom at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
Located 15 minutes from the Orange County Convention Center, Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress is scheduled to open a brand-new ballroom this fall. In addition to the 25,000-square-foot ballroom, the $6 million project will add 38,000 square feet of ancillary meeting and event space, bringing the property’s total event footprint to more than 90,000 square feet.
Sign up for our newsletter for more information on these and other hotel expansions and openings throughout the destination. Ready to meet in Orlando? Submit your RFP today!