Waldorf’s New Era Starts At Disney

Orlando Sentinel:

The Waldorf-Astoria, which for more than a century has symbolized wealth and power, is about to undergo a major makeover - Florida-style.

Hilton Hotels, owner of the Waldorf since 1949, plans to turn the hotel into a brand that can be spread around the planet, starting with a project now rising amid the slash pines just outside Walt Disney World.

‘We are looking at every major city in the world,’ said David Greydanus, senior vice president for brand management with Hilton’s The Waldorf-Astoria Collection. ‘Our goal is for people to think not only of the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, but of the Waldorf-Astoria as a brand.’

Hilton management came to Central Florida for the Waldorf-Astoria at Bonnet Creek groundbreaking on Thursday. The 498-room Waldorf will be paired with a 1,000-room Hilton Hotel, creating one of the nation’s largest resorts when the two open in late 2009.

Hilton officials say the new hotel will bear little resemblance to the one on New York’s Park Avenue, where the leaders of nations and industries have stayed when they visited the capital of world commerce.

Some elements of the New York Waldorf will be found in Central Florida - including some of the hotel’s restaurants and a prominent lobby clock. More.