“In Orlando, everyone wants to be out in the sunshine,” says Mona Ingram, the Hilton Orlando‘s director of sales and marketing.
To meet this demand, the Hilton debuted a large new outdoor event space last fall, opening a 50,000-square-foot promenade in the outdoor area between the hotel and the Orange County Convention Center. The project includes a 10,500-square-foot terrace that can accommodate receptions of up to 1,000 people. Astroturf was installed instead of real grass on the Grand Lawn area, to save water and improve drainage, so events can be held even after heavy rainfall.
“No one wants to get their heels stuck in the mud,” Ingram says.
There are two fire pits, paved parking for food trucks and room to set up cabanas and tents.
The hotel opened five years ago and offers 1,400 guest rooms and 175,000 square feet of indoor function space. (The property is especially popular with pharmaceutical groups.)
Nearby, the Pointe Orlando multiuse development is expected to debut a large Ferris wheel later this year.