Waldorf Astoria Vs. Hilton Bonnet Creek. Which is best? The Waldorf Astoria and Hilton shared pools and grounds as they are next door to each other. Both are impressive hotels, but the Waldorf is better suited to luxury travelers as it is smaller and more intimate. The Hilton is cheaper but hosts conventions, which can be hectic.
Another massive hotel in this area is the Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek, which feels like a small town with 1149 suites in six towers. This is a more budget option.
1. Loyalty
The Waldorf Astoria and Hilton are both part of Hilton Honors, so you can collect and spend Hilton Honors points at both the Waldorf Astoria Orlando and Hilton Bonnet Creek.
It’s worth mentioning that these loyalty benefits are nowhere near as good as the benefits you get by booking via our luxury travel concierge. If you book Hilton and Waldorf luxury hotels with our concierge, you will also get all your usual Hilton Honors points during your stay, plus free breakfast for two, prioritized room upgrades, hotel credit, and more.
2. Location
The Waldorf Astoria Orlando, and Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek are next door to each other so there is little to choose between them for location alone.
These hotels are just 15 minutes from Orlando International Airport (MCO) and the Orlando Convention Center. Both offer complimentary bus transfers to and from the Disney theme parks.
3. Size
The Waldorf Astoria Bonnet Creek has 198 rooms, and Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek has 1,001 rooms, so it is much larger than the Waldorf. This means the Waldorf Astoria feels much more intimate and boutique than the enormous Hilton next door.
4. Shuttle
The Waldorf and Hilton share the same shuttle to the Disney theme parks.
5. Style
The Hilton was refurbished in 2020 and feels more like a generic Hilton. The Waldorf feels more luxurious with a more adult clientele. The Hilton attracts more families because of its impressive lazy river pool and water slide, although guests from Waldorf Astoria can access this pool, too.
6. Pools
The pools at the interconnecting Hilton and Waldorf Astoria are incredible and include a 3-acre resort-style pool with a lazy river, a slide, a zero-entry pool, and a sophisticated but more standard pool at the Waldorf Astoria hotel.
Hilton and Waldorf guests have access to both pools and the Waldorf Astoria Spa, which features 22 treatment rooms and a daily Kids Club.
The Hilton is very much a convention hotel. During the spring convention season in Orlando, the pools tend to empty out during the day at both hotels. A quiet pool is a really nice advantage if you are traveling with a family.
7. Golf
Both the Hilton and the Waldorf have access to a Rees Jones-designed championship golf course.
8. Rooms
The rooms are the most luxurious and largest at the Waldorf Astoria. Guests enjoy daily evening turndown service. Hilton Bonnet Creek is a much larger hotel. The rooms here were refurbished in 2020 and have a modern, contemporary feel.
9. Club Lounge
Neither the Waldorf nor the Hilton has a club lounge. If you want a great club lounge, you should book a Club Room at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Lakes, which is 5 miles away.
Clients who book via our luxury travel concierge can enjoy an excellent free breakfast at both of three hotels, so you may not feel that club lounge access is necessary. Beakfast usually includes items like fresh-cut fruit, yogurt, plus toppings. There is a lovely selection of croissants, pastries, Danishes, and bread, along with cold cuts. Hot food usually includes eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage, waffles, and pancakes.
10. Restaurants
As these hotels are a short walk from each other, whichever hotel you stay at, you will have access to the same hotel restaurants. The Hilton complex has twelve dining outlets and bars, so there is a huge choice at both the Hilton and Waldorf twinned hotels.
The breakfast restaurant at the Waldorf is more sophisticated than the larger room at the Hilton. The sheer volume of breakfasts the Hilton must serve up means that the Hilton buffet is more hectic and stressful.
11. Price
The Waldorf Astoria is usually the most expensive of the two hotels. The Hilton will be cheaper.
For a more reasonable Waldorf stay, check out our review of some of the cheapest Waldorf hotels.
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