New hotels in Orlando

Orlando's hotel map is being redrawn by Universal Epic Universe, the theme park that opened in May 2025 alongside a wave of new hotels along International Drive and Universal Boulevard. The flagship arrival is the 500-room Universal Helios Grand Hotel, Loews' first Signature Collection property, with a private entrance straight into the park. Beyond the parks, Orlando splits into distinct bases for a hotel stay: International Drive for convention business and parks, Lake Buena Vista for Disney, walkable Downtown Orlando, and upscale Winter Park for quieter lakeside nights.

What to do

A weekend in Orlando

Two or three days is enough for one theme park plus a change of scene. Spend a full day at Universal Orlando Resort, splitting time between Epic Universe and the original Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure parks, then ride the 400-foot ICON Park observation wheel on International Drive in the evening. On the second day, walk Disney Springs for shopping and dinner, or head downtown to paddle-boat on Lake Eola before a night out on Church Street.

A full week

A week lets you cover Orlando's full range without rushing. Give Walt Disney World two to three days across its four parks, add a day for Epic Universe and a day for Universal's older parks, then break the theme-park run with a day trip to Kennedy Space Center, about an hour east. Reserve an afternoon for Winter Park's Park Avenue shops and a scenic pontoon-boat tour of the Winter Park Chain of Lakes, and one evening for downtown Orlando's restaurants around Thornton Park.

Neighborhoods

International Drive

International Drive, known locally as I-Drive, is Orlando's main tourist corridor, running roughly from the Universal Orlando area south past the Orange County Convention Center and ICON Park to the outlet malls near SeaWorld. It carries the largest concentration of hotel rooms in the city, from budget motels to convention-scale resorts, and suits travelers who want walkable restaurants, shopping and attractions without committing to a single theme park. The corridor is also where most of Orlando's newest hotel construction has landed since Epic Universe opened, with dual-brand builds such as the EVEN Hotel + Staybridge Suites Orlando Universal Blvd, which opened in July 2026 with a resort-style pool and wellness-focused rooms alongside kitchen-equipped suites. Budgets span the full range, and proximity to the convention center makes I-Drive the default choice for business travelers and trade-show attendees.

Universal Orlando area

The hotels closest to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and Epic Universe cluster along Universal Boulevard and inside the resort itself, aimed squarely at guests who want early park entry and short walks or water-taxi rides to the gates. This is where Universal Helios Grand Hotel opened in May 2025 as the 500-room flagship of Loews' new Signature Collection, with a dedicated entrance that leads directly into Epic Universe and family-oriented suites themed to How to Train Your Dragon. It sits alongside the resort's existing on-site hotels at a range of price points, so the area covers everything from resort-scale luxury to more moderate on-property options, all sharing Universal's early-admission perk.

Walt Disney World area / Lake Buena Vista

Lake Buena Vista and the wider Walt Disney World area, southwest of the city on I-4, hold the resort's own hotels plus a dense ring of independent properties around Disney Springs. Many run free shuttles to the theme parks, which makes the area popular with families who want to avoid renting a car for a Disney-only trip. Despite the density of resorts, the area keeps pockets of green space and lakefront around Disney Springs for boating and walks. Room rates swing widely by season and by distance from the parks, so travelers booking here should expect to trade a lower nightly rate for a longer shuttle ride the further they stray from the Disney property line.

Downtown Orlando

Downtown Orlando, centered on Lake Eola Park and the Church Street and Thornton Park districts, is the city's business and nightlife core rather than a theme-park base. It suits travelers mixing conference work, a concert or sports night at the nearby Kia Center, or a couple of city days with a rental car for park visits, over guests who want to walk straight into a theme park. Hotels here lean toward business-oriented and boutique properties rather than resort-style complexes, and the area is Orlando's most walkable for restaurants and bars without a car once you're checked in.

Winter Park

Winter Park, just north of downtown, is Orlando's quietest and most upscale established area: brick streets, Spanish moss, and the boutique-lined Park Avenue District built around the Winter Park Chain of Lakes. It's a fit for couples and repeat visitors who want a calmer, more residential stay with easy access to museums and galleries, and who don't mind a 20 to 30 minute drive to the theme parks. Hotel inventory is smaller and skews toward independent and boutique properties rather than large chains, and the area is adding supply of its own, including a dual-branded Holiday Inn project in north Orlando due to open in 2026.

Which hotel for your trip

Traveling with kids

Families chasing park proximity gravitate to the Universal Orlando area or Lake Buena Vista, where shuttle service and early park entry cut down on transit time with young children. Universal Helios Grand Hotel's How to Train Your Dragon Kids' Suites, modeled on the Viking village of Berk, are a direct example of the family-suite format the area now offers, sleeping a family in themed rooms a short walk from Epic Universe's gates rather than a car ride away.

Couples and romantic stays

For a couple's trip that isn't built entirely around theme parks, Winter Park's Park Avenue offers lakeside walks, gallery-hopping and café dinners at a pace that International Drive doesn't. Helios Grand's rooftop Bar Helios, with tapas, cocktails and a 360-degree view over Epic Universe, works as an evening add-on for couples already staying in the Universal area rather than a reason on its own to base there.

Business and convention travelers

The Orange County Convention Center sits on International Drive, so most convention traffic books along I-Drive itself or in the immediately adjacent Universal Boulevard corridor for a short commute. New dual-brand hotels in that stretch, combining an extended-stay wing with a standard room product, have specifically targeted this mix of conference attendees and longer corporate stays over leisure park guests.

Multi-park, multi-day visitors

Travelers planning to split time between Universal and Disney without changing hotels tend to base in the Universal Orlando area or on International Drive, both within a 20 to 25 minute drive of Walt Disney World, rather than picking a Lake Buena Vista hotel that's convenient for Disney but adds a longer trip back to Universal each day.

Frequently asked questions

What is the newest hotel to open in Orlando?

Universal Helios Grand Hotel is the newest major hotel opening tracked in Orlando, welcoming its first guests on April 16, 2025, ahead of Epic Universe's own May 2025 debut. It's the 500-room flagship of Loews' new Signature Collection, with a dedicated entrance directly into the theme park.

Which Orlando hotel has direct access to a theme park?

Universal Helios Grand Hotel is the only Orlando hotel with a lobby-level entrance leading straight into a park, in this case Epic Universe, letting guests skip the turnstile queue that hotel guests elsewhere still walk to. Other on-site Universal and Disney hotels offer short walks or water-taxi and shuttle service instead of a direct gate.

Where should I stay in Orlando without a rental car?

International Drive and the Universal Orlando area both work car-free thanks to the I-Ride Trolley, walkable attractions and hotel shuttles to Universal and Disney. Lake Buena Vista hotels running free Disney shuttles are also viable if your trip stays entirely inside that resort.

What is the best area to stay near Walt Disney World?

Lake Buena Vista is the closest base to Walt Disney World, with the largest concentration of hotels running free shuttles to the four parks and to Disney Springs. International Drive is a short drive away and adds easier access to Universal and the convention center if your trip covers more than Disney.

Is Downtown Orlando a good place to stay for theme parks?

Downtown Orlando is a 20 to 30 minute drive from both Universal and Disney, so it suits travelers mixing business, a concert or a couple of city days with a rental car more than a theme-park-only trip. It's Orlando's most walkable area for restaurants and nightlife around Lake Eola.

Which Orlando hotels suit families with young children?

Hotels in the Universal Orlando area and Lake Buena Vista lead on family suites and themed rooms, including Universal Helios Grand Hotel's How to Train Your Dragon Kids' Suites. Both areas also cut down on transit time between hotel and park gates, which matters most with young kids.