Hilton Hotels celebrated the opening of its first Waldorf Astoria outside of New York on Thursday night at its new Orlando property (more hotel information is here) with a gala dinner and ballet premiere for more than 500 people.
Following the cocktail reception, the Orlando Ballet performed Homage, a new performance piece created for the event, against a backdrop of projected tree images that surrounded the stage in the main ballroom. The hotel served a dinner of pan-seared beef tenderloin paired with roasted Maine lobster following the 17-minute performance.
After speeches from Hilton Hotels C.E.O. Chris Nassetta and Florida Governor Charlie Crist, guests moved outside to the promenade near the pool deck where the hotel setup a wine and cheese pairing and dessert stations. A 10-minute fireworks finale from Creative Pyrotechnics wrapped up the evening around 10:30 p.m.
