Ask around about Walt Disney World hotels, and you will hear the same rule repeated like scripture.
Stay on the property. Anything else is settling.
The Disney-branded resorts get treated as the only real option, and the second someone floats staying elsewhere, the internet lines up to tell them they are doing the trip wrong. Theming. Transportation. Walking back to your room for a midday break. It all gets framed as all-or-nothing.
For some travelers, that is fair. If your vacation revolves around monorail access to Magic Kingdom or walking to EPCOT from your room, a Deluxe resort earns its rate.
But there is a whole second tier of officially recognized hotels most guests never look at. Walt Disney World Good Neighbor Hotels are an official Disney partnership; they include theme park transportation, and they usually cost less than a comparable Disney room.
Two of them just picked up five awards.
The Awards
Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista and Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace were both recognized in the Orlando Sentinel’s 2026 Central Florida Favorites.
The program honors standout companies and locations across industries, from law to dining to gardening. Winners come out of a public nomination and voting process, so these are not editor picks. Locals voted.
Both properties are official Walt Disney World Good Neighbor Hotels.
Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista:
Best Hotel & Resort, Silver
Best Outdoor Dining, Rum Largo Poolside Bar & Café, Bronze
Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace:
Best Hotel & Resort, Bronze
Best Hotel & Resort Pool, Bronze
Best Outdoor Dining, Shades, Silver
The dining wins deserve a second look. These are not “best hotel restaurant” categories. They are Best Outdoor Dining across Central Florida, competing with restaurants that have nothing to do with hotels. Two poolside bars placed.
What Management Said
George Stanfield, complex general manager for both hotels, commented on the recognition.
“It is an honor to accept these awards on behalf of the teams at Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace and Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista,” Stanfield said. “Whether someone is visiting for a family vacation, a conference or a special celebration, our goal is to create memorable experiences that keep guests coming back. I’m incredibly proud of our team for earning these outstanding recognitions.”
How the Disney Program Works
Good Neighbor Hotels are an official Disney partnership built on value, comfort, and quality. There are dozens in the program.
Every property, regardless of which you pick, offers accommodations ranging from standard rooms to suites to villas, provides Walt Disney World Resort information, staffs a Guest Services desk for vacation planning, and offers transportation to the theme parks, though a fee may apply.
Plenty of locations add breakfast, kitchenettes, and pet-friendly rooms. That kitchenette line is where families find real money. Feeding kids breakfast in the room every morning adds up fast.
Where They Are
The program spans a few areas, giving you choices depending on how you plan to get around.
Lake Buena Vista holds the most, including Aloft by Marriott, Blue Tree Resort, Buena Vista Suites, Caribe Royale Orlando, Embassy Suites Orlando Lake Buena Vista Resort, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, Lake Buena Vista Resort Village & Spa, and Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Suites Waterpark.
Celebration and Kissimmee cover Comfort Suites Maingate East, Delta Marriott Orlando Celebration, Fairfield by Marriott Celebration, Meliá Orlando Celebration, and Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate.
International Drive includes Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando International Drive Convention Center, Floridays Resort Orlando, Home2 Suites, and several Residence Inn and SpringHill Suites properties.
Elsewhere in Orlando, you have Margaritaville Resort Orlando, The Grove Resort & Water Park Orlando, and WorldQuest Orlando Resort.
Categories run from standard to suites to premium and resort level, so the budget range is wide.
Booking a Disney Good Neighbor Hotel
Two ways to do it.
Room and ticket packages: call (407) 939-5277 and speak with a Disney Reservations Agent. Anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian’s permission to call.
Room only: book through the Walt Disney World Good Neighbor Hotels website.
That package option catches people off guard. Bundling a room with theme park tickets is something most guests assume only happens at Disney-owned resorts.
Is It Worth It
Nobody is claiming a Good Neighbor Hotel matches walking out of Disney’s Contemporary and hitting Magic Kingdom in five minutes. That perk is real, and it is priced like it.
But if your days are spent in the parks and the hotel is mostly where you sleep, the math shifts. Lower rates. Transportation is built into the program. Suites and kitchenettes that Disney’s value resorts do not have. And at these two Hiltons, an award-winning pool and two award-winning outdoor dining spots.
Five regional awards between two hotels is a decent argument that off-property is not the downgrade people assume.
