Waldorf Astoria Orlando resort launches new affinity program, The Empire Club
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Officials at Waldorf Astoria Orlando have announced a new affinity golf and resort program, called The Empire Club. This new program offers a bundled package of golf and resort services at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando resort.
The services, which include rounds of golf, spa treatments, overnight stays, and meals, can be utilized for one year by the purchaser, and are transferable.
"We have found that our most enthusiastic guests want to share their experiences with others," said Peter Kacheris, managing director of Waldorf Astoria Orlando and Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. "For these guests, we have created a package that is rich with value but void of long-term commitments, and is flexible enough to share with family, friends and business associates."
The Empire Club gives Waldorf Astoria fans a chance to claim a piece of the award-winning Waldorf Astoria Golf Club. This affinity club offers a unique set of benefits very different from most other golf programs, including:
• A stellar set of benefits, such as complimentary rounds of golf, spa treatments, dinners, and even overnight stays at Waldorf Astoria Orlando (see chart for details).
• Complete transferability, giving you the freedom to share these perks with family, customers or co-workers.
• No ongoing dues or long-term obligation
"We have created a program that offers the ultimate in perks with extreme flexibility," said Rob Turner, director of golf. "An individual golfer who enjoys bringing along friends would find great value in this. On the same note, a sales executive could use the benefits as perks for her clients."
The Empire Club is available in three levels:
Club Level ($3,500 plus tax):
• 24 rounds of golf at Waldorf Astoria Golf Club
• 12 treatments at Waldorf Astoria Spa by Guerlain®
Deluxe Level ($7,000 plus tax):
• 36 rounds of golf at Waldorf Astoria Golf Club
• 18 treatments at Waldorf Astoria Spa by Guerlain
• 6 dinners for four at Bull & Bear Steakhouse
• Black card, providing complimentary valet parking
Presidential Level ($10,000 plus tax):
• 48 rounds of golf at Waldorf Astoria Golf Club
• 24 treatments at Waldorf Astoria Spa by Guerlain
• 12 dinners for four at Bull & Bear Steakhouse
• 12 room nights at Waldorf Astoria Orlando
• Platinum card, providing complimentary valet parking
Complete details, including rules and restrictions, are available in the enrollment package.
About Waldorf Astoria Golf Club
Waldorf Astoria Golf Club, created by acclaimed golf course architect Rees Jones, is an 18-hole, 7,108-yard championship course, and the first golf course for the Waldorf Astoria brand. With its distinctive setting within the Bonnet Creek nature preserve, the course gives golfers a sense of being alone with nature.
Using the land's natural contours as a canvas and a fertile imagination as his palette, Jones meticulously designed the course to reflect the world's classic courses, some designed a century ago. A true 18-hole masterpiece, the layout ingeniously blends its traditional character with endless subtleties for a challenging experience. Mindful of the natural elements and in homage to the game's storied history, Jones created a course of great integrity and environmental consciousness that seamlessly folds into the terrain, so it appears to have been here forever.
In its first year, the club has caught the attention of the golf community. It was named Golf Digest's 2009 best new public golf course, and made Golf magazine's prestigious list of Florida's "Top Courses You Can Play."
Visually stunning and immensely playable, the classic Waldorf Astoria Golf Club winds through a large wetland preserve, punctuated with stands of towering pines and stately cypress trees. Fairways meander past long stretches of shimmering lakes. The well-contoured greens require inventive approach shots and present a different challenge every round.
Each hole reveals Jones' considerable genius, the land's natural beauty, and features five sets of tees to accommodate golfers of every caliber. The par-72 Waldorf Astoria Golf Club measures an impressive 7,108 yards from the Professional Tees and maintains a course rating of 74.6 and slope of 139.
"If I were to summarize my philosophy for golf course design, it would be this: to create an environment for the game of golf that is challenging, fair, and aesthetically pleasing," said Jones. "I would rather create a natural, classic course that blends with its surroundings, than a course full of unnecessary gimmicks which discourage the average golfer."
About Waldorf Astoria Orlando
The new Waldorf Astoria Orlando has put the destination on the map for luxury travelers. Nestled within a nature preserve and conveniently accessed from within Walt Disney World property, the resort is a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of neighboring theme parks. Cara Goldsbury, author of Luxury Guide to Disney World, calls it "stunningly impressive."
"Swank and sophisticated," she continued, "Waldorf Astoria has redefined local luxury in Orlando."
The hotel infuses timeless Jazz Age-elegance from The Waldorf-Astoria in New York City, with the vibrant and modern ambiance of Florida. It features 498 guest rooms and suites with sweeping vistas of Disney and the Bonnet Creek nature preserve.
Re-imagined versions of famed NYC restaurants include Bull & Bear Prime Steakhouse. The spa offers treatments from Guerlain, the legendary Parisian fragrance house. Golf Channel travel writer Brandon Tucker called it "an exclusive playground for the adult-minded traveler."
December 1, 2010