Mediterranean Revival architecture planted deep in Central Florida's wetland landscape sets an unlikely stage for The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, which opened in 2003 on a 500-acre site shared with the JW Marriott and an Audubon-certified golf course designed by Greg Norman. The eighteen-story main tower, its warm stucco facades and arched colonnades visible from across the palm-lined approach drive, draws from the Spanish Colonial tradition that filtered through Florida resort architecture in the early twentieth century — twin belvedere towers flanking a symmetrical facade that suggests Addison Mizner's Palm Beach work translated into convention-scale hospitality. Inside, recent renovations have shifted the interiors toward a lighter register. The lobby bar mixes travertine floors and coffered plaster ceilings — original to the building — with contemporary brass-slatted millwork and golden accent cushions that acknowledge the architecture without being consumed by it. Guest rooms now run to a quiet palette of warm whites, greige, and natural linen, furnished with dark walnut benches, upholstered curved lounge chairs, and wide-plank oak flooring in the upper suite categories. Balconies throughout the 584-room property face over the terrace pool deck — terracotta paving and date palms arranged in a formal geometry — toward the Norman-designed fairways and the shallow lakes that give Grande Lakes its name.

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