Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza’s Orchids at Palm Court Begins 2020 with Multiple Accolades

CINCINNATI - Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, a National Historic Landmark hotel and one of the world’s finest examples of French Art Deco Design, has been named Hilton Hotels & Resorts’ No. 1 Food & Beverage Hotel in the USA on multiple occasions throughout the last decade. To kick off 2020, Orchids at Palm Court, the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza’s fine dining restaurant has received numerous awards by various leading organizations in the hospitality industry, including AAA, Forbes Travel Guide, Cincinnati Magazine and OpenTable.

AAA Five Diamond

For the sixth year running, Orchids at Palm Court was awarded the state of Ohio’s only Five Diamond designation, the club’s highest rating. Orchids at Palm Court is one of only 67 restaurants nationwide to receive the award in 2020. Five Diamonds recognizes that the restaurant serves leading-edge cuisine, ingredients and preparation with extraordinary service and surroundings. AAA’s Inspector reflects on a recent visit: “The desserts are so special you may want to start your dinner with a pastry. In any case, don’t leave without sampling the Concord grape cremeux or a cheese course with locally produced cheeses.” 

Forbes Four Star

Starting as the “Mobil Travel Guide” in 1958, Forbes sends highly trained inspectors to visit every property they rate. Inspectors dine a minimum of two times — and pay their own way — rating each property on the basis of 900 objective criteria. When describing the atmosphere, ForbesTravelGuide.com states: “Orchids at Palm Court feels like it’s from a different era, with its dramatic two-story ceilings, rosewood-paneled walls, German silver accents and art deco atmosphere. There is a pleasant background murmur of voices from fellow diners, hotel guests and bar patrons that allows for conversation without feeling stuffy, along with the sounds of live jazz.” 

Cincinnati Magazine Best Restaurants

Cincinnati Magazine voted Orchids at Palm Court to their top ten Best Restaurants List for 2020. As Cincinnati Magazine’s Akshay Ahuja describes: “Chef George Zappas’s food is wonderfully complex, with diverse elements that meld and cohere in surprising ways. Aside from the food, part of the pleasure of Orchids is simply being in the space, looking up at the paintings on the ceiling, enjoying the jazz band, or watching the grace and assurance of the staff. Wine remains totally impeccable under maître d’ hotel Morgan Hughes.” 

Cincinnati Magazine Best Damn Dessert

Cincinnati Magazine voted Orchids’ Java Chocolate Crémeux their “Best Damn Desert” for 2020. From CincinnatiMagazine.com: “Pastry Chef Claire Mongenas deconstructs and reinvents the humble cannoli to magical effect with edible flower petals, a ring of coffee-infused chocolate crémeux, and cannoli crisps and cream.” 

OpenTable — Diner’s Choice for Best Ambiance, Notable Wine List and Romantic Restaurant

Orchids at Palm Court has been voted by Open Table diners as one of the best based on feedback from diners who dined while booking through the OpenTable platform. 

“Our entire culinary team led by Chef George Zappas and service staff led by Maitre d’ hotel Morgan Hughes are delighted to be honored with these prestigious accolades,” says Jason Tyson, General Manager, Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza. “Our mission is to provide and experience in history, music, food and hospitality that will forever be remembered, and these recognitions are a testament to the professionalism and commitment of our entire team.”

Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, located in the heart of Cincinnati, is one of the world’s finest examples of French Art Deco architecture. The hotel is a charter member of Historic Hotels of America, is a registered National Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The hotel features 561 updated guestrooms, over 40,000 square feet of meeting space-from boardrooms to ballrooms, including the Hall of Mirrors, one of the Midwest’s most breathtaking ballrooms. Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza is home to the AAA Five-Diamond fine dining restaurant, Orchids at Palm Court. The restaurant is Ohio’s only Five-Diamond dining establishment and one of just 67 in North America. 

Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza is part of Hilton Honors^®, the award-winning guest-loyalty program for Hilton’s 18 distinct hotel brands. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits, including a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose nearly any combination of Points and money to book a stay, an exclusive member discount that can’t be found anywhere else and free standard Wi-Fi. Members also enjoy popular digital tools available exclusively through the industry-leading Hilton Honors mobile app, where Hilton Honors members can check-in, choose their room and access their room using a Digital Key. 

Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza is located at 35 West Fifth Street, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45202. For more information or reservations, call the hotel directly at 513-421-9100 or visit cincinnati.hilton.com.

About StepStone Hospitality

Rhode Island-based StepStone Hospitality specializes in management of boutique, full, and select-service hotels and restaurants, to maximize value to StepStone clients. The company provides a unique combination of strong, hands-on operations, strategic management, and food and beverage expertise, while maintaining a balanced focus between revenue enhancement, margin expansion, and guest satisfaction. Additional information about the StepStone Hospitality portfolio is available at www.stepstonehospitality.com.