Pelican Hill Named Top U.S. Resort by Condé Nast Traveler Magazine Readers

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--According to the readers of luxury travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler, The Resort at Pelican Hill^® ranks second to none among U.S. resorts. The nearly three-year-old coastal Resort, owned and operated by Irvine Company Resort Properties, earned a score of 96.3 making Pelican Hill the #1 Resort in the United States in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2011 Readers’ Choice Awards.

“From The Spa, Golf Club and Resort restaurant professionals, to our hospitality, culinary and special events staff, the entire Pelican Hill team is humbled by this remarkable accolade”

“We are deeply honored to be recognized by our guests and the distinguished readers of Condé Nast Traveler as one of the world’s finest Resort destinations, in less than three short years since opening Pelican Hill,” said Ralph Grippo, President of Irvine Company Resort Properties.

During the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards event, held at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan on the evening of October 10, NBC News journalist and author Tom Brokaw, presented Pelican Hill’s top honors. As a loyal guest of the Resort, Brokaw shared his favorite memories and experiences from past visits with family.

“From The Spa, Golf Club and Resort restaurant professionals, to our hospitality, culinary and special events staff, the entire Pelican Hill team is humbled by this remarkable accolade,” said Giuseppe Lama, Managing Director of Pelican Hill. “With both gracious appreciation and resounding pride, we will continue to passionately pursue our goals of providing unparalleled guest experiences at our ‘Italian Seaside Village’ along the coast of Newport Beach.”

Condé Nast Traveler’s 24^th annual Readers’ Choice Awards honor the world’s best cities, islands, cruise lines, airlines, hotels and resorts, selected among the nearly 11,000 choices voted on by nearly 30,000 of the world’s most discerning travelers. The complete results of this year’s Readers’ Choice Survey appear in the magazine’s November issue.

Since opening in late November 2008, Pelican Hill has earned numerous accolades, including the Resort’s most recent honors from Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Wine Spectator, Golf Digest and Los Angeles Times. A complete listing of current accolades and awards is available at http://www.pelicanhill.com/#/pressroom/awards/.

About Pelican Hill^®

Set on 504 acres by the Pacific Ocean in Newport Beach, Pelican Hill features: 128 two-, three- and four-bedroom villas with magnificent coastal views and an unparalleled array of appointments, immersing guests in the absolute finest of everything; 204 luxuriously appointed bungalow guest rooms and suites with private terraces; a rejuvenating Five-Star spa with a menu of the world’s most celebrated therapies; world-class restaurants, including Andrea serving authentic Northern Italian cuisine; an iconic “Coliseum Pool,” one of the largest circular pools anywhere with tiered decks and luxurious cabanas; and Pelican Hill Golf Club with 36 dramatic holes by Tom Fazio, nearly all with ocean panoramas. A Five-Diamond destination, Pelican Hill has earned acclaim as "an exceptional resort of great individuality and distinction" according to Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report, as Condé Nast Traveler’s #1 U.S. Mainland Resort and #1 California Golf Resort (2011 Readers’ Choice Awards), in Travel + Leisure’s "Top 100" World's Best Hotels (2011 Readers’ Poll), and with two courses ranked among Golf Digest's America's 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses (2011).

The Irvine Company Resort Properties owns and manages the finest resort and leisure destinations in Newport Coast and the City of Irvine. In addition to Pelican Hill, the portfolio includes the Island Hotel Newport Beach, the city’s landmark property and only AAA Five Diamond hotel; Hyatt Regency Irvine, the city’s only Four Diamond hotel; Oak Creek Golf Club in Irvine, featuring a challenging, Tom Fazio-designed public golf course; and several of the finest marinas in Newport Harbor and Northern California.

About the Irvine Company

The Irvine Company is an internationally renowned real estate development company known for its award-winning master-planned communities, its vast portfolio of high-quality investment properties and its leadership in conservation and natural resource management. The growing real estate portfolio encompasses office, apartment, retail and resort holdings located throughout California’s premier markets, including assets in San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles Counties, and holdings in Northern California. As a steward of some of America’s most beautiful and scientifically important open space and parklands, the company has donated more than half of the historic 93,000-acre Irvine Ranch in Orange County — 50,000 acres — to permanently preserve these lands. The U.S. Department of Interior and the State of California have designated these parklands as “Natural Landmarks,” one of the most prestigious land preservation designations. The privately held, diversified company traces its roots to the 1860s with the formation of The Irvine Ranch^® from Mexican and Spanish land grants.