The Resort at Pelican Hill and The Spa at Pelican Hill Earn Prestigious Five Star Awards

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (February 22, 2016) — The Resort at Pelican Hill® and The Spa at Pelican Hill® have both earned the highest rating of Five Stars in the 58th annual Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards, the luxury travel ratings regarded as the gold standard in the hospitality industry since 1958. Defined as a Five-Star destination unto itself for the fourth consecutive year, Pelican Hill remains Newport Beach’s first and only, among the 154 hotels and resorts worldwide this year.

“We cherish the distinct honor of achieving the prestigious Five-Star rating by upholding Forbes Travel Guide’s rigorous standards, as evaluated annually by incognito inspectors,” said Pelican Hill Managing Director Giuseppe Lama. “Pelican Hill’s ambitious service culture guides our hospitality professionals to focus each day on consistently delivering gracious, thoughtful and personalized experiences to the world’s most discerning travelers.”

Maintaining its distinction as the only Five-Star spa in Newport Beach, The Spa at Pelican Hill earned its seventh consecutive Five Star Award, as one of just 47 worldwide to earn the top Forbes Travel Guide rating this year. The Five Star Award for spas recognizes an exceptional experience with no detail overlooked, uncompromising service and extraordinary design and facilities.

Since opening in late 2008, The Resort at Pelican Hill has earned numerous accolades from hospitality ratings like Forbes Travel Guide and AAA, as well as respected magazines, including Condé Nast Traveler, Travel Leisure, Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report and Wine Spectator.

Forbes Travel Guide, formerly Mobil Travel Guide, is the originator of the prestigious Five Star Rating system, and has provided the travel industry’s most comprehensive ratings and reviews of hotels, restaurants and spas since 1958. Forbes Travel Guide has a team of expert inspectors who anonymously evaluate properties against up to 800 rigorous and objective standards, providing consumers the insight to make better informed travel and leisure decisions. Forbes Travel Guide is the gold standard for luxury hospitality ratings worldwide. For more information about Forbes Travel Guide, visit ForbesTravelGuide.com.

About Pelican Hill®
Set on 504 acres by the Pacific Ocean in Newport Beach, The Resort at 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-Star, Five-Diamond destination, Pelican Hill has earned acclaim as the 2012 Grand Resort selected by Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report; as Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards Top Southern California Resort (2013 & 2012), Top U.S. Resort (2011), Top-Rated Golf Resort Worldwide (2012) and Top-Rated California Resort Spa (2012); in Travel Leisure’s “Top 100” World’s Best Hotels (2015 Readers’ Poll), and with two courses ranked among Golf Digest’s America’s 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses (2015).

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; Hotel Irvine, a lifestyle hotel; Oak Creek Golf Club in Irvine, featuring a challenging, Tom Fazio-designed public golf course; and California Recreation Company®, which operates 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.