Irvine Co. taps Grippo for resort

Ralph Grippo, a veteran luxury resort manager who has worked in the United States and Asia, has been appointed by the Irvine Co. to oversee a planned resort by the Pelican Hill Golf Club in Newport Coast. The Resort at Pelican Hill, which the Irvine Co. announced in 2003, features a 204-room hotel, 128 villas, restaurants, a new golf clubhouse, the existing golf club and a spa.

Grippo, who most recently worked with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., started work with the Irvine Co. on Monday and said he was thrilled to be at the helm of the new resort.

“The Resort at Pelican Hill is one of the most exciting projects in our resort industry today and perhaps in our lifetime,” he said. “There are few opportunities like that in our industry and I’m delighted to be part of it.”

The resort is expected to open in fall 2008, with a new golf club — replacing the old one, which shut down in 2005 when construction began on a water-management system and other projects — scheduled to open later this year.

Grippo said he envisioned a number of specialized services for guests at the resort, including personalized butlers and chefs who visited villas in person to prepare meals.

In addition, he said, the seaside location in Newport Coast was hard to top.

“The Pacific Ocean is a great attraction, there’s no question,” Grippo said. “Every room will have a view. Every golf hole will have a view.”

Grippo, who earned a bachelor’s degree in hotel and restaurant management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has worked at Ritz-Carlton properties in China, Japan and several parts of the United States.

He most recently served as vice president and area general manager for China, overseeing seven luxury hotels.

Jennifer Hieger, a spokeswoman for the Irvine Co.’s resort division, said Grippo’s years of international experience made him a perfect candidate for the position.

“This will really be an exceptional destination and Ralph is someone who has exceptional experience in the resort industry,” she said. “He’s managed some of the finest hotels in the world with great skill and passion and creativity, and he understands the singular vision we have for The Resort at Pelican Hill and what it will take to make that vision a reality.”