Island Hotel Celebrates 21st Five Diamond Honor

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Island Hotel Newport Beach, a luxury coastal business and leisure hotel, has received one of the travel industry's most coveted honors as it embarks on an expansion of its event spaces that is set to create Newport Beach's largest ballroom and a unique indoor-outdoor space for weddings and other celebrations.

Island Hotel recently was awarded Five Diamond designation from the Automobile Association of America for the 21st consecutive year. The AAA Five Diamond award recognizes Island Hotel as being among the best of North America's most luxurious hotels and is one of only 126 hotels throughout in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean receive the honor.

“Island Hotel's more than two decades as a Five Diamond honoree is a reflection of the people behind the hotel,” said General Manager Donald Stamets. “Many of the same employees who were at the hotel when it was first awarded Five Diamonds in 1992 are still with us today. Consistency in service, professionalism and personality is what defines the guest experience at Island Hotel.”

AAA's top ranking is reserved exclusively for properties with the highest levels of service, consistent quality, ultra luxurious facilities and the finest amenities. The Irvine Company's Island Hotel is one of only two hotels in the luxury coastal city of Newport Beach to hold a Five Diamond designation, along with sister property The Resort at Pelican Hill.

Island Hotel's 21 years of Five Diamond ratings is among the longest tenures in the history of the honor. Only nine hotels across North America have held the distinction longer.

Expansion

The hotel is marking the latest Five Diamond honor by expanding its event spaces and building on its role as the social center of Newport Beach.

Island Hotel is adding nearly 6,000 square feet of expanded meeting and event space that is set to be complete by November. The expansion will allow Island Hotel to accommodate larger business, charity and community events and offer more flexibility, including blended indoor-outdoor space for weddings and other celebrations.

The hotel's Ballroom is going from 6,600 square feet to 8,700 square feet and will be the largest in Newport Beach upon completion. The expansion will allow the ballroom to accommodate as many as 600 people, up from 450 now.

The Ballroom's foyer is going from 2,780 square feet to 3,940, offering added space for pre-event networking or trade show-style displays.

Overlooking the pool, the hotel's Cabana Room is going from 1,200 square feet to 1,700 square feet and will open out to 1,360 square feet of new covered, heated, lighted outdoor terrace space known as Cabana Pavilion.

The combined indoor-outdoor space of the Cabana Room and Pavilion is for weddings, dinners, business meetings and other events.

Next door to the Cabana Room, Island Hotel is creating 750 square feet of new meeting space with the Balboa Room. A former sundries shop, the Balboa Room is designed for corporate meetings or as a supplement to the Cabana Room next door.

“When completed, our ballroom will be the largest hotel ballroom in Newport Beach,” Stamets said. “The blended indoor-outdoor space of the expanded Cabana Room will create a stunning backdrop for weddings and other celebrations, while the Balboa Room is the perfect staging area or elegant meeting room unto itself.”

About Island Hotel Newport Beach

Situated in Newport Center — the business address of Newport Beach and coastal Orange County — Island Hotel Newport Beach is a luxury coastal hotel offering breathtaking city and harbor views. Island Hotel features 295 guestrooms and suites, more than 25,000 square feet of event space, a spa, fitness center, resort-style pool and the award-winning Palm Terrace Restaurant & Lounge. Leading companies such as PIMCO and Pacific Life Insurance are in walking distance. Fashion Island, the area's premier outdoor regional shopping and restaurant center, is just steps away. A hub of finance, insurance, law and healthcare, Newport Beach is one of California's most desirable beach cities and is about 45 minutes south of Los Angeles.