The Resort at Pelican Hill on the Newport Beach Coast in California has been creating expectations that one could find very difficult to satisfy. Fantasy is a very private affair, thank you very much. This promise of "perfection" made me a bit skeptical throughout the process of the resort being built over the last two years. The pre-opening collateral material was awesome. No, sensational would be more accurate. It was the promise of something that was ego-driven by a multi-billionaire owner, and he obviously got there by himself being a perfectionist.
I can tell you that they weren't kidding. This is the most amazing resort built from scratch that I have seen in years, and it has all come together and opened in October 2008. Yes, just prior to the Great Depression of 2008.
So, what do you do when you have so much money sunk into a resort that would have been just perfect for AIG, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch? You soldier on as if nothing is wrong. California with a touch of the flower child still.
I just wanted you to see this for yourself. Room rates are not astronomical, especially for groups. Tom Fazio has "perfected" the 18 hole course that was in existence prior to the resort being built. Ocean views and Catalina Island frame the course.
Intriguing, how these things have a life of their own. It is the best of times. It is the worst of times. I am betting that the Resort at Pelican Hill will flourish. The group market has already confirmed much more subdued meetings with lower rates than the hotel would have charged in good days. Astonishing how sometimes your imagination can actually work within a budget!
