The Meritage Resort and Spa Brings Home Top Awards as Hotel Manager Heads to Sister Property

The Meritage Resort and Spa was honored on Friday, January 31, 2014, with a number of top awards during the annual Pacific Hospitality Group Conference held at the Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara. The resort is also preparing to send its hotel manager, Sam El-Rabaa, to the Balboa Bay Resort, a sister property within the Meritage Collection and owned by Pacific Hospitality Group.

The Meritage Resort and Spa’s sales team received five awards including:
• Hotel Sales Team of the Year
   o Given to the top performing sales team for displaying production, leadership, stability, professionalism and a full embrace of what they are all trying to achieve.
• Director of Sales of the Year: Sheri Thomas
   o Given to the top performing Director of Sales based on Average Daily Rate (ADR), production, perseverance, team growth and development, and growth in group rooms sold.
• Chairman’s Award: Rosanne Beals
   o Given to the sales manager that exceeds in all aspects of their job and is the most prestigious award that Pacific Hospitality Group awards to a sales manager. The recipient must have achieved at least 100% of their booking coals, built new relationships that have resulted in group booking business and must exemplify all qualities of a true team player.
• Best Networker: Toddy Isham
   o Given to the salesperson who goes to great lengths to mix and mingle through social media, and attending both client and industry events.
• Top Group ADR Performance by a Salesperson: Elisse Peck
   o Given to the salesperson with the highest Average Daily Rate (ADR) booking pace achievement compared to their budget.

The Meritage Resort and Spa’s entire staff was also honored to receive the “Outstanding Hotel of the Year based from all Measurements” award, given to the top hotel/resort within the Pacific Hospitality Group family of hotels that shows the most improvement in guest reviews, sales and other areas.

“We were excited that our team was honored with so many awards from our peers and colleagues at Pacific Hospitality Group,” said Michael Palmer, general manager of The Meritage Resort and Spa. “Our entire team works hard to bring guests to the Napa Valley and provide them with the highest level of customer service during their entire visit so they can experience all this beautiful valley has to offer.”

The Meritage Resort and Spa is also preparing to send its hotel manager, Sam El-Rabaa, to the AAA Four Diamond Balboa Bay Resort located on the waterfront in Newport Beach, a sister property within The Meritage Collection. El-Rabaa has been a valued member of The Meritage Resort and Spa team since he arrived. He has worked in the hospitality industry for more than 24 years. During his time in Napa and with The Meritage El-Rabaa has been a very active member and board member of the Napa Chamber of Commerce, and has developed solid relationships with a number of Napa Valley wineries and winemakers including Mike Grgich of Grgich Hills Estate and Will Phelps from Joseph Phelps Vineyards. These relationships and the respect he has among fellow culinarians from across the Napa Valley lead him to create and plan The Meritage Resort and Spa’s inaugural “Masters and Makers @ Meritage” food and wine experience that will be held February 14-16, 2014.

“We will miss Sam,” said Palmer. “He has been an integral part of our team since the day he started and has been a valued asset to the Napa Valley community for many years. We look forward to continuing to work with him as he transitions to become the general manager at the Balboa Bay Resort and know that there are great things ahead for him, the Balboa Bay Resort and the Newport Beach community.”

About The Meritage Resort and Spa
The Meritage Resort and Spa is an extraordinary four-diamond Napa Valley luxury resort set against a hillside vineyard. A destination unto itself, it features 322 Tuscan-inspired guestrooms and luxury suites, seasonal farm-to-table cuisine at the Siena Restaurant and wine tasting in the Estate Cave featuring Trinitas Cellars. Regain a healthful balance with curative treatments at Spa Terra—a lavish underground spa with steam grottoes, soaking pools, treatment alcoves and tranquil walls of water. The resort boasts the most comprehensive event and meeting space in the wine country, including the two largest ballrooms in the Napa Valley, the Estate Cave and three covered terraces. Crush Ultra Lounge offers guests a chance to relax with a full bar, sports entertainment and six bowling lanes. Far more than a place for relaxation, our unique property is an Old World escape from the ordinary. The Meritage Resort and Spa experience is the perfect blend of gracious hospitality, unrivaled amenities and peerless personal care. The Meritage Resort and Spa, We are Napa. TheMeritageResort.com.

About Meritage Collection
The Meritage Collection is a new life and style collection from Pacific Hospitality Group, which includes independent hotels, resorts, wineries and golf courses. The Meritage Collection offers exceptional travel and one-of-a-kind experiences in four of California's most spectacular locations—La Jolla, Napa Valley, Newport Beach and Santa Barbara. Experience hospitality in a whole new light. For more information about the Meritage Collection, please visit MeritageCollection.com.

About Pacific Hospitality Group, LLC
Since 1987, Pacific Hospitality Group, LLC (PHG) has maintained a strategic vision and strong sense of core values as guiding principles for business success. With luxury hotel properties from Napa Valley to Southern California, PHG’s growing portfolio of hotel and resort investments reinforces the company’s cohesive vision. PHG manages, develops, finances, and owns hotel assets in California including Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara, Balboa Bay Resort, Balboa Bay Club, Newport Beach Country Club, Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, and The Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa Valley. In addition, the company owns and operates the Crowne Plaza Anaheim Resort, DoubleTree by Hilton Irvine Spectrum, and DoubleTree by Hilton Santa Ana / Orange County Airport. PHG is committed to growing its market share and adding value to its portfolio through renovations, repositioning, and expansion. PacificHospitality.com.