Four Seasons Wants Five Stars; Campbell for State Treasurer?

Orange County Business Journal, Apr 26-May 2, 2004 by Reiff, Rick

Assemblyman/cost-cutter/OCBJ contributor (see page 91) John Campbell appears headed for the state Senate this fall, but he's also being asked to consider a run for state treasurer in 2006, the Insider hears . . . Add the Four Seasons Newport Beach to the OC hotels chasing Mobil's elusive five-star rating.

"I owe it to them," says Thomas Gurtner, referencing the hotel's 450-person staff, one-third of which are the same people he supervised 12 years ago. Gurtner has returned as regional VP and GM after stints with Four Seasons in Hong Kong, New York and Boston; he takes over a $20 million renovation due for completion next year. Gurtner says the Fashion Island property's only drawback is that it doesn't sit on the beach; but he hopes to convince Mobil that the hotel's views compare favorably with the urban landscapes of, say, the two five-star hotels he just came from. Gurtner says he and wife Nui are happy to be reunited with their three daughters, all California residents. "I always p wanted to come back," says the Swiss native, who recently celebrated a birthday at Balboa Pier-the spot in OC where he says he first took in the ocean and snowcapped mountains. Other OC five-star candidates include the Montage, St. Regis and Ritz-Carlton ... Orange-based Ameriquest Mortgage Co. has baseball fever and reportedly is close to putting its name on a ballpark that already has a capital A-and it's not the nearby Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Ameriquest has signed a multi-year deal to be title sponsor for the major league All-Star Game balloting, reports SportsBusiness Journal. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram cites sources as saying Ameriquest's negotiations for naming rights to The Ballpark in Arlington are "90% complete" ... In other baseball news: Arte Moreno and Frank McCourt got their respective Southern California baseball teams at bargain prices, if you go by the April 26 Forbes. Billboard magnate Moreno last year paid Disney $ 184 million for an Angels franchise Forbes values at $241 million, while Boston developer McCourt this year paid News Corp. $371 million for a Dodgers team that Forbes pegs at $399 million. (The Dodgers' publicized sales price was $421 million, but the Los Angeles Business Journal disclosed there's a $50 million refund.) Meanwhile, the Angels have changed their new scoreboards to show the Dodgers as "LA" instead of "LOS" ... Retired Pittsburgh Steelers safety/five-time Pro Bowler/UCLA Hall of Famer Carnell Lake is joining the flock of athletes living in Shady Canyon ... The Diocese of Orange's May 12 Mary wood Conference on Business Ethics & Morality, featuring Domino's Pizza founder Tom Monaghan, is a sellout at 340, but corporate sponsorships still are available. Call (714) 282-3101 ... Want to sponsor an OC Olympic swimmer? Contact the Novaquatics of Irvine at (949) 295-4130 ... Political flop: There were no eBay takers (starting bid of $100,000) for Ed Reynoso's domain name www-republicans.com.