Arquitectonica, with U.S. offices in Miami, New York and Los Angeles, and Langdon Wilson, of Irvine, will collaborate on the 15-story super-luxury hotel, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2002. Langdon Wilson will be the architect of record, and Arquitectonica will be the design architect. 

The two firms replace Killingsworth, Stricker, Lindgren, Wilson and Associates, the conceptual design architect for the project.  Mike McCone, on behalf of Park Place Hotel Company LLC, the developer of The Ritz-Carlton, Irvine at Park Place, said the two architectural firms were chosen for the specific strengths they can bring to the project.  �Arquitectonica designs buildings around the world, and they bring an international vision to the design of this hotel,� McCone said. �Langdon Wilson is a recognized leader in hotel architecture in the western United States and has tremendous experience working in the city of Irvine.�

Arquitectonica has designed many hotels around the world, including the Westin New York at Times Square, which is currently under construction, the Lima Marriott Hotel in Peru, the Disney All-Star Resorts in Orlando and the Standard Hotel in West Hollywood.

Bernardo Fort-Brescia, Arquitectonica principal, said Park Place is the complex that �defined Irvine originally. It was the first architectural statement here. Now this hotel has an opportunity to do that again. And because it�s a tall building, it will be an important part of the Irvine skyline.�

Langdon Wilson has either designed or collaborated on many high-profile buildings in Southern California, including Irvine�s Taco Bell headquarters and the Sports Club Irvine and the Hyatt Aventine Hotel in La Jolla.  Langdon Wilson Partner J. Patrick Allen said the firm is excited about the Ritz-Carlton project because it is a �landmark component of Park Place� and because of the opportunity to work with an internationally known architectural firm such as Arquitectonica.

The Ritz-Carlton, Irvine at Park Place will be a luxury business hotel with resort amenities, McCone said. �With our strategic location, this will be a natural place for business travelers to stay when they need access to John Wayne (Orange County) Airport, the Irvine Business Complex, the Spectrum, the South Coast Metro area, Newport Center or UC Irvine. The spa, the pool, the restaurants�and, again, the close proximity to shopping and leisure activities�will make the hotel a weekend destination as well.� 

Of the hotel�s 308 rooms, about 40 will be suites, including a top floor Presidential Suite. The 14th floor will feature The Ritz-Carlton�s �Club Room,� a beautiful lounge with five different food offerings available each day to guests on specially designated floors. The pool and generous spa area will include a fitness center and a grill restaurant.  Park Place is a 105-acre development in the heart of Orange County on Jamboree Road at the I-405 Freeway. It is being developed as a �city-within-a-city� and ultimately will provide a living-working-dining- entertainment experience unparalleled in this area.

The Park Place Hotel Company LLC was formed to develop and own the hotel, which along with an adjacent parking structure will be constructed on approximately five acres of the Park Place property.  Today, Park Place includes approximately 1.8 million square feet of commercial office space in a 10-story office tower and six four-story atrium buildings owned by Jamboree LLC. A 300,000-square-foot landscaped concourse building connects these office buildings.
Another portion of Park Place contains a retail and entertainment center, owned by Shops at Park Place LLC. In addition to a 10-screen Edwards cinema, the center includes a Houston�s Restaurant, a Ruth�s Chris Steak House and a California Pizza Kitchen. Other major retailers include Sport Chalet and Mother�s Market Kitchen.  When Park Place is fully developed over the next 15 years, it will contain more than 4 million square feet of commercial office, retail and residential space.