Ralph Grippo

Tom Luersen, president of CoralTree Hospitality, today announced that Ralph Grippo has been named president of Terranea Resort, the company's premier oceanfront property in Southern California. Grippo brings more than 30 years of experience in the luxury hospitality industry and deep knowledge of the Southern California market to the Terranea team. He is replacing Terri A. Haack, who has been leading Terranea since the property opened in 2009. Haack is shifting roles to focus more on corporate projects with parent company Lowe.

With more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Grippo is best known in the sector for creating exceptional guest experiences at some of the most exclusive hotels around the globe. Most recently, Grippo tapped that knowledge as principal of the Southern California based Bellwether Financial Group where he oversaw operations, design and development for Dana Point Harbor Partners. However, he spent the majority of his hospitality career developing superior hotel products for both the Irvine Company and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.

Grippo spent 11 years with the Newport Beach based Irvine Company where he was the president of resort operations. He was responsible for the opening of the Resort at Pelican Hill where he developed ultra-luxury service delivery concepts, assembled a team of more than 1,000 hospitality professionals and consistently delivered both profit and service excellence. While at the Irvine Company, he also oversaw the transition and repositioning of two luxury branded properties to independent hotels. He helped the Irvine Company grow its owned and operated independent collection from $90 million to $300 million in revenue while leading the market in key performance indicators.

Prior to his tenure at the Irvine Company, Grippo spent nearly two decades with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company where he held various roles ranging from area vice president for China to area vice president for Southern California and Hawaii. He also was general manager for several Ritz-Carlton hotels including Huntington Hotel and Spa and Portman Shanghai. During his career with Ritz-Carlton he oversaw or supported the opening of eight hotels including Marina del Rey, Pasadena, Osaka, Beijing, Financial Street and Tokyo, while managing a pipeline of hotels in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Pudong.