O.C. BUSINESS PLUS : HEARD ON THE BEAT / TOURISM : Ritz-Carlton Hotel Rated No. 1

Travel & Leisure magazine has named the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel the best hotel in the continental United States and Canada, and the eighth-best in the world, saying it sits “like a queen on her throne� on a 150-foot oceanfront bluff.

The magazine, published by American Express Co., had researcher Yankelovich Partners survey thousands of subscribers last spring to compile its fourth annual “best of� lists. The only other Orange County hotel honored in the magazine’s September issue was the Four Seasons in Newport Beach, voted No. 70 on the U.S./Canada list.

The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel (it’s actually in Dana Point) has been much honored in the 15 years since it was built as the first resort hotel in the Ritz-Carlton chain. However, one honor--a five-star rating from the widely followed Mobil Travel Guide--was downgraded to four stars after the private group Strategic Hotel Capital bought the hotel for $225 million in 1997. Mobil, which said it wanted to see how the new owners turned out, issues its annual rankings in January. Will the Ritz recapture that fifth star? Watch this space.