San Ysidro Ranch Named 'America's Best Hotel' By Forbes

Legendary retreat receives highest honor from the world's most discerning
travelers

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The annual Forbes 400 list
which ranks the best luxury hotels and resorts in the world has just named San
Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, California, as "America's Best Hotel." The
selection was made by a board of elite luxury travelers including Peter
Greenberg, Todd English and Arianna Huffington, as well as top travel
professionals like Matthew Upchurch of Virtuoso, Ltd. and Benson Cowan from
Butterfield & Robinson.

Forbes Traveler emphasizes the elegance of the Ranch's 41 cottages which
feature stone fireplaces, four-poster king-size beds draped in the finest
European linens, and large bathrooms filled with votive candles and Acqua Di
Parma products. The rooms are filled with carefully chosen antiques, original
artwork and each opens onto a private patio complete with hot tub and rain
shower. The 500 acre property includes lily ponds, "breathtaking" gardens,
along with 17 miles of stunning hiking trails in the adjacent Santa Ynez
Mountains.

Today a sandstone packing house built in 1889 accommodates the Stonehouse
restaurant, where Chef John Trotta cooks with fruits, vegetables and herbs
grown on the Ranch's grounds in his contemporary American cuisine. The more
casual Plow and Angel, located downstairs, is a local favorite for its cozy
ambience - and mac 'n' cheese.

The Ranch was purchased in 2000 by Ty Warner, who subsequently invested $150
million in an ambitious 3-year renovation. On receiving his "America's Best
Hotel" award, Mr. Warner commented, "I recognized this property's unique
design when I was a guest here more than 30 years ago and am so grateful to be
a part of its magnificent history."

Warner is no stranger to Forbes List, having landed on their ranking of The
World's Billionaires and The 400 Richest Americans for more than a decade.

In addition to the San Ysidro Ranch, Warner owns other one-of-a-kind luxury
hotel properties including the Four Seasons Hotel New York, Las Ventanas al
Paraiso and Four Seasons Biltmore and Coral Casino Beach & Cabana Club, both
in Santa Barbara. Warner is also the Chairman, CEO and founder of Ty Inc.,
the largest manufacturer of plush toys in the world which includes Beanie
Babies(TM) and TyGirlz(TM).

San Ysidro Ranch - A Brief History: The story of San Ysidro Ranch, named
after San Ysidro the patron saint of Madrid, is intertwined with the history
of Old California. Originally part of land titled in 1769 by the King of
Spain, the Ranch served as a way station for Franciscan monks in the late
1700s, a working citrus ranch in the 1800s, and hosted its first guests in
1893. In the 1930s, Hollywood discovered the Ranch, transforming it into a
hospitality haven for celebrities. Famous guests over the years range from
Audrey Hepburn, Lucille Ball, Bing Crosby and Groucho Marx to Winston
Churchill, Somerset Maugham and Sinclair Lewis. Vivien Leigh and Laurence
Olivier were married at the Ranch, John and Jacqueline Kennedy honeymooned
there and John Huston completed the script for African Queen during a
three-month stay.

SOURCE San Ysidro Ranch

Tamara Fangman, +1-805-565-1778, Tamara.fangman@rosewoodhotels.com, for San
Ysidro Ranch