Hotel Guide Rates Ritz, and the Rest : Lodging: New survey ranks 23 county inns. The Ritz-Carlton is acclaimed one of the West’s top five. Disneyland Hotel is panned.

As Orange County hotels go, the Ritz-Carlton is “awesome” and “one of the best in the world,” while the Disneyland Hotel has “Motel 6 rooms at Fifth Avenue prices,” and “the mascot should be a Dustbuster, not a mouse.”

At least, that’s according to results of a new survey released today that rates more than 1,400 major hotels across the nation, including 23 in Orange County. The hotels were rated by thousands of guests for the quality of their rooms, service, restaurants and other amenities.

Southern California--and Orange County in particular--fared pretty well in the ratings, said Eugene H. Zagat Jr., whose New York-based Zagat Survey publishes periodic reviews of airlines, restaurants, hotels, resorts, spas and car rental companies.

The county’s highest-rated hotel was the Ritz-Carlton in Dana Point, which ranked as one of the top five hotels in the West.

“It’s one of the most gorgeous places I’ve seen in my life,” gushed Zagat, who has visited the seaside resort.

The survey delighted Henry Schielein, general manager of the Ritz-Carlton.

“I think it’s great,” he said, noting that the Ritz has ranked high in similar surveys by other groups. “It’s good when you get a reconfirmation that your efforts are paying off.”

Like the $238-a-night Ritz-Carlton, hotels in Orange County are pricier than in other parts of the nation. The average tab for one night at a county hotel was $156, the survey found. That’s cheaper than the average tab of $176 for Los Angeles hotels but steeper than the $120 average for the 58 areas surveyed nationwide, Zagat said.

Zagat published his first hotel survey in 1988. The revised edition, which goes on sale today, is greatly expanded, a Zagat spokeswoman said. It covers the largest and best-known hotels in an area and a handful of the better small hotels.

Although the Ritz-Carlton is virtually in a quality class by itself in Orange County, the report also heaps praise on the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach.

The Four Seasons is a “ ‘super’ resort hotel with ‘great location,’ ” the report said, but visitors were unimpressed with its view of the parking lots at the nearby Fashion Island shopping center.

Four Seasons General Manager Thomas Gurtner said he was pleased by the rating and noted that the ocean too is visible from the hotel.

But the report was less kind to other major county hotels.

The Disneyland Hotel, which is undergoing extensive remodeling, got mixed reviews from travelers. Some raters described the newly renovated areas as “beautiful,” but others described the hotel as “shabby glitz.” The 1,132-room hotel ranked better on its rooms and service than its dining.

Joe Aguirre, a Disneyland Hotel spokesman, said the hotel was in dire need of refurbishment when the Walt Disney Co. bought it two years ago from Wrather Corp. Its extensive renovation will be complete by next year, he said.

“We recognize the hotel is in need of some upgrading,” he said. “That’s why (the hotel is) in the midst of of a multimillion-dollar upgrade.”

The Hyatt Regency Alicante in Garden Grove receives “good” to “very good” marks for its rooms, service and dining. But reviewers’ comments indicated that they were not as pleased with its appearance or location.

The 418-room hotel is described as an “architectural horror” that is “three miles from Mickey, Goofy and food.” One reviewer even suggests that it “should be taken out of the Hyatt chain.”

Cody Plott, a Hyatt vice president, said the survey is out of line, and he questioned Zagat’s motives. “I have no idea where the gentleman is coming from,” Plott said.

Another hotel receiving a ho-hum review was the Irvine Marriott, which is described as “a yawn.” It has “clean but small rooms” and awful restaurants, the Zagat survey said.

Garry Abel, the hotel’s director of marketing, said the hotel has solid three-star ratings from American Automobile Assn. and the Mobil Travel Guide. “We don’t pretend to be the top,” he said, “but we’re probably the best service-oriented hotel in the area.”

Zagat said he and his wife, Nina, recruited volunteer reviewers by contacting major organizations, placing ads in newspapers and generally spreading the word.

Most of the raters are frequent business travelers who spend an average of one night a week in a hotel, he said. Each of the hotels rated in the guide are visited by about 500 reviewers.

The reviewers receive no compensation for their efforts except for a free copy of the Zagat Survey. The rating books costs $9.95 and are sold in bookstores.

BEST ROOMS

The Ritz-Carlton

Four Seasons Newport Beach

Le Meridien Newport Beach

Marriott Suites Newport Beach

Dana Point Resort

Hyatt Regency Irvine

Red Lion Inn

Westin South Coast Plaza

BEST DINING

The Ritz-Carlton

Four Seasons Newport Beach

Le Meridien Newport Beach

Dana Point Resort

Hyatt Newporter

Hyatt Regency Irvine

Red Lion Inn

Surf & Sand

BEST SERVICE

The Ritz-Carlton

Four Seasons Newport Beach

Le Meridien Newport Beach

Dana Point Resort

Marriott Suites Newport Beach

Hyatt Regency Irvine

Hyatt Newporter

Westin South Coast Plaza

LOWEST COST

Red Lion Inn

Inn at the Park

Sheraton Anaheim

Doubletree Hotel at the CityMarriott Suites Costa Mesa

Hyatt Regency Irvine

Casa Laguna Inn

Sheraton Newport Beach

Source: Zagat United States Travel Survey