REAL ESTATE

When you think of the 10 best hotels in the country for business travelers, do you really think of the 2-year-old Four Seasons Hotel Newport Beach?

Well, somebody apparently does, because the Four Seasons just made the list at No. 10 in the 1989 Zagat U.S.A. Hotel Survey.

Not so surprisingly, the posh Ritz-Carlton in Dana Point was ranked third nationally by 4,000 business travelers, travel agents and meeting planners.

The Zagat survey started out as a New York City restaurant guide run by a couple named Zagat who used reviews from friends and other contributors.

This is the first year Zagat has reviewed hotels. The survey looked at 700 hotels in 38 cities.

The Four Seasons, a $75-million, 284-room hotel in Newport Center owned by the Irvine Co., won high marks for its food and service.

Again somewhat surprisingly, the top hotels on the list were all in Sunbelt states. Named top hotel for business travelers was the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans; the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas edged out the Ritz-Carlton for second place.

Incidentally, two other California hotels made the top 10: The Bel-Air in Los Angeles, No. 4; and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in San Francisco, No. 9.