ORANGE COUNTY

Antoine Vanacore, general manager of the Hotel Meridien in Newport Beach, has been appointed vice president of Orange County Development by the French-American Chamber of Commerce, an organization based in Los Angeles. Vanacore, 48, will organize and host the chamber’s Orange County-based activities. The Chamber of Commerce, which just created his position, is open to businesses, individuals and groups wishing to establish ties with the local French community.

Before his arrival in Orange County last year, he was director of the Meridien Paris for four years. “A top priority of my association with the Meridien and the French-American Chamber of Commerce is to increase awareness of Orange County as an important commercial center and to promote international relations,” he said.