Tag Archives: aaa five diamond hotels

AAA Adds 7 Hotels to Exclusive Five Diamond List for 2017

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AAA has published their new list of approved Five Diamond Hotels for 2017.  After years of shrinking the list, AAA has finally increased the total 5 Diamond hotel list to 120 hotels.  The new hotels added are the following:

  • THE MODERN – NEW YORK CITY
  • FOUR SEASONS RESORT LANA’I – LANAI CITY, HAWAII
  • THE ST. REGIS NEW YORK – NEW YORK CITY
  • SPICE ISLAND BEACH RESORT – ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA
  • FOUR SEASONS HOTEL MEXICO D.F. – MEXICO CITY
  • DORADO BEACH, A RITZ-CARLTON RESERVE – DORADO, PUERTO RICO
  • THE JEFFERSON HOTEL – RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

Congratulations to the new award-winning hotels and restaurants!  From the AAA press release:

“Five Diamond establishments represent the upper echelon of hospitality, redefining personalized service, using creativity to enhance guest comfort and providing memorable experiences,” said Michael Petrone, director, AAA Inspections and Diamond Ratings. “Attaining the Five Diamond Rating is an impressive accomplishment and is a point of great pride for these top hotels and restaurants.”

Also of note among the new additions to the list is the first Five Diamond Rated property in Grenada, Spice Island Beach Resort. The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs remains the only hotel that has maintained the Five Diamond Rating for 41 consecutive years – since 1976 when AAA first introduced the Diamond Ratings for accommodations. The Inn at Little Washington Dining Room in Virginia remains the longest tenured Five Diamond restaurant, the only one to maintain the coveted status for 29 consecutive years, since 1988.

“These leading edge properties are well-positioned to meet the needs of discerning travelers. Their noted attributes include contemporary design trends and the highest quality food and amenities. Personalized, attentive service is foremost, delivered in ways that offer guests inspiring and memorable local experiences,” said Petrone.

Candidates for the Five Diamond Rating undergo multiple unannounced evaluations and a final decision by a panel of experts. Using guidelines weighted by member priorities, inspectors meticulously evaluate guest services and physical attributes to assess the level of competence, refinement and hospitality and assign a corresponding rating of One to Five Diamonds.

For more information about Diamond Ratings and the complete lists of Four and Five Diamond hotels and restaurants, visit AAA.com/DiamondAwards.

Currently, only .3% of all AAA-rated hotels achieved the Five Diamond Rating.  AAA rated 59,000 hotels for 2017.

Here is the full list of 2017 AAA Five Diamond Rated Hotels: Continue reading →

AAA Adds 6 Hotels to Exclusive Five Diamond List for 2016

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aaa-five-diamond-awardAAA has published their new list of approved Five Diamond Hotels for 2016.  Continuing the recent trend, the number of approved hotels has dropped again this year, from 121 to only 118.  AAA added 6 new or returning hotels this year, and removed 9 hotels that were approved in 2015.  The new hotels added are the following:

  • Hotel Mousai – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
  • Park Hyatt New York – New York, N.Y.
  • St. Regis Deer Valley – Park City, Utah
  • The Cloister – Sea Island, Ga.
  • The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain – Marana, Ariz.
  • Trump International Hotel and Tower Toronto – Toronto, Ontario

Congratulations to the new award-winning hotels!  For a full list of 5 Diamond award winners, click here. 

 

AAA Extends Five Diamond Honor to 6 Additional Hotels and 8 Restaurants for 2014

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AAA’s new 2014 Diamond Ratings are now out.  This year, AAA added 14 additional hotels and 14 restaurants to their top rating.  However, AAA also downgraded 7 hotels from a Five-Diamond Rating to a Four-Diamond Rating.  There are currently 124 Five-Diamond Hotels in North America (only about .4 percent of all hotels).

Here are the new Five-Diamond Hotels:

  • Château du Sureau, Oakhurst, Calif.
  • Wynn Tower Suites, Las Vegas, Nev.
  • Montage Deer Valley, Park City, Utah
  • Four Seasons Hotel, Toronto, Canada
  • Banyan Tree Cabo Marques, Acapulco, Mexico
  • Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Here are the new Five-Diamond Restaurants:

  • The Restaurant at Meadowood, St. Helena, Calif.
  • Acadia, Chicago, Ill.
  • Grace Restaurant, Chicago, Ill.
  • Sixteen, Chicago, Ill.
  • Per Se, New York, N.Y.
  • Restaurant La Tanière, Québec, Canada
  • Restaurant Le Patriarche, Québec, Canada
  • Cocina de Autor, Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Congratulations to the new award winners!  About a year or so, we wrote an article detailing how much harder it would be in 2013 to pass the Five-Diamond certification.  Basically, you have to score 78 percent now, compared to 69 percent in the past.  From the AAA press release: Continue reading →

AAA Adds 9 New 5 Diamond Hotels for 2013

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For 2013, nine more hotels achieved the prestigious honor of AAA’s top-level, Five Diamond.  A total of 125 hotels and 53 restaurants in North America are now AAA Five Diamond certified.  That is only .3 percent of the total 59,000 rated AAA hotels and restaurants!  From the AAA press release:

aaa-five-diamond-awardThe path to a Five Diamond Rating is rigorous. Properties identified by AAA as potential candidates for the Five Diamond Rating undergo multiple unannounced evaluations by a AAA inspector and final decision by a panel of experts. In addition to the evaluation of physical attributes, potential Five Diamond establishments are subject to thorough onsite assessments of all guest services from the initial reservation through checkout for hotels and from seating to  presentation for restaurants. Each area is evaluated based on level of competence, refinement and hospitality.

Here is a list of the new AAA Approved Five Diamond Hotels and Restaurants:

Continue reading →