Hotel employees are celebrating the award with the completion of a $3 million renovation.  According to hotel General Manager Danny Hiatt, all of the property�s guest bathrooms have been enhanced with Italian marble and French chandelier lighting.  Guests also can enjoy a new upscale amenities package that includes Tarrocco brand shampoos, conditioners, lotions, bath bars and facial bars.  New plush carpet has been installed in corridors on all guest room floors.

�Words cannot describe how excited we are to see the Wynfrey receive the Four Diamond Award for the 21st consecutive year,� Hiatt said.  �We are the only Preferred Four Diamond hotel in the state.  The hotel�s new guest bathrooms are absolutely breathtaking.  Our new bath amenities feature the best products available.�  

A Four Diamond Award plaque was presented to Hiatt by AAA Advisory Board Chairperson Frances Smith during a ceremony in the hotel lobby on March 5.  Following a champagne toast, Hiatt led Smith and other visitors on a tour of the upgraded facilities.  Each year, AAA evaluators secretly visit 28,000 lodging properties around the world to determine recipients of the organization�s prestigious awards.

Hiatt noted that hotel improvements are made annually.  In 2006, the Wynfrey�s elegant Yorkshire meeting room was doubled in size to 1,702 square feet. Officials also replaced all exercise equipment in the property�s state-of-the-art health club.

During the award presentation, Smith praised the property and its staff for consistently delivering a �truly memorable experience, complete with superior personal service, quality amenities and an unforgettable ambiance.�

As an AAA Four Diamond recipient, the suburban Birmingham hotel is spotlighted in the 2007 AAA Alabama Tourbook, one of a series of popular travel guides published for the organization�s nearly 45 million members.  Under AAA�s rating system, lodging properties undergo rigorous, unannounced evaluations by a professional team of AAA field inspectors.  Only 3 percent of the estimated 28,000 AAA-rated hotels attain the Four Diamond level of excellence.

�The Wynfrey now can boast it has won the award every year since 1986,� Hiatt added.  �This is an outstanding achievement for hotel employees. They have worked very hard to assure the hotel maintains its Four Diamond rating. Because of their commitment, this hotel remains one of the most outstanding lodging properties in the Southeast.�

The Wynfrey Hotel, which is conveniently framed by the 2 million-square-foot Riverchase Galleria shopping mall, is a popular destination for conventioneers, business travelers, leisure travelers, shopping enthusiasts, social groups, honeymooners and golfers. Highlights include three ballrooms and 18 meeting rooms totaling more than 32,000 square feet; Shula�s Steak House fine-dining restaurant; the more casual Chicory Grille; Ivory�s, a piano-accented lounge; the Chancellor�s Club, a private concierge level; and a spacious lobby complemented with Italian marble floors and fine art.  Spa Japonika, an Aveda concept spa, is only steps away.  

The hotel has undergone other improvements over the past several years.  A refurbishment in 2001 included a new state-of-the-art 24-hour business center, new Internet-ready entertainment stations in all guest rooms, and new wall coverings and furniture in the lobby and gallery.

In 2003, the Wynfrey joined forces with legendary football coach Don Shula to open Shula�s Steak House, a 230-seat eatery featuring a virtual museum of 1972 Miami Dolphins memorabilia with sepia-toned photos, rich wood, and hand-painted football menus.  The restaurant serves only Certified Angus Beef.

As a member of the prestigious Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, a global brand of more than 120 of the world�s finest independent luxury hotels and resorts, the Wynfrey also has received the highly prized Pinnacle Award from the readers of Successful Meetings magazine, the Mobil Four-Star Award, and the Stars of the South Award from Meetings South magazine for outstanding meeting facilities and excellent service.