• Six Lodgings and Four Restaurants Join AAA�S Exclusive List of Five Diamond Award Winners
• California leads the list with four 2009 additions, 
• Florida now has twice as many Five Diamond lodgings as New York 

For 2009, six hotels were added to the list: The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows, Beverly Hills, Calif.; Montage Laguna Beach, Laguna Beach, Calif.; Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, Westlake Village, Calif.; The Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach, Manalapan, Fla.; InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta, Atlanta; and Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis, St. Louis.

The four dining additions are Addison, San Diego; Chef Mavro, Honolulu; Restaurant Guy Savoy, Las Vegas; and The Pavilion Antigua, New Winthorpes, Antigua.

Representing the upper echelon of the hospitality industry, AAA Five Diamond Award winners make up just 0.28 percent of the 58,000 Diamond Rated lodgings and restaurants throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

�The ability to achieve and maintain the highest level of hospitality in the most luxurious surroundings is what the Five Diamond rating is all about. AAA is pleased to honor these establishments,� said Michael Petrone, director of AAA Tourism Information Development. �The physical attributes of these properties are unique, enticing and extraordinary � complemented by an extensive array of personalized services for every guest, which consistently exceeds the expectations of even the most refined traveler.�

Noteworthy for 2009:

• Florida has gained one Five Diamond lodging for a total of ten now, twice the number of Five Diamond lodgings in New York.
• The Pavilion Antigua restaurant marks the first Five Diamond establishment for this Caribbean island.
• California has added more new Five Diamond establishments than any other state or province. Three additional lodgings and one restaurant bring the totals to 19 and 7, respectively. California continues to lead with the most Five Diamond lodgings and now ties Illinois for the most Five Diamond restaurants.
• The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo., The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., and Camelback Inn, a JW Marriott Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz., have maintained a Five Diamond Rating for 33 consecutive years � since the hotel Diamond Ratings were first published in the AAA TourBook® guides.
• The Inn at Little Washington Dining Room in Washington, Va., is the only restaurant to maintain Five Diamond status for 21 consecutive years � since the Diamond Ratings were first applied to restaurants.
• Two lodgings celebrate a quarter-century of Five Diamond status: The Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle and the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia in Philadelphia.

For the complete 2009 winners lists and additional information on the AAA Diamond Rating System, visit AAA.com/news on or after November 14, 2008.

� Five Diamond Award® winners are a select group; for 2009, just 0.28 percent of the 31,000 AAA Rated® lodgings and 27,000 AAA Rated restaurants received the prestigious designation.

� The 162 AAA/CAA Five Diamond Award winners for 2009 include 103 lodgings and 59 restaurants throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

� Ten Five Diamond Award winners � six hotels and four restaurants � were added for 2009, and eight properties were removed. 

� For 2009, AAA added more hotels than restaurants; for 2008 and 2007, more hotels than restaurants were also added; for 2006, AAA added more restaurants than hotels.

� Three hotels have maintained the Five Diamond Rating for 33 consecutive years (since the Diamond Ratings were first applied to hotels): The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo.; Camelback Inn, A JW Marriott Resort & Spa, in Scottsdale, Ariz.; and The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.

� The only restaurant to maintain Five Diamond status for 21 consecutive years (since the Diamond Ratings were first applied to restaurants) is The Inn at Little Washington Dining Room in Washington, Va. 

� Florida has gained one Five Diamond Lodging for a total of ten now, twice the number of Five Diamond lodgings in New York.

� States with the most Five Diamond lodgings: California (19); Florida (10); Georgia (6); Quintana Roo, Mexico (6); Arizona (5); Nevada (5); and New York (5).

� The Pavilion Antigua restaurant marks the first Five Diamond establishment for this Caribbean island.

� California has added more new Five Diamond establishments than any other state or province.  Three additional lodgings and one restaurant bring the totals to 19 and 7, respectively.

� California continues to lead with the most Five Diamond lodgings and now ties Illinois for the most Five Diamond restaurants.

� States with the most Five Diamond restaurants: California (7), Illinois (7) � all in Chicago, and Nevada (5).

� States with the most Five Diamond winners: California (26) � 19 lodgings/7 restaurants; Florida (14) � 10 lodgings/4 restaurants; Nevada (10) � 5 lodgings/5 restaurants; Illinois (9) � 2 lodgings/7 restaurants; Quintana Roo, Mexico (9) � 6 lodgings/3 restaurants; and New York (8) � 5 lodgings/3 restaurants.

� Two lodgings celebrate a quarter-century of Five Diamond status: The Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle and the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia in Philadelphia.

� Properties eligible to receive the Five Diamond Rating for the first time undergo multiple evaluations and a final decision by a panel of experts. Similarly, Five Diamond properties in danger of losing their rating undergo several evaluations and a final panel decision. 

HISTORY

The AAA/CAA brand, AAA/CAA Approved® designation and the Five Diamond Award® rating are among the most well-known and respected trademarks in the global travel industry.

In 1917, AAA published its first standalone hotel directory (content was previously published in AAA�s American Motorist magazine).

In 1926, AAA released the first AAA TourBook® series with three books covering the Northeastern, Southeastern, and North Central States, including parts of Canada. AAA launched the Official Appointment logo licensing program, allowing lodgings to display the AAA logo on their buildings.

AAA began field inspections of lodgings and restaurants in 1937, providing detailed property descriptions to impart valuable information about services and facilities to the reader.

In 1963, AAA adopted a formal rating system for TourBook guide accommodation listings. The 1963-1964 edition Florida and Southeastern TourBook guides were the first to carry these ratings, which included four specific categories: Outstanding, Excellent, Very Good and Good. 

This early rating system evolved into the Diamond Rating System in 1976 (for the 1977 edition TourBook guides). Although AAA has been inspecting restaurants since 1937, the Diamond ratings were first applied to restaurants in 1988 (for the 1989 edition TourBook guides).

A diamond was chosen as AAA�s rating symbol in 1977, the association�s 75th anniversary.

AAA/CAA DIAMOND RATING FACTS

As one of the world�s largest travel information publishers, AAA provides consumers with all of the tools needed to plan an entire vacation. Popular resources include AAA Diamond Ratings, travel guidebooks, maps, the TripTik® Travel Planner and online travel bookings. 

AAA/CAA�s 65 full-time tourism editors evaluate and rate more than 58,000 lodgings and restaurants each year, more than any other rating entity. 

It is the only rating system that covers the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean and it is one of only two that conduct physical, on-site evaluations. 

AAA�s unique rating system makes quality a given for all AAA Approved properties. Regardless of rating, every Approved property has been deemed acceptable for AAA members. To be eligible for evaluation, establishments meet AAA�s minimum requirements for lodgings (concerning cleanliness, comfort and security) or AAA�s minimum requirements for restaurants (pertaining to cleanliness, food preparation and service).

The Diamond Ratings guide members in selecting establishments appropriately matched to their needs and expectations.

Only 0.28 percent of the AAA Diamond Rated properties receive the prestigious Five Diamond Award designation. 

AAA/CAA DIAMOND RATING RESOURCES

AAA publishes 26 regional TourBook guides covering the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean and 11 regional CampBook guides covering the United States and Canada. 

TourBook listings include 58,000 AAA Approved and Diamond Rated lodgings and restaurants, 15,200 AAA Approved attractions, 22,000 events and 6,800 destinations. Members requested more than 18 million guides last year through their AAA and CAA club offices. 

AAA distributes more than 64 million copies of printed travel-related materials to members and consumers annually.  In addition, AAA distributes online information and services to travelers who account for 40 million AAA.com visits annually. 

On AAA.com, members can search AAA TourBook listings and book their stays at Diamond Rated hotels at low AAA member prices. 

AAA members who visit AAA.com to book a room with one of AAA�s hotel partners are more likely to find a better rate there than on other leading Web sites. In a review of several online travel booking sites, AAA.com offered AAA members the best daily hotel rate on partner hotels 67 percent of the time, according to a recent survey.

AAA travel information is integrated with the TripTik® Travel Planner on AAA.com. Of the 20.5 million TripTik routings created last year, approximately 17.5 million were generated online, by members and counselors. 

The AAA TripTik Travel Planner is an interactive mapping, routing and travel planning tool that is available free at AAA.com. This online routing resource includes detailed maps, turn-by-turn directions, AAA travel information and hotel bookings. 

The assignment of a AAA rating of One to Five Diamonds marks the completion of a successful annual evaluation. All properties must first meet AAA�s rigorous requirements to become AAA Approved® establishments.

AAA�s Diamond Rating System is the only ratings system that covers all of North America and one of only two that conducts physical, on-site evaluations. It is the only system that uses full-time, professionally trained evaluators to inspect each property on an annual basis using a set of guidelines that are made available to all establishments. AAA evaluates more properties than any other rating entity. Additionally, AAA provides travelers the opportunity to post comments about their experiences at AAA Approved and Diamond Rated establishments at AAA.com. Information about AAA Diamond Ratings and the complete 2009 Five Diamond Award winners lists are accessible at AAA.com/News.

As North America�s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 51 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at http://www.aaa.com/

AAA
Heather Hunter
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 407-444-8005