New Mexico gains first-ever Five Diamond property

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 6, 2009 - AAA today announced the 2010 AAA/CAA Five Diamond Award(R) winners. Sixteen lodgings have been added for a total of 113 hotels and 52 restaurants that have achieved Five Diamond status, the travel authority's highest rating for hotels and restaurants. 

The overall number of Five Diamond Award winners this year grew to 165 establishments, compared to 162 in 2009. Even in the current economic climate, there continues to be strong competition in the travel industry to achieve the highest rating and provide the most discriminating travelers with luxurious accommodations and upscale dining options. Most notably, the state of New Mexico has gained its first-ever Five Diamond Award winner, Encantado, An Auberge Resort in Santa Fe. 

For 2010, no restaurants were added to the list, and seven were removed, six of which closed in the past year. AAA has noticed a decrease in the number of new restaurants opening in the past year. 
Lodging expansion and construction plans are often multi-year projects and do not appear to have been as immediately affected by the economic downturn, as indicated by the addition of 16 new Five Diamond lodgings. 

"The past year has presented many challenges for the travel industry. To achieve and maintain the highest level of hospitality during these difficult economic times is a significant accomplishment," said Michael Petrone, director of AAA Tourism Information Development. "AAA is pleased to present these establishments with the Five Diamond Award designation in recognition of top-quality service and facilities that consistently exceed guest expectations."

Travelers will have the opportunity to interact with one of AAA's professional inspectors at AAA's Best and Biggest Virtual Travel Show on Tuesday, November 10 at 6 p.m. EST. During this session the inspector will discuss recipients of the coveted AAA Five Diamond Award, the qualifications needed to earn the award, and also what travelers can expect to find at One, Two, Three and Four Diamond restaurants and lodgings. To register for the show and learn about deals and discounts available only from AAA visit www.AAA.com/virtualshows.

New Five Diamond Award Winners:
Florida and Nevada top the list for new winners this year, each with three additional Five Diamond lodgings. 

In Florida: The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale; The Four Seasons Resort, Palm Beach; and Acqualina Resort and Spa on the Beach in Sunny Isles Beach. 

In Nevada: The Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas in Henderson and both Encore Las Vegas and The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas.

Mexico gained three Five Diamond lodgings: The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort in Punta Mita and both Rosewood Mayakoba and the Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya in Playa Del Carmen.

California and New York each gained two new winners. In California: The Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Coast and The Grand Del Mar in San Diego. In New York: The Plaza Hotel and The Pierre New York-A Taj Hotel, both in New York City.

Massachusetts, New Mexico and Texas each gained one additional Five Diamond lodging: Mandarin Oriental, Boston; Encantado, An Auberge Resort in Santa Fe, N.M.; and The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas.

Noteworthy for 2010:

• New Mexico has gained its first ever Five Diamond Award winner: Encantado, An Auberge Resort. 
• Florida and Nevada gained more Five Diamond properties than other states, each gaining three lodgings. 
• The American Club in Kohler, Wis., celebrates a quarter-century as a AAA Five Diamond Award Winner.
• 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 34 consecutive years - since the hotel Diamond Ratings were first published in the AAA TourBook(R) guides.
• The Inn at Little Washington Dining Room in Washington, Va., is the only restaurant to maintain Five Diamond status for 22 consecutive years.

2010 AAA/CAA Five Diamond Lodgings
Numbers indicate consecutive years as AAA/CAA Five Diamond Award winner.
List published Nov. 6, 2009, and is subject to change based on establishment operations.
Additional lists available at AAA.com/Diamonds.

UNITED STATES
 

Arizona SCOTTSDALE Camelback Inn, A JW Marriott Resort & Spa, 34 Fairmont Scottsdale, 19 Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North, 9 The Canyon Suites at the Phoenician, 3 The Phoenician, 6 California BEVERLY HILLS Raffles L'Ermitage Beverly Hills, 9 The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows, 2 The Peninsula Beverly Hills, 17 CARLSBAD Four Seasons Resort Aviara, 11 DANA POINT St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach, 3 The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, 24 HALF MOON BAY The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay, 8 LA JOLLA The Lodge at Torrey Pines, 8 LAGUNA BEACH Montage Laguna Beach, 2 LOS ANGELES Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, 9 MARINA DEL REY The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey, 18 NEWPORT BEACH Island Hotel Newport Beach, 18 NEWPORT COAST The Resort at Pelican Hill, 1 OAKHURST Château du Sureau, 16 OJAI Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, 4 SAN DIEGO The Grand Del Mar, 1 SAN FRANCISCO The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco, 16 SANTA BARBARA Four Seasons Biltmore Santa Barbara, 5 Simpson House Inn, 13 WESTLAKE VILLAGE Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, 2 Colorado ASPEN The Little Nell, 19 BEAVER CREEK The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, 5 COLORADO SPRINGS The Broadmoor, 34 Connecticut WASHINGTON The Mayflower Inn & Spa, 14 District of Columbia WASHINGTON Four Seasons Hotel Washington D.C., 21 The Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown, 6 The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C., 9 Florida AMELIA ISLAND The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, 16 COCONUT GROVE The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove, Miami, 7 FORT LAUDERDALE The Ritz-Carlton � Fort Lauderdale, 1 KEY BISCAYNE The Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne, 5 MANALAPAN The Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach, 2 MIAMI Four Seasons Hotel Miami, 4 NAPLES The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, 7 The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, 23 PALM BEACH The Breakers, 14 The Four Seasons Resort, Palm Beach, 1 PONTE VEDRA BEACH Ponte Vedra Inn and Club, 8 SARASOTA The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, 5 SUNNY ISLES BEACH Acqualina Resort and Spa on the Beach, 1 Georgia ATLANTA Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta, 11 InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta, 2 The Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta, 7 The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, 24 GREENSBORO The Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation, 4 ST. SIMONS ISLAND The Lodge at Sea Island, 9 Hawaii KAPALUA The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, 14 KAUPULEHU Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka'upulehu, 12 WAILEA Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, 19

Illinois CHICAGO Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, 20 The Peninsula Chicago, 8 Massachusetts BOSTON Four Seasons Hotel Boston, 22 Mandarin Oriental, Boston, 1 Missouri ST. LOUIS Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis, 2 Nevada HENDERSON The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas, 1 LAS VEGAS Bellagio, 9 Encore Las Vegas, 1 Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas, 11 SKYLOFTS at the MGM Grand, 4 The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino, 1 The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, 3 Wynn Las Vegas, 4 New Mexico SANTA FE Encantado, An Auberge Resort, 1 New York NEW YORK Four Seasons Hotel New York, 16 Mandarin Oriental, New York, 5 The Peninsula New York, 11 The Pierre New York-A Taj Hotel, 1 The Plaza Hotel, 1 The Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park, 8 The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park, 8 North Carolina CARY The Umstead Hotel & Spa, 3 FEARRINGTON VILLAGE The Fearrington House Inn, 16 Ohio AURORA Inn Walden, 6 Pennsylvania FARMINGTON Falling Rock at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, 4 PHILADELPHIA Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, 26 The Rittenhouse Hotel and Condominium Residences, 19 The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia, 10 South Carolina CHARLESTON Wentworth Mansion, 7 KIAWAH ISLAND The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, 4 SUMMERVILLE Woodlands Inn, 13 Tennessee NASHVILLE The Hermitage Hotel, 7 Texas DALLAS Rosewood Mansion On Turtle Creek, 19 The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, 1 IRVING Four Seasons Resort and Club, 7 Utah PARK CITY Stein Eriksen Lodge, 8 SALT LAKE CITY The Grand America Hotel, 6 Virginia RICHMOND The Jefferson Hotel, 17 WASHINGTON The Inn at Little Washington, 21 Washington SEATTLE The Fairmont Olympic Hotel, 26 West Virginia WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS The Greenbrier, 34 Wisconsin KOHLER The American Club, 25 Wyoming TETON VILLAGE Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole, 4

MEXICO Baja California Sur SAN JOSE DEL CABO Las Ventanas al Paraiso, 9 Distrito Federal MEXICO CITY Four Seasons Hotel Mexico D.F., 14 Nayarit NUEVO VALLARTA Grand Velas All Suites & Spa Resort, 4 PUNTA MITA Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, Mexico, 9 The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort, 1 Quintana Roo CANCUN JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa, 3 The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun, 14 PLAYA DEL CARMEN Fairmont Mayakoba, 3 Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya, 1 Occidental Royal Hideaway Resort & Spa, 4 Rosewood Mayakoba, 1 PUERTO MORELOS Zoëtry Paraiso de la Bonita Riviera Maya, 6

CANADA British Columbia WHISTLER Four Seasons Resort Whistler, 3 CARIBBEAN Barbados HOLETOWN (ST. JAMES PARISH) Sandy Lane Hotel, 7 Cayman Islands SEVEN MILE BEACH (GRAND CAYMAN) The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, 3 Jamaica ROSE HALL The Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort, Rose Hall, Jamaica, 9

2010 AAA/CAA Five Diamond Restaurants
Numbers indicate consecutive years as AAA/CAA Five Diamond Award winner.
List published Nov. 6, 2009, and is subject to change based on establishment operations.
Additional lists available at AAA.com/Diamonds.

Massachusetts BOSTON L'Espalier, 11 (in the Mandarin Oriental) LENOX Wheatleigh's Dining Room, 5 (in the Wheatleigh) Michigan GRAND RAPIDS The 1913 Room, 8 (in the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel) Nevada LAS VEGAS Alex, 5 (in the Wynn Las Vegas) Joël Robuchon, 4 (in the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino) Le Cirque, 7 (in the Bellagio) Picasso, 9 (in the Bellagio) Restaurant Guy Savoy, 2 (in Caesars Palace) New York NEW YORK Aureole, 13 Daniel, 11 Jean Georges Restaurant, 12 (in the Trump International Hotel & Tower) North Carolina FEARRINGTON VILLAGE The Fearrington House Restaurant, 15 (in The Fearrington House Inn) Pennsylvania FARMINGTON Lautrec, 3 (in the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort) PHILADELPHIA Fountain Restaurant, 16 (in the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia) South Carolina SUMMERVILLE The Dining Room at Woodlands, 14 (in the Woodlands Inn) Texas DALLAS The French Room, 21 (in The Adolphus)

Virginia WASHINGTON The Inn at Little Washington Dining Room, 22 (in The Inn at Little Washington) Washington WOODINVILLE The Herbfarm Restaurant, 8 CANADA Alberta BANFF Eden, 7 (in The Rimrock Resort Hotel) Ontario CAMBRIDGE Langdon Hall Dining Room & Terrace, 6 (in the Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa) Québec GATINEAU Le Baccara, 10 (in the Hilton Lac Leamy) MONTRÉAL Nuances, 10 (in the Casino de Montreal) Restaurant Toqué!, 5 CARIBBEAN Bermuda SOUTHAMPTON PARISH The Newport Room, 6 (in The Fairmont Southampton) Cayman Islands SEVEN MILE BEACH (GRAND CAYMAN) Blue, 3 (in The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman) MEXICO Quintana Roo CANCUN Fantino, 4 (in The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun) Le Basilic, 3 (in the Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach) The Club Grill, 11 (in The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun)

 

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 assignment of a AAA rating of One to Five Diamonds marks the completion of a successful annual evaluation by one of AAA's professional inspectors. AAA's professional inspectors evaluate and rate more than 58,000 lodgings and restaurants in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean using a scale of One to Five Diamonds. They conduct an average of more than 1,100 property evaluations per year and have a combined total of 700 years experience. The average tenure is 12 years, with the longest being 28 years. AAA inspectors work remotely and bring significant prior industry experience to the association. 

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 using guidelines made available to all establishments. AAA evaluates more properties than any other rating entity. Information about AAA Diamond Ratings and the complete 2010 Five Diamond Award winners lists are accessible at AAA.com/News. 

AAA Diamond ratings are published in AAA TourBook(R) travel guides, which are available free to AAA members. Ratings are also accessible through AAA's popular online mapping tool, the TripTik(R) Travel Planner, available free at AAA.com. One click on the handy map icons opens AAA listings, many with photos, from AAA's database of 58,000 AAA Approved and Diamond Rated hotels and restaurants.

AAA approves and rates properties on an individual basis and, often, the ratings are reflective of several years of inspection and analysis by AAA's professional inspectors. Although market fluctuations can and do impact properties, AAA does not use this as a reference when assessing ratings. AAA relies on a set of published criteria, the Diamond Rating Guidelines, which is based on member expectations and common industry practices.

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 AAA.com.