PALM BEACH, Fla., Nov. 10 - The 1998 lineup of AAA Five Diamond winners includes two firsts in the association's long history of rating establishments -- a historic bed breakfast and a world-class resort hotel
in Puerto Rico.

The Simpson House Inn in Santa Barbara, Calif., and Las Casitas Village in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, join four other
lodgings and two new restaurants as newcomers to the AAA Five Diamond Awards.

New York City's Aureole and LeCirque 2000 are this year's new restaurant recipients, bringing The Big Apple's
AAA Five Diamond total to six restaurants and three hotels.

The 1998 winner's circle features a total of 57 lodgings and 40 restaurants. The awards will be presented tonight
during ceremonies at The Four Seasons Resort in Palm Beach. "AAA Five Diamond winners represent the ultimate in world-class service and facilities," said Alan Borne, managing director, AAA Publishing.
"Think of the very best, raise the bar a notch or two, and there's where you'll find these crown jewels," Borne
said.

In addition to the Simpson House Inn and Las Casitas Village, newcomers to the 1998 Five Diamond lodging
program are: The Inn at National Hall, Westport, Conn.; Ihilani Resort Spa, Kapolei, Hawaii; The New York Palace, New York, NY; and the Woodlands Resort Inn, Summerville, S.C.

Five properties have maintained AAA Five Diamond status since the program's inception in 1977. They are:
Marriott's Camelback Inn, Scottsdale, Ariz.; The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colo.; C Lazy U Ranch, Granby,
Colo.; The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.; and Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver, Vancouver, B.C.

All AAA-approved lodgings and restaurants undergo a thorough annual inspection by a team of 60 full-time
professionals. Five Diamond establishments go through a more extensive review. Of the more than 34,000
lodgings and restaurants listed in the AAA TourBooks(R), fewer than one-half percent are recipients of the Five
Diamond Award.

AAA first started listing accommodation information in its travel publications in the early 1900's. In 1937, the first
field inspectors were hired to inspect hotels, motels and restaurants. In 1963, AAA began to rate all
accommodations as good, very good, excellent and outstanding. The current one to five diamond rating system
was introduced in 1977 during AAA's 75th anniversary.
 

1998 FIVE DIAMOND LODGINGS

    ARIZONA
    Carefree
      The Boulders Resort - 9
    Scottsdale
      Marriott's Camelback Inn - 22
      Scottsdale Princess - 7

    CALIFORNIA
    Beverly Hills
      The Peninsula Beverly Hills - 5
    Dana Point
      The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel - 12
    Oakhurst
      Chateau du Sureau - 4
    Newport Beach
      Four Seasons Hotel Newport Beach - 6
    Marina del Rey
      The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey - 6
    San Francisco
      The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco - 4
    Santa Barbara
      Simpson House Inn - 1

    COLORADO
    Aspen
      The Little Nell - 7
    Colorado Springs
      The Broadmoor - 22
    Granby
      C Lazy U Ranch - 22

    CONNECTICUT
    Washington
      The Mayflower Inn - 2
    Westport
      The Inn at National Hall - 1

    DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
    Washington
      Four Seasons Hotel Washington - 9

    FLORIDA
    Amelia Island
      The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island - 4
    Naples
      The Ritz-Carlton, Naples - 11
    Manalapan
      The Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach - 2
    Palm Beach
      The Breakers - 2
      The Four Seasons Resort - 2

    GEORGIA
    Atlanta
      The Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta - 5
      The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead - 12

    HAWAII
    Honolulu
      Halekulani Hotel - 13
    Wailea
      Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea - 7
      Grand Wailea Resort Hotel  Spa - 5
    Lahuipuaa
      Mauna Lani Bay Hotel  Bungalows -10
    Kapalua
      The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua - 2
    Kapolei
      Ihilani Resort  Spa - 1

    ILLINOIS
    Chicago
      Four Seasons Hotel Chicago - 8
      The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago
      A Four Seasons Regent Hotel- 18

    LOUISIANA
    New Orleans
      Windsor Court Hotel - 12

    MASSACHUSETTS
    Boston
      Four Seasons Hotel Boston - 10

    NEW JERSEY
    Short Hills
      Hilton at Short Hills - 8

    NEW YORK
    New York
      Four Seasons Hotel New York - 4
      The St. Regis Hotel-New York - 4
      The New York Palace - 1

    NORTH CAROLINA
    Fearrington
      The Fearrington House Inn - 4

    PENNSYLVANIA
    Philadelphia
      Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia - 14
      The Rittenhouse Hotel  Condominium Residences - 7
      The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia - 3

    SOUTH CAROLINA
    Summerville
      Woodlands Resort  Inn - 1

    TEXAS
    Dallas
      The Mansion on Turtle Creek - 7
    Houston
      Omni Houston Hotel - 16
      Four Seasons Hotel Houston - 3

    VIRGINIA
    Richmond
      The Jefferson Hotel - 5
    Washington
      The Inn at Little Washington - 9

    WASHINGTON
    Seattle
      Four Seasons Olympic Hotel - 14

    WEST VIRGINIA
    White Sulphur Springs
      The Greenbrier - 22

    WISCONSIN
    Kohler
      The American Club - 13
 

CANADA

    BRITISH COLUMBIA
    Vancouver
      Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver - 22
      The Sutton Place Hotel - 9

    CARIBBEAN
    Nevis
      Four Seasons Resort Nevis - 6
    Puerto Rico
      Las Casitas Village - 1

MEXICO
Cancun
Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Cancun - 4
The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun - 3
Mexico City
Four Seasons Hotel Mexico City - 2
 

*Numbers indicate consecutive number of years as a winner.

1998 FIVE DIAMOND RESTAURANTS

ARIZONA
Scottsdale
Marquesa in the Scottsdale Princess - 7
Tucson
The Tack Room - 6

    CALIFORNIA
    Beverly Hills
      The Belvedere in the Peninsula Beverly Hills - 3
    Los Angeles
      L'Orangerie - 6
    Oakhurst
      Erna's Elderberry House - 2
    San Francisco
      Campton Place Restaurant - 2
      The Dining Room in the Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco - 2

    FLORIDA
    Amelia Island
      The Grill in the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island - 4
    Palm Beach
      The Restaurant at the Four Seasons Resort - 3

    GEORGIA
    Atlanta
      The Restaurant in the Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta - 3
      The Dining Room in the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead - 9

    HAWAII
    Honolulu
      La Mer in the Halekulani Hotel - 8

    ILLINOIS
    Chicago
      Ambria - 10
      Charlie Trotter's - 4
      Everest - 2
    Wheeling
      Le Francais - 8

    LOUISIANA
    New Orleans
      The Grill Room in the Windsor Court Hotel - 9

    MAINE
    Kennebunkport
      The White Barn Inn - 6

    MASSACHUSETTS
    Boston
      Aujourd'hui in the Four Seasons Hotel Boston - 3

    MISSOURI
    St. Louis
      Tony's - 9

    NEW JERSEY
    Short Hills
      The Dining Room in the Hilton at Short Hills - 5

    NEW YORK
    New York City
      Aureole - 1
      Le Cirque 2000 - 1
      Les Celebrites - 5
      The Four Seasons - 10
      Le Bernardin - 10
      Lespinasse in The St. Regis Hotel - New York - 4

    NORTH CAROLINA
    Fearrington
      The Fearrington House Restaurant - 3

    PENNSYLVANIA
    Philadelphia
      The Fountain Restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia - 4
      Le Bec Fin - 10

    SOUTH CAROLINA
    Summerville
      The Dining Room at Woodlands - 2

    TENNESSEE
    Nashville
      Wild Boar - 2

    TEXAS
    Dallas
      The French Room in the Adolphus - 9
      The Mansion on Turtle Creek Dining Room - 9

    VIRGINIA
    Richmond
      Lemaire in the Jefferson Hotel - 3
    Williamsburg
      The Dining Room at Ford's Colony - 3
    Washington
      The Inn at Little Washington Dining Room - 10
 

CANADA

    ONTARIO
    Toronto
      Truffles in the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto - 4

    BRITISH COLUMBIA
    Vancouver
      Five Sails Restaurant in the Pan Pacific Hotel - 3
 

MEXICO
Cancun
La Joya in the Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Cancun - 4

    *Numbers indicate consecutive number of years as a winner.

SOURCE:   American Automobile Association