LOS ANGELES - Nov. 12, 2004 -- Twelve Southern California hotels and
one restaurant have been approved for the AAA Five Diamond Award for 2005,
according to the Automobile Club of Southern California. The Belvedere
restaurant in The Peninsula Beverly Hills received its 10th AAA Five Diamond
rating.
The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel received its 19th consecutive award,
and The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey and Four Seasons Hotel, Newport Beach,
received the honor for the 13th year.
"The AAA Five Diamond Award goes to very select hotels and restaurants
that meet the highest standards of excellence," said the Auto Club's Approved
Accommodations Manager Chuck Smith. "The Auto Club congratulates Southern
California's outstanding Five Diamond establishments for consistently delivering
memorable travel and dining experiences with world-class service."
More than 55,000 properties are evaluated each year by AAA's 65 full-time
tourism editors. Only 0.26 percent earn the AAA Five Diamond distinction
and are listed in the 2005 AAA TourBook(R) guides. Southern California
hotels that received the 2005 AAA Five Diamond Award with consecutive years
listed are:
Beverly Hills
-
The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows, 4
-
Raffles L'Ermitage, Beverly Hills, 4
-
The Peninsula Beverly Hills, 12
Carlsbad
-
Four Seasons Resort Aviara, 6
Dana Point
-
The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, 19
-
The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa, 3
La Jolla
-
The Lodge at Torrey Pines, 3
Los Angeles
Marina del Rey
Pasadena
-
The Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel & Spa, 2
Newport Beach
Santa Barbara
The only Southern California restaurant receiving a 2005 AAA Five Diamond
rating was The Belvedere in The Peninsula Beverly Hills.
Some 2005 AAA Five Diamond Fast Facts:
-
Nine properties made it to the Five Diamond list this year, while four
fell off the list, bringing the total number of Five Diamond properties
for 2005 to 142, a 3.6 percent increase over last year.
-
Ohio is the only state to gain both a Five Diamond lodging and a Five Diamond
restaurant. These are the first Five Diamond properties that Ohio has ever
had.
-
California has the most Five Diamond properties, 19 in all -- 15 lodgings
and four restaurants. Florida is second with 14 properties in all.
-
States with the most Five Diamond lodgings: California, 15; Florida, 8;
New York, Arizona and Texas, 5; Hawaii and Georgia, 4.
-
States/provinces with the most Five Diamond restaurants: Florida and New
York, 6; Illinois, 5; California, 4; Nevada, Virginia and Quebec, Canada,
3.
To be considered for AAA approval and rating, lodgings and restaurants
must undergo a thorough inspection. The Auto Club's staff reviews Southern
California establishments. Five Diamond establishments go through the most
extensive reviews of the Diamond rating programs.
AAA started listing accommodation information in its travel publications
in the early 1900s. AAA introduced the current One-to-Five Diamond rating
system in the 1977 Edition of the TourBook(R) guides, although AAA had
been inspecting restaurants since 1937.
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