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ORLANDO, Fla. -- Four restaurants and five hotels have been added to the list of AAA Five Diamond winners for 2005, bringing the total number of Five Diamond properties to 142. There are 85 lodgings and 57 restaurants on this year's list.
The 142 Five Diamond winners total only 0.26 percent of the more than 55,000 properties evaluated annually by AAA.
"As the industry and guests continue to raise the bar on expectations, these properties continue to meet the challenge," said Michael Petrone, director, AAA Tourism Information Development. "This level of achievement requires the highest quality of service and facilities. We are convinced that these properties will exceed guest expectations."
AAA members and consumers can research AAA's Diamond Ratings for hotels and restaurants by using AAA's online mapping and trip planning tools at http://www.aaa.com or http://www.aaamaps.com. Members can receive free AAA TourBooks(R) from their local club.
First-time winners on the 2005 list include: two restaurants in Canada; a restaurant and a hotel in Ohio - that state's first Five Diamond properties; a restaurant in Bermuda; and hotels in Arizona, Washington, DC, Utah, and Mexico. AAA's Diamond Ratings is the only lodging and restaurant rating system that covers all of North America including Mexico and the Caribbean, as well as Canada and all of the U.S. states.
Three lodgings have distinguished themselves by earning the coveted AAA Five Diamond rating for 29 consecutive years: Marriott's Camelback Inn Resort, Golf Club & Spa, Scottsdale, Ariz.; The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colo.; and The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.
Two restaurants also have held a Five Diamond rating since the Diamond Rating program was applied to restaurants - 17 years: Le Bec Fin, Philadelphia; and The Inn at Little Washington Dining Room, Washington, Va.
"Important aspects of quality service are consistency and hospitality," said Petrone, "and these five have maintained the Five Diamond level of service excellence longer than other establishments in the industry. This is an amazing achievement."
To be considered for AAA rating and approval, restaurants and lodgings must undergo a thorough inspection by one of AAA's 65 full-time, trained, professional evaluators. Five Diamond establishments go through more extensive inspections and final committee review. AAA evaluated more than 55,000 properties for the 2005 TourBooks(R).
AAA first started listing accommodation information in its travel publications in the early 1900s. 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 or outstanding. The current one- to five-diamond rating system was introduced in 1977 and continues to be recognized as the trusted leader of quality ratings for North American restaurants and lodgings.
Editor's Note: A complete list of Five Diamond properties follows this news release.
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COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
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