Southern California Hotels and Restaurants Earn AAA Four Diamond Awards for Service Excellence
LOS ANGELES--Oct. 1, 20035, 2003--Fifty-nine Southern California hotels and 30 restaurants have earned the AAA 2004 Four Diamond Award, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California. Five hotels and three restaurants have joined the Four Diamond ranks for the first time. The award-winning properties are among the top 4 percent of more than 2,000 Southern California hotels, motels and restaurants inspected by the Auto Club, the nation's largest AAA affiliate."The AAA Four Diamond status represents a profound effort and extraordinary accomplishment by a hotel or restaurant," said the Auto Club's Approved Accommodations Manager Charles Smith. "This award signifies that a property has met AAA's objective rating criteria and met levels of excellence during extensive inspections. In the face of a difficult year for the travel industry, this year's group of Four Diamond properties continued to reflect a high degree of hospitality and attention to detail."
Hotels and restaurants honored with a Four Diamond Award for 2003 and the number of consecutive years each property has earned the award follow:
-- Inyo/Mono Counties Hotel
Death Valley Furnace Creek Inn 17th year
-- Los Angeles County Hotels
Beverly Hills Beverly Hilton 24th year
Regent Beverly Wilshire 11th year
Glendale Hilton Hotel Glendale 4th year
Los Angeles Century Plaza Hotel & Spa 21st year
Hilton Checkers 1st year
Hotel Bel-Air 23rd year
Omni Los Angeles 1st year
Park Hyatt Los Angeles at
Century City 16th year
St. Regis Hotel Los Angeles 3rd year
Santa Monica Le Merigot, AJW Marriot
Hotel & Spa 2nd year
Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel 15th year
The Fairmont Miramar Hotel
Santa Monica 2nd year
West Hollywood Sunset Marquis Hotel & Villas 18th year
-- Los Angeles County Restaurants
Beverly Hills The Dining Room
(Regent Beverly Wilshire) 9th year
Calabasas Saddle Peak Lodge 7th year
Glendale Gennaro's Ristorante 4th year
Los Angeles Gardens (Four Seasons Hotel) 9th year
Patina 13th year
The Restaurant (Hotel Bel-Air) 6th year
L'Orangerie 3rd year
Marina del Rey jer-ne restaurant
(Ritz-Carlton Hotel) 3rd year
Pasadena The Dining Room
(Ritz-Carlton Hotel) 1st year
Santa Monica Valentino Restaurant 9th year
West Hollywood Diaghilev
(Wyndham Bel Age Hotel) 12th year
-- Mono County Restaurant
Bridgeport Restaurant 1881 3rd year
-- Orange County Hotels
Anaheim Disney's Grand Californian 3rd year
Dana Point Blue Lantern Inn 13th year
Huntington Beach Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort 13th year
Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa 1st year
Irvine Hyatt Regency 1st year
Laguna Beach Surf & Sand Hotel 13th year
-- Orange County Restaurants
Dana Point Aqua (St. Regis Monarch Beach) 2nd year
The Club Grill & Bar (The
Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel) 8th year
Fullerton The Cellar 14th year
Huntington Beach The Californian
(Hyatt Regency Hotel) 1st year
Newport Beach Aubergine 3rd year
The Pavilion
(Four Seasons Hotel) 10th year
The Ritz Restaurant & Garden 11th year
-- Riverside County Hotels
Indian Wells Hyatt Grand Champions Resort 17th year
Renaissance Esmeralda
Resort & Spa 1st year
Palm Desert Marriott's Desert Springs
Resort & Spa 17th year
Palm Springs The Willows Historic Palm
Springs Inn 7th year
Rancho Mirage The Lodge At Rancho Mirage 16th year
The Westin Mission Hills
Resort 12th year
Temecula Pechanga Resort & Casino 2nd year
-- Riverside County Restaurants
Palm Springs Le Vallauris 11th year
Rancho Mirage The Cafe
(The Lodge at Rancho Mirage) 1st year
Wally's Desert Turtle 11th year
Riverside Duane's Prime Steaks & Seafood
(Mission Inn) 9th year
-- San Bernardino County Hotels
Big Bear Lake Alpenhorn Bed & Breakfast 4th year
-- San Diego County Hotels
Borrego Springs La Casa Del Zorro Resort 11th year
Coronado Coronado Island Marriott
Resort 16th year
Hotel Del Coronado 9th year
Loews Coronado Bay Resort 11th year
Del Mar L'Auberge Del Mar Resort & Spa 2nd year
Fallbrook Oak Creek Manor --
Luxury Bed & Breakfast 2nd year
Julian Orchard Hill Country Inn 8th year
La Jolla Hilton La Jolla/Torrey Pines 14th year
Hyatt Regency La Jolla 14th year
La Valencia Hotel 15th year
Rancho Bernardo Rancho Bernardo Inn 27th year
Rancho Santa Fe Rancho Valencia Resort 14th year
San Diego Hilton San Diego Resort 26th year
Manchester Grand Hyatt 11th year
San Diego Marriott
Hotel & Marina 20th year
Wyndham San Diego at Emerald
Plaza 12th year
-- San Diego County Restaurants
Carlsbad Vivace
(Four Seasons Resort Aviara) 5th year
La Jolla George's at the Cove 4th year
Sky Room (La Valencia Hotel) 13th year
Rancho Bernardo El Bizcocho Restaurant
(Rancho Bernardo Inn) 14th year
Rancho Santa Fe Mille Fleurs 13th year
San Diego Bertrand at Mister A's 10th year
-- San Luis Obispo County Hotels
Cambria Blue Whale Inn Bed & Breakfast 13th year
Pelican Suites 5th year
Cayucos Cayucos Sunset Inn 2nd year
Morro Bay Ascot Suites 5th year
Paso Robles Summerwood Inn 9th year
San Luis Obispo Apple Farm Inn 16th year
-- Santa Barbara County Hotels
Ballard The Ballard Inn 11th year
Los Olivos Fess Parker's Wine
Country Inn & Spa 15th year
Santa Barbara Bacara Resort & Spa 3rd year
Four Seasons Biltmore 22nd year
Harbor View Inn 7th year
Inn On Summer Hill 14th year
Santa Ynez Santa Ynez Inn 2nd year
Solvang Petersen Village Inn 20th year
-- Santa Barbara County Restaurants
Santa Barbara La Marina
(Four Seasons Biltmore) 7th year
-- Ventura County
Ojai Ojai Valley Inn & Spa 2nd year
AAA's Diamond rating program is the only hotel and restaurant review system in the nation that uses specially trained full-time field representatives. As part of AAA's national network, the Auto Club's own staff reviews establishments in Southern California without prior notification using objective and detailed rating procedures.
Lodging inspections include at least one unannounced inspection and one overnight visit each year. Inspectors review and rate exterior, grounds and public areas, room decor, ambiance and amenities, guest room, bathrooms, housekeeping and maintenance, management and staff and guest services. Once the inspection process is complete, properties that meet all requirements receive a rating of one to five Diamonds.
Nationwide, AAA inspects more than 47,000 properties each year. Properties are rated within their own classification, such as motel, hotel, bed & breakfast, etc. There are 13 classifications, ranging from facilities that offer limited services to those offering full services. Fewer than 3 percent of the estimated 25,000 AAA-rated lodgings and less than 4 percent of the estimated 11,000 restaurants attain Four Diamond status. Approximately 60 percent of all lodging facilities in the nation qualify for a one to five Diamond rating. Five Diamond hotels and restaurants will be announced in November.
The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the AAA, has been serving members since 1900. Today, the Auto Club's members benefit by the organization's roadside assistance, insurance services, travel agency, financial products, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs, automotive testing and analysis, trip planning services, and highway and transportation safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's Web site at www.aaa-calif.com.