AAA Chicago Honors 2005 Five/Four Diamond Establishments

AURORA, Ill., June 21 -- AAA Chicago congratulates area 2005 AAA Five and Four Diamond hotels and restaurants. Recipients underwent rigorous review and met the highest standards in quality and service to earn AAA's exclusive, top Diamond ratings. For 2005, only seven area establishments carry the illustrious Five-Diamond designation and another 48 properties bear the Four-Diamond honor.

Every year, AAA evaluates over 70,000 restaurants and lodgings worldwide on a scale of one-to-five Diamonds. Approximately 55,000 go on to receive a Diamond rating. Less than one-half of 1 percent of properties meets criteria for Five-Diamond status and fewer than 4 percent receive Four Diamonds. Ratings are published annually in the popular AAA TourBooks(R), which are available to all, but primarily reserved as a benefit for AAA's more than 48 million members throughout North America.

Members and non-members alike rely on the Diamond rating scale. According to studies conducted by the Travel Institute of America, AAA's Diamond rating is among top considerations that all travelers -- not just AAA members -- factor into their hotel selections. As a select group, AAA members spend an estimated $186 billion annually on travel, including hotel, restaurant and entertainment. It is no wonder that, annually, AAA members account for 36 percent of all spending on U.S. lodging stays.

For more information about AAA's Diamond rating and travel agency services, please contact us at (866) YOUR-AAA (866-968-7222) or visit us on the Web at http://www.aaa.com/ . For more than 100 years, AAA has represented the interests of the nation's motorists and served as an advocate for various traffic safety and travel related issues. AAA Chicago has served in that role in Illinois and Northern Indiana since its founding in 1906.

AAA Chicago offers automotive, travel, insurance and financial services. It is part of The Auto Club Group (ACG), the largest affiliation of AAA clubs in the Midwest, with 4.1 million members in eight states. ACG clubs belong to the national AAA federation, a not-for-profit organization, with more than 48 million members in the United States and Canada.

ADDENDUM

Following are AAA Diamond Award winners in Illinois and northern Indiana listed with the consecutive number of years the establishment has won the award:

  AAA Five Diamond Hotels:
  Four Seasons Hotel (Chicago), 15
  The Peninsula (Chicago), 3

  AAA Five Diamond Restaurants:
  Arun's (Chicago), 3
  Charlie Trotter's (Chicago), 11
  Everest (Chicago), 9
  Seasons Restaurant (Four Seasons Hotel, Chicago), 5
  Tru (Chicago), 5

  AAA Four Diamond Restaurants:
  Allen's - The New American Cafe (Chicago), 1
  Ambria (Chicago), 2
  Avenues (Chicago), 3
  Les Nomades (Chicago), 4
  mk (Chicago), 5
  NoMi (Park Hyatt Hotel, Chicago), 3
  Shanghai Terrace (Chicago), 3
  Spiaggia (Chicago), 11
  Spring Restaurant (Chicago), 3
  The Pump Room (Chicago), 2
  The Dining Room (Ritz-Carlton, Chicago), 17
  Topolobampo (Chicago), 3
  Yoshi's Cafe (Chicago), 14
  Zealous (Chicago), 3
  Le Titi de Paris (Arlington Heights, IL), 15
  Atwater's (Geneva, IL), 1
  Carlos' (Highland Park, IL), 17
  Tallgrass (Lockport, IL), 11
  Nick's Fishmarket (Rosemont, IL), 14
  LaSalle Grill (South Bend, IN), 9
  The Carriage House Dining Room (South Bend, IN), 3

  AAA Four Diamond Award Hotels:
  Hard Rock Hotel (Chicago), 1
  Hilton (Chicago), 1
  Hotel Monaco (Chicago), 1
  House of Blues Hotel (Chicago), 3
  Hyatt Regency (Chicago), 2
  InterContinental (Chicago), 15
  Le Meridien (Chicago), 3
  Omni Ambassador East (Chicago), 2
  Omni Chicago Hotel (Chicago), 12
  Park Hyatt (Chicago), 3
  Renaissance Hotel (Chicago), 13
  Sofitel Water Tower Place (Chicago), 2
  Swissotel (Chicago), 14
  The Drake Hotel (Chicago), 13
  The Fairmont Hotel (Chicago), 17
  The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, (Chicago), 1
  The Sutton Place Hotel, (Chicago), 10
  The Westin Michigan Avenue (Chicago), 2
  W Chicago City Center, 3
  W Chicago Lakeshore, 3
  Westin River North (Chicago), 2
  Wyndham (Chicago), 6
  The Herrington Inn & Spa (Geneva, IL), 11
  Marriott's Lincolnshire Resort (Lincolnshire, IL), 10
  Renaissance Chicago North Shore (Northbrook, IL), 2
  The Westin O'Hare (Rosemont, IL), 2
  Cushing Manor Inn (South Bend, IN), 6