AAA Announces 1998 Five Diamond Award Award Winners
10 November 1997
Historic B&B, Puerto Rican Resort Among 8 Newcomers To 1998 AAA Five Diamond Awards
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.
AAA news releases can be downloaded from the following sites:
AOL -- Keyword: AAA; Click on "News and Events," "News Releases;" or
Internet -- http://www.aaa.com/news/news.html
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.
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.
SOURCE American Automobile Association