Diamonds are a girl`s best friend, so the saying goes. Diamonds-the ratings variety-also signify the top hotels, and resorts in America with this year`s rankings including restaurants for the first time, which is food for thought.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) Five Diamond Awards are considered a coveted symbol of lodging superiority with only 45 hotels and resorts in North America receiving five diamonds out of nearly 20,000 lodgings rated in AAA TourBooks.
As might be expected, the Five Diamond list includes the expected and the unexpected-including the fact that the Big Apple doesn`t have a single five-diamond property with outstanding hotels such as the Carlyle, Plaza, UN Plaza, Parc 51, Plaza Athenee, Regency, Grand Hyatt and Waldorf-Astoria excluded from that galaxy and the Helmsley Palace demoted from five to four diamonds this year.
Five first-time recipients have been honored-the Boulders in Carefree, Ariz.; the Inn at Little Washington, Washington, Va.; Four Seasons Hotel, Washington, D.C.; and the Pan Pacific Vancouver Hotel and Hotel Meridien, both in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Although AAA has been evaluating lodgings since 1909, the first diamond ratings were awarded in 1977 with seven hotels and resorts earning Five Diamonds since the diamond ratings began. They are Marriott`s Camelback Inn in Scotsdale, Ariz.; the Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colo.; C Lazy U Ranch at Granby, Colo.; Harrah`s Tahoe Hotel and Casino, Lake Tahoe, Nev.; Salishan Lodge, Gleneden Beach, Ore.; the Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.;
and Four Seasons Hotel, Vancouver, British Columbia.
Arizona, California and Florida are the state`s with the most top-rated hotels (four apiece) with Colorado and Hawaii next with three. Arizona has the Pointe at Squaw Peak and Pointe at Tapatio Cliffs (both Phoenix). Top California selections include the Ritz-Carlton at Laguna Niguel and San Francisco`s the Fairmount Hotel & Tower, Four Seasons Clift Hotel and the Westin St. Francis.
Florida`s Five Diamond Winners include the Boca Raton Resort & Club, Boca Raton; the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, Lake Buena Vista; the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Naples; and the Breakers, Palm Beach. The Colorado choices include the Broadmoor, Colorado Springs; Tall Timber, Durango; and C Lazy U Ranch, Granby. Hawaii`s best: the Halekulani, Honolulu; the Mauna Lani Bay, Kawaihae;
and Stouffer Wailea Beach Resort, Wailea.
The upscale Four Seasons emerges as the best chain with seven honorees
(in San Francisco, Washington, D.C.; Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle, Vancouver and Toronto) followed by the Ritz-Carlton with five (Laguna Niguel, Calif.; Naples, Fla.; Atlanta, Chicago, and Boston).
The restaurants include Boston`s Aujourd`hui of the Four Seasons Hotel;
Chicago`s Ambria; Atlanta`s the Dining Room; New York City`s Le Bernardin and the Four Seasons; Dallas` the French Room; the Mansion on Turtle Creek Dining Room and Routh St. Cafe.; New Orleans` the Grill Room; the Inn at Little Washington, Washington, Va.; Le Bec Fin, Philadelphia; Maile Restaurant, Honolulu; the Regency Dining Room, Williamsburg, Va.; and Tony`s, St. Louis, the only Italian restaurant in the group.
