LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - October 22, 2007) - Sixty-two Southern California hotels and 35 restaurants have earned the 2008 AAA Four Diamond Award, the Automobile Club of Southern California announced today. Ten locations appear for the first time on the 2008 list.
The coveted plaque featuring a design of four raised diamonds and AAA Four Diamond Award logo are presented to hotel and restaurant general managers and executive chefs to recognize the award-winning properties, which are among the top 4 percent of more than 2,600 Southern California hotels, motels, and restaurants inspected by the Auto Club, the nation's largest AAA affiliate.
"The AAA Diamond rating system remains an objective and consistent method to measure upscale dining establishments and lodgings which Auto Club and AAA members rely upon," said the Auto Club's Approved Accommodations Manager Charles Smith. "We again congratulate the restaurant and hotel professionals that day-in and day-out work conscientiously to offer high caliber service, hospitality and pampering to their guests in accommodations that are beautiful, clean and comfortable."
The list of 2008 AAA Four Diamond hotels and restaurants throughout Southern California follows, along with the consecutive years each property has earned the award:
Inyo/Mono Counties Hotel Years
Death Valley National Park Furnace Creek Inn 21
Los Angeles County Hotels
Beverly Hills Beverly Wilshire Beverly Hills, A 15
Four Seasons Hotel
Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows 2
Glendale Hilton Los Angeles North/Glendale 8
& Executive Meeting Center
Los Angeles Hotel Bel-Air 27
Hotel Sofitel Los Angeles 15
Omni Los Angeles Hotel 5
InterContinental Los Angeles at
Century City 20
Hyatt Regency Century Plaza 25
Pasadena The Westin-Pasadena 3
Santa Monica The Fairmont Miramar Hotel Santa Monica 6
Le Merigot, A JW Marriott Hotel and Spa 6
Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel 19
Universal City Hilton Universal City & Towers 1
West Hollywood Sunset Marquis Hotel & Villas 1
Westlake Village Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village 1
Los Angeles County Restaurants
Beverly Hills JAAN (in Raffles L'Emitage Beverly Hills) 4
Spago Beverly Hills 4
Calabasas Saddle Peak Lodge 11
Glendale Gennaro's Ristorante 8
Long Beach The Sky Room 4
Los Angeles Gardens (Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles 13
at Beverly Hills)
Patina 17
The Restaurant (Hotel Bel-Air) 10
Marina del Rey jer-ne (The Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey) 7
Pasadena The Dining Room (The Ritz-Carlton, 5
Huntington Hotel and Spa)
The Raymond Restaurant 3
Santa Monica Valentino Restaurant 13
Westlake Village Hamptons 1
Orange County Hotels
Anaheim Disney's Grand Californian Hotel 7
Dana Point Blue Lantern Inn 17
Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa 4
Huntington Beach Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort 17
Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort
& Spa 5
Irvine Hyatt Regency Irvine 5
Laguna Beach Surf & Sand Resort 17
Montage Resort Laguna Beach 1
Newport Beach The Balboa Bay Club & Resort 4
Fairmont Newport Beach 1
Orange County Restaurants
Fullerton The Cellar 18
Huntington Beach The Californian (Hyatt Regency 5
Huntington Beach Resort & Spa)
Newport Beach Palm Terrace (The Island Hotel 14
Newport Beach
The First Cabin (The Balboa Bay Club 4
Resort & Spa)
The Ritz Restaurant & Garden 15
Riverside County Hotels
Cabazon Morongo Casino Resort & Spa 3
Indian Wells Hyatt Grand Champions Resort 21
Renaissance Esmeralda Resort and Spa 5
Palm Desert Desert Springs, JW Marriott Resort & Spa 21
Palm Springs The Willows Historic Palm Springs Inn 11
Temecula Pechanga Resort & Casino 6
Riverside County Restaurants
Rancho Mirage Wally's Desert Turtle 15
Palm Springs Europa Restaurant (Villa Royale Inn) 3
Le Vallauris 15
Riverside Duane's Prime Steaks & Seafood
(Mission Inn) 13
San Bernardino County Hotels
Big Bear Lake Alpenhorn Bed & Breakfast 8
San Diego County Hotels
Borrego Springs La Casa Del Zorro Resort 15
Coronado Hotel del Coronado 3
Loews Coronado Bay Resort 16
Del Mar L'Auberge Del Mar Resort & Spa 6
Julian Orchard Hill Country Inn 12
La Jolla Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa 3
Hilton La Jolla/Torrey Pines 18
Hyatt Regency La Jolla 18
La Valencia Hotel 19
Pala Pala Casino Spa Resort 4
Rancho Bernardo Rancho Bernardo Inn 31
Rancho Santa Fe Rancho Valencia Resort 18
San Diego Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego 15
Omni San Diego Resort 3
Pacific Terrace Hotel 1
San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina 24
The US Grant 1
The Westgate Hotel 1
The Westin San Diego 14
San Diego County Restaurants
Carlsbad Vivace (Four Seasons Resort Aviara) 9
La Jolla A.R. Valentien (The Lodge at Torrey Pines) 4
George's at the Cove 8
Sky Room (La Valencia Hotel) 17
Rancho Bernardo El Bizcocho Restaurant 18
(Rancho Bernardo Inn)
Rancho Santa Fe Mille Fleurs 17
San Diego Baci's 4
Bertrand's at Mister A's 14
Grant Grill (The US Grant) 1
Molly's (San Diego Marriott Hotel
& Marina) 4
San Luis Obispo County Hotels
Cambria Blue Whale Inn Bed & Breakfast 17
Cayucos Cayucos Sunset Inn 6
Santa Barbara County Hotels
Ballard The Ballard Inn 15
Los Olivos Fess Parker's Wine Country Inn & Spa 19
Santa Barbara Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort 2
Harbor View Inn 11
Inn on Summer Hill 18
Santa Ynez Chumash Casino Resort 4
Santa Ynez Inn 6
Solvang Petersen Village Inn 24
Santa Barbara County Restaurants
Ballard Ballard Inn Restaurant (The Ballard Inn) 3
Santa Ynez The Willows (Chumash Casino Resort) 3
Ventura County Hotel
Ojai Maravilla Restaurant
(Ojai Valley Inn & Spa) 2
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 each year. Inspectors review and rate exterior, grounds and public areas, room décor, 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.
AAA Approves and Rates more than 32,000 lodgings and 28,000 restaurants each year throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. A wide range of property listings are included in regional TourBook® guides, with a yearly distribution of nearly 20 million, and on AAA.com, where many travel planning and information services -- including the well-known TripTik® Travel Planner, TourBook listings and Diamond Ratings -- are now available to non-members as well. The AAA Four Diamond rating is exclusive in that less than 4% of all AAA approved properties achieve this rating. The 2008 AAA Five Diamond Award lodging and restaurant recipients will be announced in November.
Contact Information: CONTACT: Carol Thorp Elaine Beno 714-885-2333