LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - October 13, 2008) - Sixty-five Southern California hotels and 36 restaurants have earned the 2009 AAA Four Diamond Award, the Automobile Club of Southern California announced today. Eight locations appear for the first time on the 2009 list, two in Los Angeles County: Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, and The London West Hollywood.
The coveted plaque featuring a design of four raised simulated 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 rank 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.
"AAA's Diamond Rating System is the only ratings system that covers all of North America and one of only two that conduct physical, on-site evaluations," said the Auto Club's Approved Accommodations Supervisor Patricia Marenco. "Southern California's hospitality professionals work hard to offer high caliber service and hospitality to their guests in AAA Four Diamond accommodations that are attractive, safe and clean."
The list of 2009 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 Furnace Creek Inn 22
Park
Los Angeles County Hotels
Beverly Hills Beverly Wilshire Beverly Hills, A 16
Four Seasons Hotel
Glendale Hilton Los Angeles North/Glendale 9
& Executive Meeting Center
Hollywood Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa 1
Los Angeles Hotel Bel-Air 28
Sofitel Los Angeles 16
Omni Los Angeles Hotel 6
InterContinental Los Angeles Century City 21
Hyatt Regency Century Plaza 26
Pasadena The Westin-Pasadena 4
Santa Monica The Fairmont Miramar Hotel Santa Monica 7
Le Merigot - A JW Marriott Hotel and Spa 7
Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel 20
Universal City Hilton Universal City & Towers 2
West Hollywood The London West Hollywood 1
Sunset Marquis Hotel & Villas 2
Los Angeles County Restaurants
Beverly Hills JAAN (in Raffles L'Emitage Beverly Hills) 5
Spago Beverly Hills 5
Calabasas Saddle Peak Lodge 12
Glendale Gennaro's Ristorante 9
Long Beach The Sky Room 5
Los Angeles Gardens (Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles 14
at Beverly Hills)
Patina 18
The Restaurant (Hotel Bel-Air) 11
Marina del Rey jer-ne restaurant + bar 8
(The Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey)
Pasadena The Dining Room (The Ritz-Carlton, Huntington 6
Hotel and Spa)
The Raymond Restaurant 4
Santa Monica Valentino Restaurant 14
Westlake Village Hamptons 2
Orange County Hotels
Anaheim Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa 8
Dana Point Blue Lantern Inn 18
Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa 5
Huntington Beach Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort 18
Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa 6
Irvine Hyatt Regency Irvine 6
Laguna Beach Surf & Sand Resort 18
Newport Beach The Balboa Bay Club & Resort 5
Fairmont Newport Beach 2
Orange County Restaurants
Fullerton The Cellar 19
Huntington Beach The Californian (Hyatt Regency Huntington 6
Beach Resort & Spa)
Laguna Beach Studio (Montage Laguna Beach) 1
Newport Beach Palm Terrace (The Island Hotel Newport Beach) 2
The First Cabin At The Balboa Bay Club & 5
Resort
The Ritz Restaurant & Garden 16
Riverside County Hotels
Cabazon Morongo Casino Resort & Spa 4
Indian Wells Hyatt Grand Champions Resort 22
Miramonte Resort and Spa 1
Renaissance Esmeralda Resort and Spa 6
Palm Desert Desert Springs, JW Marriott Resort & Spa 22
Palm Springs The Willows Historic Palm Springs Inn 12
Temecula Pechanga Resort and Casino 7
Riverside County Restaurants
Rancho Mirage Wally's Desert Turtle 16
Palm Springs Europa Restaurant at the Villa Royale Inn 4
Le Vallauris 16
Riverside Duane's Prime Steaks & Seafood 14
(in Mission Inn)
San Bernardino County Hotels
Big Bear Lake Alpenhorn Bed & Breakfast 9
San Diego County Hotels
Borrego Springs Borrego Ranch Resort & Spa 16
Coronado Hotel del Coronado 4
Loews Coronado Bay Resort 17
Del Mar L'Auberge Del Mar 7
Julian Orchard Hill Country Inn 13
La Jolla Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa 4
Hilton La Jolla/Torrey Pines 19
Hyatt Regency La Jolla 19
La Valencia Hotel 20
The Grande Colonial 1
Pala Pala Casino Spa and Resort 5
Rancho Bernardo Rancho Bernardo Inn 32
Rancho Santa Fe Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa 19
San Diego Hard Rock Hotel San Diego 1
Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego 16
Omni San Diego Hotel 4
Pacific Terrace Hotel 2
San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina 25
The Grand Del Mar 1
The US Grant 2
The Westgate Hotel 2
The Westin San Diego 15
San Diego County Restaurants
Carlsbad Vivace (Four Seasons Resort Aviara) 10
La Jolla A.R. Valentien (The Lodge at Torrey Pines) 5
George's California Modern 9
Sky Room (La Valencia Hotel) 18
Rancho Bernardo El Bizcocho Restaurant (Rancho Bernardo Inn) 19
Rancho Santa Fe Mille Fleurs 18
San Diego Baci's 5
Bertrand at Mister A's 15
Grant Grill (The US Grant) 2
Molly's (San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina) 5
San Luis Obispo County Hotels
Cambria Pelican Cove Inn 1
Blue Whale Inn Bed & Breakfast 18
Cayucos Cayucos Sunset Inn 7
Santa Barbara County Hotels
Los Olivos Fess Parker's DoubleTree Resort 3
Santa Barbara Harbor View Inn 12
Inn on Summer Hill 19
Santa Ynez Chumash Casino Resort & Spa 5
Santa Ynez Inn 7
Solvang The Ballard Inn 16
Peterson Village Inn 25
Santa Barbara County Restaurants
Santa Ynez The Willows (Chumash Casino Resort & Spa) 4
Solvang The Ballard Inn Restaurant (The Ballard Inn) 4
Ventura County Restaurants
Ojai Maravilla Restaurant (Ojai Valley Inn & Spa) 3
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 2009 AAA Five Diamond Award lodging and restaurant recipients will be announced in November.
Contact Information: CONTACT: Jeffrey Spring/Elaine Beno 714-885-2324