LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - December 8, 2010) - Seventy Southern California hotels and 34 restaurants have earned the 2011 AAA Four Diamond Award, the Automobile Club of Southern California announced today. Seven locations appear for the first time on the 2011 list including Lake Arrowhead Resort & Spa, Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, La Valencia Hotel, as well as Cut, and Donovan's Steak & Chop House restaurants. Patina received its 20th consecutive AAA Four Diamond Award rating.
The coveted rating plaque featuring a design of four raised simulated diamonds and the 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 3.4 percent of more than 2,600 Southern California hotels, motels, and restaurants inspected by the Auto Club, the nation's largest AAA affiliate.
"North America's AAA Diamond Rating System is a long-time trusted systematic method of rating lodgings and restaurants, especially during what has been a difficult economic year for the hospitality industry and also for travelers," said the Auto Club's Approved Accommodations Supervisor Patricia Marenco. "Southern California's hotels and restaurants that earn the AAA Four Diamond award maintain a very high standard of service in their hotels and restaurants in order to continue pleasing their guests."
The list of 2011 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 | The Inn at Furnace Creek | 24 |
| Los Angeles County Hotels | ||
| Beverly Hills | Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel | 18 |
| Montage Beverly Hills | 2 | |
| SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills | 2 | |
| Glendale | Hilton Los Angeles North/Glendale & Executive Meeting Center | 11 |
| Hollywood | Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa | 3 |
| Los Angeles | Sofitel Los Angeles | 18 |
| Omni Los Angeles Hotel | 8 | |
| InterContinental Los Angeles Century City | 23 | |
| Hyatt Regency Century Plaza & Spa | 28 | |
| Pasadena | The Westin -- Pasadena | 6 |
| Rancho Palos Verdes | Terranea Resort | 1 |
| Santa Monica | The Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows | 9 |
| Le Merigot -- A JW Marriott Beach Hotel & Spa | 9 | |
| Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel | 22 | |
| Universal City | Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City | 4 |
| West Hollywood | The London West Hollywood | 3 |
| Sunset Marquis Hotel & Villas | 4 | |
| Los Angeles County Restaurants | ||
| Beverly Hills | Cut | 1 |
| Spago Beverly Hills | 7 | |
| Calabasas | Saddle Peak Lodge | 14 |
| Glendale | Gennaro's Ristorante | 11 |
| Long Beach | The Sky Room | 7 |
| Los Angeles | Gardens (Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills) | 16 |
| Patina | 20 | |
| Marina del Rey | jer-ne restaurant (The Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey) | 10 |
| Pasadena | The Raymond Restaurant | 6 |
| Santa Monica | Valentino Santa Monica | 16 |
| Westlake Village | Hampton's | 4 |
| Orange County Hotels | ||
| Anaheim | Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa | 10 |
| Dana Point | Blue Lantern Inn | 20 |
| Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa | 7 | |
| Huntington Beach | The Waterfront Beach Resort, A Hilton Hotel | 20 |
| Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa | 8 | |
| Irvine | Hyatt Regency Irvine | 8 |
| Laguna Beach | Montage Laguna Beach | 1 |
| Surf & Sand Resort | 20 | |
| Newport Beach | The Balboa Bay Club & Resort | 7 |
| Fairmont Newport Beach | 4 | |
| Orange County Restaurants | ||
| Anaheim | Napa Rose | 1 |
| Fullerton | The Cellar | 21 |
| Huntington Beach | The Californian (Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa) | 8 |
| Laguna Beach | Studio (Montage Laguna Beach) | 3 |
| Newport Beach | Palm Terrace Restaurant (Island Hotel) | 4 |
| The First Cabin At The Balboa Bay Club & Resort | 7 | |
| The Ritz Restaurant & Garden | 18 | |
| Riverside County Hotels | ||
| Cabazon | Morongo Casino Resort & Spa | 6 |
| Indian Wells | Hyatt Grand Champions Resort | 24 |
| Miramonte Resort and Spa | 3 | |
| Renaissance Esmeralda Resort and Spa | 8 | |
| Lake Arrowhead | Lake Arrowhead Resort & Spa | 1 |
| Palm Desert | JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa | 24 |
| Palm Springs | The Willows Historic Palm Springs Inn | 14 |
| Rancho Mirage | Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa | 2 |
| The Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa | 2 | |
| Temecula | Pechanga Resort and Casino | 9 |
| Riverside County Restaurants | ||
| Rancho Mirage | Wally's Desert Turtle | 18 |
| Palm Springs | Europa Restaurant at the Villa Royale Inn | 6 |
| Le Vallauris | 18 | |
| Riverside | Duane's Prime Steaks & Seafood (Mission Inn) | 16 |
| San Bernardino County Hotels | ||
| Big Bear Lake | Alpenhorn Bed & Breakfast | 11 |
| San Diego County Hotels | ||
| Coronado | Hotel del Coronado | 6 |
| Loews Coronado Bay | 19 | |
| Del Mar | L'Auberge Del Mar | 9 |
| Julian | Orchard Hill Country Inn | 15 |
| Lakeside | Barona Resort & Casino | 1 |
| La Jolla | Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa | 6 |
| Hyatt Regency La Jolla | 21 | |
| La Valencia Hotel | 1 | |
| The Grande Colonial | 3 | |
| Pala | Pala Casino Spa and Resort | 7 |
| Rancho Santa Fe | Rancho Valencia an Auberge Resort | 21 |
| San Diego | Hard Rock Hotel San Diego | 3 |
| Omni San Diego Hotel | 6 | |
| Rancho Bernardo Inn | 34 | |
| Pacific Terrace Hotel | 4 | |
| San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina | 27 | |
| The US Grant, A Luxury Collection Hotel | 4 | |
| The Westgate Hotel | 4 | |
| The Westin San Diego | 17 | |
| Valley Center | Harrah's Rincon Casino & Resort | 2 |
| San Diego County Restaurants | ||
| Carlsbad | Vivace (Hyatt Park Aviara Resort) | 12 |
| La Jolla | A.R. Valentien (The Lodge at Torrey Pines) | 7 |
| Donovan's Steak & Chop House | 1 | |
| George's California Modern | 11 | |
| Sky Room (La Valencia Hotel) | 20 | |
| Rancho Santa Fe | Mille Fleurs | 20 |
| San Diego | Baci's | 7 |
| Bertrand at Mister A's | 17 | |
| El Bizcocho Restaurant (Rancho Bernardo Inn) | 21 | |
| Grant Grill (The US Grant) | 4 | |
| San Luis Obispo County Hotels | ||
| Cambria | Pelican Cove Inn | 3 |
| Blue Whale Inn Bed & Breakfast | 20 | |
| Cayucos | Cayucos Sunset Inn | 9 |
| Pismo Beach | Dolphin Bay Resort & Spa | 2 |
| Santa Barbara County Hotels | ||
| Santa Barbara | Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort | 5 |
| Harbor View Inn | 14 | |
| Inn on Summer Hill | 21 | |
| Santa Ynez | Chumash Casino Resort & Spa | 7 |
| Santa Ynez Inn | 9 | |
| Solvang | The Ballard Inn | 18 |
| Petersen Village Inn | 27 | |
| Santa Barbara County Restaurants | ||
| Santa Ynez | The Willows (Chumash Casino Resort & Spa) | 6 |
| Solvang | The Ballard Inn Restaurant (The Ballard Inn) | 6 |
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 57,000 lodgings and restaurants each year throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. A wide range of property listings are included in printed regional TourBook® guides and on www.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. They are also available, in part, on www.AAAmaps.com. The AAA Four Diamond rating is exclusive in that less than 4% of all AAA approved properties achieve this rating.
Contact Information:
CONTACT:
Jeffrey Spring
Elaine Beno
714-885-2324