Auto Club: Top So. Calif. Hotels, Restaurants Receive 2007 AAA Five Diamond Awards

LOS ANGELES, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- October 30, 2006 -- Twelve Southern California hotels and one restaurant have received the AAA Five Diamond Award for 2007, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California. The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, received its 21st consecutive AAA Five Diamond rating and reigns as the most tenured AAA Five Diamond-rated property in California.

The Ojai Valley Inn & Spa received its first AAA Five Diamond Award. The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey and The Island Hotel Newport Beach received a 15th consecutive AAA Five Diamond rating.

"The AAA Five Diamond Award goes only to very select hotels and restaurants that meet the highest standards of consistent quality and excellence," said the Auto Club's Approved Accommodations Manager Chuck Smith. "The Auto Club congratulates Southern California's outstanding Five Diamond establishments and their employees for delivering high caliber travel and dining experiences with world-class service."

More than 60,000 properties are evaluated each year by AAA's 65 full-time evaluators. Only 0.25 percent (less than one-fourth of 1 percent) earn AAA Five Diamond distinction and a listing in the 2007 AAA TourBook® guides.

A diamond was chosen as AAA's ratings symbol in honor of AAA's 75th Anniversary in 1977. Diamond Ratings are published in the AAA TourBook® guides, on the online TourBook® at www.AAA.com, and in part, on www.AAAmaps.com. It is the broadest coverage of any U.S. rating system, both geographically and by number of properties rated. The Southern California hotels that received the 2007 AAA Five Diamond Award with consecutive years are:

Beverly Hills
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Raffles L'Ermitage, Beverly Hills, 6
The Peninsula Beverly Hills, 14

Carlsbad
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Four Seasons Resort Aviara, 8

Dana Point
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The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, 21

La Jolla
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The Lodge at Torrey Pines, 5

Los Angeles
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Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, 6

Marina del Rey
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The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey, 15

Newport Beach
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The Island Hotel Newport Beach, 15

Pasadena
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The Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel & Spa, 4

Santa Barbara
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Simpson House Inn, 10
Four Seasons Biltmore, 2

Ojai (Ventura County)
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Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, 1

The only Southern California restaurant receiving a 2007 AAA Five Diamond rating was The Belvedere in The Peninsula Beverly Hills for the 12th year.

2007 AAA Five Diamond Facts: The total list of 151 winners includes 93 hotels and 58 restaurants and reflects 16 new additions to the list. The new additions reflect 10 lodgings and six restaurants.

Three properties have kept their AAA Five Diamond ratings for 31 years dating back to 1977 when AAA first applied the Diamond ratings to accommodations: The Broadmoor, Boulder, Colo.; The Greenbrier, White Sulpher Springs, W. Va.; and Camelback Inn, Scottsdale, Ariz.

To be considered for AAA approval and rating, lodgings and restaurants must undergo a thorough inspection. The Auto Club's staff reviews Southern California establishments. Five Diamond establishments go through the most extensive reviews of the Diamond rating programs.

AAA started listing accommodation information in its travel publications in the early 1900s. AAA had been doing field inspections restaurants and lodgings since 1937.

Contact Information: Contact: Carol Thorp/Elaine Beno (714) 885-2333