Page 9 - AAA Central Penn – AAA Now! – January/February 2016

AAA MEMBERSHIP
Have You Ever Wondered...
How Hotels and Restaurants Get Their AAA Diamond Ratings?
Every year, a full-time staff of more than 50 inspectors visit thousands of hotels and consumes thousands of restaurant meals to maintain
an inventory of more than 59,000
AAA Approved and Diamond Rated establishments across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
They may keep a low profile, but
AAA inspectors collectively deliver
high-profile results that can have lasting
effects on properties they inspect,
as well as for members who rely on their impartial, expert-adviser perspective about travel experiences.
This 79-year-old inspections program is made up of a league of inspectors who conduct thousands of onsite evaluations on behalf of AAA members. The program isn’t replicated by any other organization in the U.S., according to AAA Inspections & Diamond Ratings Director Michael Petrone. “Nobody else has this. Nobody else does what we do,” he said. “AAA has the only rating system based on onsite property evaluations conducted by professional inspectors using guidelines weighted by member priorities. And AAA rates more properties than any other rating entity in its territory.
In 2015, the Travel Channel program “Hotel Impossible” featured AAA Inspector 66, who discussed steps the manager of a North Dakota property needed to take to become
AAA Approved and Diamond Rated.
Hotel and restaurant evaluations are unscheduled to ensure our professionally trained inspectors encounter the same experience members do. When an establishment is Diamond Rated, it means members can expect a good fit with their needs. The inspector assigns a rating that indicates the type of experience to expect. While establishments at high levels must offer increasingly complex personalized services, establishments at every level are subject to the same basic requirements for cleanliness, comfort and hospitality.
Understanding the Diamond Ratings
Budget-oriented, offering basic comfort and hospitality
Affordable, with modestly enhanced facilities, décor and amenities Distinguished, multi-faceted with enhanced physical attributes, amenities and guest comforts
Refined, stylish with upscale physical attributes, extensive amenities and high degree of hospitality, service and attention to detail
Ultimate luxury, sophistication and comfort with extraordinary physical attributes, meticulous personalized service, extensive amenities and impeccable standards of excellence
In 2015, AAA designated 121 hotels and 63 restaurants in the U.S. Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean with the prestigious Five Diamond Award.
AAA has partnered with a select group of hotels that are committed to providing quality, value and member service. These are referred to as Preferred Hotels and they include Best Westerns, Hilton Worldwide brand, Hyatt brand, Marriott brand and Starwood Hotel and Resorts.
Your local AAA member service and travel counselors are experienced and ready to assist you in making the right hotel reservation for your individual travel and vacation needs.
AAA inspectors are the voice of the members. Your standards are our standards, and your priorities are our priorities. Learn more at AAA.com/Diamonds.
AAA
AAA Loves Community
Involvement
AAA Central Penn was honored to support our local community through sponsorships, donations and service in 2015. We “lent a hand” to the organizations shown below in efforts towards a healthier and brighter tomorrow.
The club looks forward to continuing our participation throughout the community in 2016.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters “Bowl for Kids Sake”
• Camp Cadet of Lancaster County
• Cell Phones for Soldiers
• Central Pennsylvania Blood Bank “Blood Drive” • Central Pennsylvania Food Bank
• Children’s Miracle Network
• “Donate for a Discount” Luggage Donations
• Health Fairs
• Lancaster/Lebanon Safe Driving Competition
• Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
• Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Pennsylvania • The Arthritis Foundation
• The Autism Society
• The United Methodist Home for Children
• Senior Expos
• Toys for Tots
• United Way “Day of Caring”
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016
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Now!