Page 12 - AAA Shelby County – AAA Now! – March/April 2018

member services
AAA DIAMOnD RATIng sysTEM
The AAA Approved and Diamond Rated designation for hotels and restaurants and Four Diamond Award and Five Diamond Award ratings are among the most well-known and respected distinctions in the global travel industry.
AAA rates more properties than any other professional rating entity:
• AAA’s inventory includes nearly 59,000 Approved and Diamond Rated hotels and restaurants across five rating levels.
• AAA rates more properties than any other professional rating system in North America and is the only system that uses full-time, professionally trained evaluators to inspect properties on an annual basis.
AAA provides the only ratings based on on-site professional evaluations guided by member priorities:
• AAA’s comprehensive, published Approval Requirements & Diamond Rating Guidelines for Hotels and Restaurants are periodically updated to reflect current member priorities and industry trends.
• Members review and weight all of the detailed attributes inspectors check during on-site evaluations — everything from lobby décor and guestroom bedding at hotels to food presentation and service attributes at restaurants — to ensure evaluation scores reflect member priorities.
ABOuT AAA DIAMOnD RATIngs
For more than 80 years, AAA has used professional inspectors to conduct anonymous, in-person property evaluations. AAA offers the only rating system using comprehensive, on-site professional hotel and restaurant evaluations guided by member priorities. AAA’s rating system covers the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
Travelers can find Diamond Rated establishments and inspector insight in AAA’s trip planning products: the AAA Mobile app, the online
TripTik Travel Planner mapping and routing tool, searchable online AAA Travel Guides and AAA TourBook guides available to members at AAA offices.
As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 57 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA
has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. Motorists can map a route, identify gas prices, find discounts, book a hotel and access AAA roadside assistance with the AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Learn more at AAA.com/mobile. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at AAA.com
HOTEls
AAA Diamond Ratings for hotels represent a combination of the overall quality, range of facilities and level of services offered by the property. The descriptive ratings are assigned exclusively to properties that meet and uphold AAA’s rigorous Approval standards.
• A Five Diamond hotel provides ultimate luxury, sophistication and comfort with extraordinary physical attributes, meticulous personalized service, extensive amenities and impeccable standards of excellence.
• A Four Diamond hotel is refined and stylish, providing upscale physical attributes, extensive amenities and a high degree of hospitality, service and attention to detail.
• A Three Diamond hotel is distinguished and multifaceted, providing enhanced physical attributes, amenities and guest comforts.
• A Two Diamond hotel provides affordable, modestly enhanced facilities, decor and amenities.
• A One Diamond hotel is budget-oriented, offering basic comfort and hospitality.
REsTAuRAnTs
AAA Diamond ratings for restaurants represent
a combination of the overall food, service, décor
and ambiance offered by the establishment. The descriptive ratings are assigned exclusively to establishments that meet and uphold AAA’s rigorous Approval standards.
• A Five Diamond restaurant provides leading-edge cuisine of the finest ingredients, uniquely prepared by an acclaimed chef, served by expert service staff led by a maître d’ in extraordinary surroundings.
• A Four Diamond restaurant provide distinctive fine- dining, creatively prepared, skillfully served, often by a wine steward, amid upscale ambience.
• A Three Diamond restaurant provide trendy
cuisine, skillfully prepared and served, with expanded beverage options, in an enhanced setting.
• A Two Diamond restaurant provides familiar food, often cooked to order, served in casual surroundings.
• A One Diamond restaurant provides simple, economical food, often quick-serve, in a functional environment.
AAA Diamond Ratings give travelers a reliable way
to find hotels and restaurants that meet AAA’s quality standards and provide the type of experience appropriate for their needs:
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To be AAA Approved, properties must pass an unannounced, on-site evaluation. Hotels must provide acceptable cleanliness, comfort and hospitality, and restaurants must meet requirements for cleanliness, food preparation and service.
After an establishment is Approved, the AAA inspector reviews an extensive list of attributes to determine the appropriate rating level, on a scale of One to Five Diamonds, based on the extensiveness of services, facilities and amenities.
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