Phoenix, Ariz., November 17, 2009. Travelers looking for exceptional quality, outstanding customer service and first-class amenities need look no further. AAA recently announced its annual list of Arizona’s finest restaurants and resort destinations. For 2010, the auto club awarded 70 Arizona establishments with Four Diamond status, while six establishments have earned the travel authority’s highest rating for hotels and restaurants: Five Diamond status.

“To achieve and maintain the highest level of hospitality during a year that has presented a number of challenges to the travel industry is a significant accomplishment,” said Jim Prueter, AAA Arizona’s senior vice president of insurance and business development. “We are pleased to recognize these establishments for providing top-quality service that consistently exceeds guest expectations.”

New to the list this year are five Four Diamond properties and three Four Diamond restaurants.

     New Four Diamond properties include:

• InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa, Paradise Valley
• Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel, Phoenix
• W Scottsdale, Scottsdale
• Omni Tucson National Resort, Tucson
• Westward Look Resort, Tucson

     New Four Diamond restaurants include:

• BLT Steak, Scottsdale
•  J & G Steakhouse, Scottsdale
• Sassi Ristorante, Scottsdale

      Noteworthy trends for 2010 include:

• The Camelback Inn, Scottsdale, is the only Arizona property and one of three properties nationwide that has maintained Five Diamond status for 34 consecutive years – every year since the awards inception.
• Kai at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa, Chandler, a four-time Five Diamond award recipient, is Arizona’s only Five Diamond restaurant. 
• 22 percent of Arizona Diamond Award recipients have received a Four or Five Diamond award for more than 10 consecutive years.
• Arizona’s Five Diamond establishments are among a select group. In 2010, just 0.28 percent of the 58,000 Diamond Rated lodgings and restaurants throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean received the prestigious designation.

“Four and Five Diamond Award winner establishments take great pride in offering their guests a unique experience which includes a meticulous degree of personal attention, delivering some of the very best lodging and dining experiences Arizona has to offer,” added Prueter.

Below is the complete list of Arizona establishments that earned the 2010 AAA Four or Five Diamond Award:

AAA annually evaluates more than 58,000 lodging establishments and restaurants, and rates them on a scale of One to Five Diamonds. To be evaluated, properties must first meet the auto club’s requirements to become AAA Approved®. Four and Five Diamond award winners represent the upper echelon of Arizona’s resort and restaurant industry. The Club has awarded the Diamond status for the past 24 years. 

For a complete listing of Four and Five Diamond requirements, see AAA’s chart of lodging criteria and the AAA chart of restaurant criteria.

See the Award Fact Sheet for a complete history and timeline of the Diamond Awards.

AAA Arizona, the Arizona affiliate of AAA, provides automotive, insurance and auto travel services to nearly 800,000 Arizona members. Annually, AAA’s Emergency Road Service responds to more than 450,000 calls for help on the streets and highways of the state as well as providing insurance, travel, and financial services to AAA members and motorists. Since its founding in 1927, AAA Arizona has been a leading advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. In 2008, AAA was ranked the No. 1 “socially responsible” brand by Landor’s BrandAsset® Valuator.