Mon. April 26, 2004
Aurora, IL -
In Illinois and northern Indiana, more than 50 hotels and restaurants have earned the AAA Five Diamond and Four Diamond Awards for excellence in service and taste in 2004.
Each year AAA evaluates and rates more than 40,000 restaurants and
lodgings worldwide for publication in annual editions of AAA TourBooks. The Diamond ratings provide AAA's more than 45 million members with a valuable system for choosing dining and lodging options. Fewer than 4 percent of the properties evaluated receive the distinction of Four Diamond and less than a half percent receive the coveted Five Diamond distinction. This year, 7 hotels and restaurants were issued the coveted Five Diamond award and 49
hotels and restaurants received the Four Diamond Award -- 8 received the award for the first time.
"When AAA members see a Four or Five Diamond Award attached to a
particular establishment they know they can expect top quality service and amenities," said Steve Nolan, spokesman for AAA Chicago.
AAA's highest rating, the Five Diamond Award, is reserved for
accommodations and dining establishments that are reputed for their
uncompromising standards of excellence in all aspects of operations. The Four Diamond means patrons will receive superior facilities, exceptional service and the special touches that ensure a satisfying experience.
The AAA Diamond rating process begins when specially trained inspectors pay unannounced and anonymous visits to hotels and restaurants in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico. Once inspections are complete, properties are given a rating from one to Five Diamonds.
The following are AAA Diamond Award winners in Illinois and northern
Indiana listed with the consecutive number of years the establishment has won the award:
AAA Five Diamond Award Restaurants:
Chicago: Arun's, 2; Charlie Trotter's, 10; Everest, 8; Tru, 4; Seasons Restaurant (In the Four Seasons Hotel), 4
AAA Five Diamond Award Hotels:
Chicago: Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, 14; Peninsula Chicago, 2
AAA Four Diamond Award Restaurants:
Arlington Heights:
Le Titi de Paris, 14 years
Chicago:
Ambria in the Belden-Stratford, 1 year
Avenues, 2 years
Coco Pazzo, 10 years
The Dining Room, 16 years
Erawan Royal Thai Cuisine, 2 years
Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, 2 years
Les Nomades, 3 years
M K, 4 years
Nomi, 2 years
onesixtyblue, 5 years
The Pump Room, 1 year
Shanghai Terrace, 2 years
Spiaggia, 10 years
Spring Restaurant, 2 years
Topolobampo, 2 years
Yoshi's Cafe, 13 years
Zealous, 2 years
Evanston:
Trio, 10 years
Highland Park:
Carlos', 16 years
Lockport:
Tallgrass, 10 years
Rosemont:
Nick's Fishmarket, 13 years
South Bend, Ind.:
LaSalle Grill, 8 years
The Carriage House, 15 years
AAA Four Diamond Award Hotels:
Chicago:
The Drake, 12 years
Fairmont Hotel at Grant Park, 16 years
House of Blues Hotel, 2 year
Hyatt Regency Chicago, 1 year
Inter-Continental, 14 years
Le Meridien Chicago, 2 year
Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel, 5 years
Omni Ambassador East, 1 year
Omni Chicago Hotel, 11 years
Park Hyatt, 2 years
Renaissance Chicago Hotel, 12 years
Sofitel Chicago Water Tower Place, 1 year
The Sutton Place Hotel, 9 years
Swissotel Chicago, 13 years
W Chicago City Center, 2 years
W Chicago Lakeshore, 2 years
The Westin Michigan Ave., 1 year
The Westin River North, 1 year
The Whitehall Hotel, 9 years
Wyndham Chicago, 5 years
Northbrook:
Renaissance Chicago North Shore, 1 year
Geneva:
The Herrington Inn & Spa, 10 years
Lincolnshire:
Marriott's Lincolnshire Resort, 9 years
Oak Brook:
The Wyndham Drake Oak Brook Hotel, 4 years
Rosemont:
The Westin O'Hare, 1 year
South Bend, Ind.:
Cushing Manor Inn, 4 years
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