Seventeen hotels and two restaurants in Southern California, including four in San Diego County, are recipients of the AAA Five Diamond Award for 2010, the Automobile Club announced Friday.
The AAA Five Diamond winners in San Diego County are the Four Seasons Resort Aviara in Carlsbad, the Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla and The Grand Del Mar, according to the Automobile Club.
The Addison restaurant at The Grand Del Mar was also a recipient of the AAA Five Diamond Award.
It was the first time The Grand Del Mar was listed as an AAA Five Diamond Award winner. The Four Seasons Aviara has been on the AAA Five Diamond Award list 11 years in a row and The Lodge at Torrey Pines is an eight-year recipient. It is the second year the Addison restaurant has been named.
"The AAA Five Diamond Award is North America's most respected trademark in the global hospitality industry and the most coveted symbol of excellence," said Patricia Marenco, the Auto Club's approved accommodations supervisor.
"The rating designation goes only to the most superb hotels and restaurants that meet the highest standards of quality consistently," she said. "For providing meticulous service and the highest-caliber travel and dining experiences in what has been a challenging and difficult economy for the industry, the Auto Club congratulates Southern California's outstanding AAA Five Diamond establishments and their employees for outstanding work."
The AAA evaluates about 58,000 properties annually. Only about a quarter earn the prestigious AAA Five Diamond distinction.
Here is the full list of Southern California hotels that received the 2010 AAA Five Diamond Award, showing the number of consecutive years on the list:
- Raffles L'Ermitage Beverly Hills, 9; - The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows, 2; - The Peninsula Beverly Hills, 17; - Four Seasons Resort Aviara, Carlsbad, 11; - St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach, Dana Point, 3; - The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, 24; - The Lodge at Torrey Pines, La Jolla, 8; - Montage Laguna Beach, 2; - Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, 9; - The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey, 18; - Island Hotel Newport Beach, 18; - The Resort at Pelican Hill, Newport Beach, 1; - Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, 4; - The Grand Del Mar, 1; - Four Seasons Biltmore Santa Barbara, 5; - Simpson House Inn, Santa Barbara, 13; and - Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, 2.
The two restaurants receiving the AAA Five Diamond rating are:
- The Belvedere, The Peninsula Beverly Hills, 15; and - Addison, The Grand Del Mar, 2.
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