AAA CAA Diamond Rating Guidelines
American and Canadian travelers looking for good places to stay and to eat during their travels to unfamiliar territory have long had a helpful rating system to guide them in their choice of lodgings and restaurants. The Diamond Ratings system of the American Automobile Association (AAA) and its north-of-the-border cousin, the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), help travelers to separate the good from the bad and the ugly in roadside services. Their highest ratings are worn as badges of honor by those establishments lucky enough to earn them.
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A Brief History
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AAA and CAA in 1963 adopted a formal rating system for the hotels, motels and restaurants they listed in their Tour Guides, each of which covers a different geographical section of the United States or Canada. In 1977, in observance of AAA's 75th---or diamond---anniversary, the diamond was selected as the symbol that the organizations would use in their ratings system. The Diamond Ratings for both lodgings and restaurants range from a low of one diamond to a high of five.
What's Behind the Ratings?
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More than 60 full-time tourism editors visit and rate more than 32,000 establishments offering lodgings and 28,000 restaurants each year. These properties are scattered across the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, all of which are covered in Tour Guides distributed by AAA and CAA. In a joint press release on their Diamond Rating system, AAA and CAA boast that, regardless of rating, every establishment listed in the auto clubs' guides must meet minimum standards.
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Lodgings
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All AAA- and CAA-approved lodgings must meet minimum requirements in the areas of cleanliness, comfort and security. A one-diamond rating means the establishment offers basic, no-frills accommodations and meets the minimum requirements cited above, while a two-diamond rating is given to a moderately priced hotel or motel that offers more amenities than a one-diamond property. Three-diamond ratings denote hostelries with more comprehensive services and amenities, while a four-diamond property is upscale, stylish and offers virtually all the amenities a traveler might expect. A property receiving a five-diamond rating is said to be first class in every sense of the word, offering the ultimate in luxury and sophistication.
Restaurants
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Minimum requirements for AAA- and CAA-listed restaurants cover cleanliness, comfort, safety and security. An eatery with a one-diamond rating provides basic fare at budget prices in a clean but simple setting, while a diner can expect somewhat higher prices and some enhanced dining features from a restaurant with a two-diamond rating. Restaurants that receive three-diamond ratings usually employ professional chefs, offer very efficient service and higher quality food. A four-diamond restaurant offers "a memorable fine-dining experience." A five-diamond establishment serves "haute cuisine at its best," virtually guaranteeing a world-class dining experience.
Updating of Revisions
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To ensure that establishments listed in AAA and CAA guides stay on their toes and keep their standards high, the auto clubs' editors make return visits often to see that there has been no noticeable change in service standards that would warrant a change in rating or, even worse, delisting. Hotels, motels, inns and restaurants that step up their game can be rewarded by a higher rating, while those who allow standards to slip can find their ratings downgraded.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Hotels of the Rich and Famous, http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3147/2509098373_a5dd76b51d_o.jpg
