How to Read AAA Hotel Ratings
AAA is probably most famous for its roadside emergency service and, in the days before GPS and online mapping, a great way to get maps. Today AAA helps all travelers, not just those whose cars have broken down. One prominent way AAA helps travelers is with its unbiased hotel ratings system.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
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1
Know what "AAA Approved" means. Hotels that are AAA approved have passed 27 criteria based on basic comfort, cleanliness and safety.
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2
Understand the diamond process. When a hotel becomes AAA Approved, AAA then sends out anonymous assessors to give ratings from 1 to 5 diamonds. A lower rating does not necessarily mean a lower price when comparing 2, 3 or 4 Diamond hotels but you can assume that a 5 Diamond hotel will have a high price.
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3
Remember what a 1 Diamond rating includes; a basic room with a wall-mounted TV and vending machines. Motel 6 hotels generally have 1 Diamond ratings.
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4
Recall that Best Westerns usually have 2 Diamond ratings. 2 Diamond hotels will have nicer furniture, vending machines and coin-operated laundry, a restaurant or continental breakfast at the least.
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5
Comprehend what a 3 Diamond rating is like. Chains like Holiday Inn and Radisson are usually 3 Diamond properties. They have swimming pools, exercise rooms, restaurants and lounges, video games, valet laundry and coffee makers in the rooms.
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6
Realize what hotels with 4 Diamond ratings have. These hotels are generally beautifully appointed. They have pools with food service, upscale restaurants and lounges, CD players in the rooms, mini-bars, gift shops and high-speed Internet access. Some Hyatt Regencies, Hiltons and Marriotts are 4 Diamond hotels.
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Daydream about the fewer than 100 hotels that have 5 Diamond status. Hotels like the Ritz-Carlton have beautiful landscaping, antique and designer furniture, live floral arrangements, spa amenities, swimming pools with attendants and all the other luxuries you can imagine.
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Tips & Warnings
Sometimes new hotels, or newly renovated hotels, have not been rated yet.
Check rates with the hotels; especially in their off-seasons, you can get great deals on 4 and even 5 Diamond hotels.
