73 North Carolina and South Carolina Restaurants and Hotels Win Prestigious AAA Four Diamond Ratings

By Tom Crosby

A total of 73 restaurants and accommodations in North and South Carolina been awarded AAA’s prestigious 2007 Four Diamond rating for superior customer service and facilities.

Charleston with 19 winners, and Hilton Head with 8, were the cities with the most awards among the 36 South Carolina winners. Charlotte was North Carolina’s biggest winner with 8 awards of the 37 given in the state.

Collectively, the Four Diamond accommodations and restaurants in both states have than 300 years of Four Diamond service in the state.         

“AAA’s requirements for a Four Diamond rating are rigorous, and those that win it are among the best hotels and restaurants in the world,” said David E. Parsons, president and CEO of AAA Carolinas. “Only 3.4 percent of the more than 57,000 annual inspections conducted nationally result in a Four Diamond rating.”

“With a Four Diamond rating, you can expect a high level of hospitality, service and attention to detail,” Parsons said.
           
North Carolina winners and consecutive years won:

Asheville
Accommodations: Richmond Hill Inn (16); The Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa (6); Albemarle Inn (4); Inn on Biltmore Estate (6)
Restaurants: Gabrielle’s at Richmond Hill (15); Horizons (14)

Boone
Accommodations: Lovill House Inn (10)

Chapel Hill
Accommodations: The Siena Hotel (11); Carolina Inn (10)
Restaurants: Il Palio Ristorante (17); Carolina Crossroads (5)

Charlotte
Accommodations: Charlotte Marriott SouthPark (18); Omni Charlotte Hotel (6); Ballantyne Resort (4); The Westin Charlotte (3); Duke Mansion Historic Inn (2)
Restaurants: McNinch House (10); Zebra Restaurant and Fine Catering (4); Bonterra Dining and Wine Room (3)

Duck
Restaurants: The Left Bank (3)

Durham
Accommodations: Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club (7); Arrowhead Inn Bed and Breakfast (4)
Restaurants: The Fairview Dining Room (15); Four Square Restaurant (6)

Glenville
Accommodations: Innisfree Victorian Inn & Garden House (13)

Greensboro
Accommodations: Grandover Resort and Conference Center (8), O. Henry Hotel (8)
Restaurants: Di Valletta (1)

Highlands
Accommodations: Old Edwards Inn and Spa (2)

Lake Toxaway
Accommodations: Greystone Inn (21)

Pinehurst
Accommodations: The Carolina Hotel (25); Holly Inn (5)
Restaurants: 1895 Grille (6)

Raleigh
Restaurants: Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern (3)

Tryon
Restaurants: Pine Crest Inn Dining Room (8)

Wilmington
Accommodations: Graystone Inn (8); The Verandas (5)

South Carolina winners and consecutive years won:

Beaufort
Accommodation: The Rhett House Inn (12)
Restaurant: The Beaufort Inn Restaurant and Wine Bar (4)

Charleston
Accommodations: John Rutledge House Inn (18); Charleston Place (15);
Planters Inn (12); The Boardwalk Inn at Wild Dunes Resort (9); HarbourView Inn (8); French Quarter Inn (5); Renaissance Charleston Hotel Historic District (4); Market Pavilion Hotel (4)
Restaurants: Charleston Grill (9); Peninsula Grill (8); Circa 1886 (7); Wentworth Grill (4); Grill 225 (4); McCrady’s (3); Langdon’s (3); Sienna Restaurant (2); Palmetto Café (2); Cypress (2); Tristan (1)

Conway
Accommodation: The Cypress Inn (9)

Greenville
Accommodations: The Westin Poinsett (4)

Hilton Head
Accommodations: The Westin Resort Hilton Head Island (13); Crowne Plaza Hilton Head Island Beach Resort (12); Hilton Head Marriott Beach and Golf Resort (4); The Inn At Harbour Town (4); Hilton Oceanfront Resort Hilton Head Island (1)
Restaurants: The Barony Grill (17); Old Fort Pub (6); Antonio’s (2)

Latta
Accommodations: Abingdon Manor (10)
Restaurant: The Dining Room at Abingdon Manor (5)

Myrtle Beach
Accommodations: Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel (4); Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort at Grande Dunes (2)

Simpsonville
Accommodations: Ryan Nicholas Inn (5)

“These hotels and restaurants are among the best of the best,” Parsons said. 

“Amenities in the accommodations are upscale, and the restaurants have an overall sophistication and formal atmosphere with superbly trained wait staff and chefs cooking original cuisine.”
 
The Four Diamond awards are given annually by AAA to qualified hotels and restaurants in North America. More than 1,800 properties nationally earn the Four Diamond ratings after full-time specially trained evaluators conduct anonymous overnight stays or dine incognito.

Lodgings include eight different classifications, such as bed and breakfast, hotel, cottage and country inn with four sub classifications such as historic, classic, resort and casino. Restaurants have varying cuisines and ambiances.   
                       
Each restaurant and lodging that receives any diamond rating from AAA after a free evaluation is listed free in AAA’s TourBooks that are distributed free to any of the organization’s 50 million members nationwide.

KIAWAH’S SANCTUARY WINS AAA FIVE DIAMOND SERVICE AWARD; BOTH CAROLINAS NOW TOTAL SIX
The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort this year became the third AAA Five Diamond rated hospitality property in South Carolina, winning the industry’s highest award for 2007.

“It’s the highest award that AAA bestows,” said David E. Parsons, CEO of AAA Carolinas. “There are only 93 hotels and 58 restaurants in North America that won the award this year – less than one-fourth of 1 percent of the 60,000 hotels and restaurants evaluated.

Also winning again this year, and consecutive years won, were:

South Carolina
            Woodlands Resort & Inn (10) Summerville
            The Dining Room at Woodlands (11)
            Wentworth Mansion (4) Charleston

North Carolina
            The Fearrington House Inn (13) Pittsboro
            The Fearrington House Restaurant (12)

To become AAA Approved and Diamond rated, hotels and restaurants undergo a thorough inspection by one of AAA’s 65 full-time, highly trained professional evaluators. Five Diamond candidates require a more extensive review that includes a series of inspections – some anonymous - and final committee review.

AAA first started listing accommodation information in its travel publications in the early 1900s. In 1937, the first field inspectors were hired to inspect hotels, motels, and restaurants. In 1963, AAA began to rate all accommodations as good, very good, excellent or outstanding.  The Diamond Rating Process, introduced in 1977 for hotels and 1989 for restaurants, continues to be recognized as the most trusted rating process for North American travelers.