AAA Carolinas honored 51 accommodations and 33 restaurants in the Carolinas with a Four or Five Diamond rating for superior quality and service this year.

AAA gives the Diamond awards annually to qualified hotels and restaurants in North America. Only 3.4 percent of the more than 58,000 annual inspections conducted nationally result in a Four Diamond rating. Only 0.28 percent of those inspections result in a Five Diamond rating, AAA's highest classification.

More than 2,000 properties nationally earn Four and Five Diamond ratings after specially trained evaluators conduct anonymous overnight stays or dine incognito.

• 1977 was when AAA first published the Diamond Rating system in the AAA TourBook® guides.
• Less than .5% of all properties inspected receive the Five Diamond Award; less than 5% of all properties inspected receive the Four Diamond Award.
• AAA has 65 full-time, trained, professional evaluators, called tourism editors, who inspect approximately 41,000 lodgings and restaurants per year.
• Every establishment is inspected at least once a year and tourism editors undergo at least six weeks of training before they begin inspecting properties.
• Inspections are anonymous. Once an inspection is complete, the tourism editor may meet with property management to discuss the results.
• AAA periodically reviews inspection standards and updates as necessary.