AAA to honor top Del. restaurant and hotels

AAA Mid-Atlantic will honor four hotels and restaurants in Delaware with the prestigious 2011 Four Diamond Award.

The winners are The Hotel du Pont in Wilmington (35-year recipient); The Green Room at the Hotel du Pont (26-year recipient); Boardwalk Plaza Hotel in Rehoboth Beach (19-year-recipient); and Dover Downs Hotel and Casino in Dover (8-year recipient).

Representing the upper echelon of the hospitality industry, AAA Four Diamond Award establishments make up just 3.6 percent of the 59,000 Diamond Rated lodgings and restaurants throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

“To achieve and maintain this level of hospitality is a significant accomplishment,” said Jim Lardear, Director of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Four and Five Diamond establishments consistently deliver a high level of personal comfort and attention to every guest, and we are honored to recognize their commitment to excellence.”

The four winners will be recognized at a luncheon Monday at the Rittenhouse Hotel in Philadelphia.

The AAA rating is one of only two that conduct physical, on-site evaluations. AAA approved lodgings and restaurants are assigned a rating of One to Five Diamonds. AAA began field inspections of lodgings and restaurants in 1937 and introduced a formal rating system for accommodations in 1963. The early rating system evolved into the Diamond Rating System for lodgings in 1976 and was rolled out for restaurants between 1986 and 1991. Professionally trained AAA/CAA inspectors use published guidelines to evaluate and rate properties as a service to members.

For more information about Diamond Ratings and the complete lists of Four and Five Diamond establishments, visit AAA.com/News.