CANANDAIGUA, N.Y., January 27, 2011 – AAA Western and Central announced its 2011 class of AAA Four Diamond Awards winners during a ceremony at the New York Wine & Culinary Center in Canandaigua on Thursday. AAA and the Finger Lakes Visitors Connection co-sponsored the event and acknowledged the recipients’ contribution to the state’s travel and tourism industry.

“To achieve or maintain this level of hospitality is a significant accomplishment,” said Tom Chestnut, President/CEO of AAA Western and Central New York. “AAA Four 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.”

Only 3.6 percent of the 59,000 AAA Diamond Rated establishments throughout North America and the Caribbean earn Four Diamond Honors. In 2011, AAA honored 14 hotels and three restaurants in Upstate New York, including four new properties. Hotels earning the rating for the first time were The E.B. Morgan House in Aurora, the Staler Hotel at Cornell University in Ithaca, The Del Monte Lodge in Pittsford, and Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel in Watkins Glen.

AAA’s 2011 Four Diamond Award recipients:
(Parenthesis denotes first year awarded, * denotes first-year recipient)
Accommodations

• Aurora – Aurora Inn (2005)
• Aurora – E.B. Morgan House (2010)*
• Buffalo – The Mansion on Delaware Avenue (2003)
• Canandaigua – 1795 Acorn Inn (1996)
• Canandaigua – Morgan-Samuels Inn (2003)
• Geneva – Geneva-On-The-Lake (2001)
• Ithaca – The Statler Hotel at Cornell University (2010)*
• Niagara Falls – Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel (2006)
• Pittsford – The Del Monte Lodge, A Renaissance Hotel & Spa (2010)*
• Salamanca – Seneca Allegany Casino & Hotel (2009)
• Skaneateles – Mirbeau Inn & Spa (2004)
• Verona – Lodge at Turning Stone (2005)
• Verona – The Tower Hotel at Turning Stone Resort (2006)
• Watkins Glen – Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel (2010)*

Restaurants

• Pittsford – The Erie Grill (2004)
• Skaneateles – The Dining Room at Mirbeau (2004)
• Verona – Wildflowers at Turning Stone (2006)

In New York State, there are 46 AAA Four Diamond accommodation winners. Only 22 are located outside of New York City, in Upstate New York. Of the 43 AAA Four Diamond restaurants, 10 are in Upstate New York. Statewide, there are 89 AAA Four Diamond establishments, ranking fifth in North America.

According to the most recent statistics from the New York State Department of Economic Development, travel and tourism accounts for 756,000 jobs throughout the state, with an estimated payroll of $13 billion. Traveler expenditures are estimated at more than $37 billion.

The AAA Four Diamond symbol will be included in each property’s listing in the 2011 AAA New York State TourBook® guide, in print and online at AAA.com. AAA’s 52 million members depend upon TourBook information to assist them with their travel-related decisions. An establishment’s diamond rating is often the deciding factor when members choose a lodging or restaurant.

AAA began field inspections of lodgings and restaurants in 1937. This early evaluation system evolved into the AAA Diamond Rating System for lodgings in 1976 and for restaurants in 1986. AAA’s Diamond Rating System is the only ratings system that covers all of North America and one of only two that conducts physical, on-site evaluations. It is the only system that uses professionally trained inspectors to evaluate each property using guidelines made available to all establishments. AAA evaluates more properties than any other rating entity.

More than 65 AAA/CAA tourism editors visit over 59,000 lodgings, campgrounds, restaurants, and attractions each year throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Tourism editors conduct unannounced evaluations of lodgings and restaurants, scrutinizing such areas as cleanliness, ambiance, amenities, and service.

As Upstate New York’s largest member services organization, AAA provides nearly 880,000 members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive related services. Since its founding in 1900, AAA has been a leading advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. Visit AAA at www.AAA.com.