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Friday, November 29, 2013

Stars and Diamonds

Recently I’ve been doing some research on hospitality ratings for a business plan I’m putting together. I ran across some terms I didn’t understand and of course, that urged me to dig deeper. Turns out these ratings are not an easy topic to come to grips with. So today I want to get you the basics on hospitality ratings. Hopefully this will help you sort through what’s a just frill and what means quality!

The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by the French company Michelin for more than one hundred years. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant reference guide,   which awards Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments.

AAA Five Diamond Award is the highest level of the AAA Diamond Ratings System for restaurants and lodgings administered by AAA (formally known as the American Automobile Association). All properties must first meet AAA’s basic requirements before being evaluated by one of AAA’s inspectors. Once evaluated, a rating of One to Five Diamonds is assigned, based on lodging and restaurant published guidelines for facilities, amenities, and service.

AAA began in 1902 as a federation of independent motor clubs. In 1937, the first AAA representatives were hired to inspect lodgings and restaurants, and in 1963, AAA began assigning ratings from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’. In 1977 – AAA’s 75th (diamond) anniversary – the ratings became known as the AAA Diamond Ratings System for lodgings. Restaurants began earning Diamonds in 1989. The AAA Five Diamond award is similar to a Five Star rating on a hotel. However, AAA chose to use diamonds instead of stars. It is also similar to the business called the International Star Diamond Award that the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences sells to hotels, restaurants, and other industries.

The Automobile Association (The AA) is a British motoring association founded in 1905, which was to provide reliable car coverage and travel information. It is often used as a guide for reliable services across the UK.

Well hopefully this helped to shed a little light on the situation. I know I this cleared up a lot of my questions. At the very least I hope you now know that there is more than TravelAdvisor out there!

Safe Travels,

~Greet

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