AAA Adds 14 Hotels And Restaurants To Exclusive Five Diamond List For 2015

AAA has unveiled 121 hotels and 63 restaurants that have earned the AAA/CAA Five Diamond Rating in the past 12 months, qualifying them for the 2015 Five Diamond Award lists. This exclusive group represents just 0.3 percent of the more than 58,000 AAA/CAA Approved and Diamond Rated hotels and restaurants.

AAA inspectors collectively visit approximately 1,200 hotels and restaurants each week, allowing them to identify emerging trends in the industry. "At the ultra-luxury level we're seeing an increasing number of hotels offering guests the choice of high-end service by white glove or touch screen — in person or electronically," said Michael Petrone, director, AAA Inspections & Diamond Ratings. "They're complementing personal delivery with technology options such as in-room iPads and TV menus for ordering and scheduling services, apps for accessing newspapers and local reservations, mobile check-in and text alerts when their room is ready. Some Five Diamond hotels even place a TV within the bathroom mirror to complete guests' high-tech stay."

Of note among the new additions to the 2015 list is the Orlando area's only Five Diamond hotel, the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort, marked by numerous upscale service options. Each room is equipped with an iPad that serves as the radio, resort map, event guide and newspaper, as well as a Bose Bluetooth speaker system and high-tech keypads that control lighting, air temperature and even guests' request for privacy. For additional custom luxury, guests can create their own fragrance at the spa's Aroma Design Bar. At the Shangri-La Hotel in Toronto, the guest room drapes, bedside lighting and air-conditioning system are all electronically controlled by the guest. In-room iPads are available to order room service, call housekeeping or contact the 24-hour concierge.

The best high-end restaurants are fast becoming international destinations by providing a unique dining experience in which the selection and enjoyment of exceptional food is also an educational event. Typically, Five Diamond restaurants are ahead of trends in farm-to-table and super-local food sourcing. Directed by artistic whims, the chef creates solid, lifelong relationships with farmers, purveyors and producers who can deliver the finest ingredients, whether it's coffee, olive oil or artisan cheeses.

At the Inn at Little Washington Dining Room in Washington, Va., for example, AAA's longest tenured Five Diamond restaurant, Chef Patrick O'Connell uses as many local ingredients and foods as possible, along with bounty from his own garden, applying masterful techniques to create captivating results. At Eleven Madison Park in New York City, diners are invited to build their dinner around specific ingredients instead of predetermined recipes. But it's the service experience that shines brightest as guests are pampered in a manner that is intimate yet relaxed. With personalized service or surprising insight, each staff member adds a special touch to the guest's dining experience, creating a powerful, memorable event.

New Five Diamond Hotels (8):
Four Seasons Hotel Denver – Denver, Colo.
Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort – Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Grand Luxxe – Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico
One&Only Palmilla – San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico
Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa – Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
Shangri-La Hotel – Toronto, Ontario
The Langham, Chicago – Chicago, Ill.
The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman – Seven Mile Beach, Cayman Islands

New Five Diamond Restaurants (6):
Le Chique – Puerto Morelos, Mexico
Orchids at Palm Court – Cincinnati, Ohio
Palme d'Or – Coral Gables, Fla.
Passion by Martin Berasategui – Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
Saison – San Francisco, Calif.
Twist – Las Vegas, Nev.

"Attaining the Five Diamond Rating is an impressive accomplishment and a point of great pride for these top hotels and restaurants," said Petrone. "Five Diamond establishments stand apart by redefining personalized service, using creativity to enhance guest comfort and providing memorable experiences." Candidates for the rating undergo multiple unannounced evaluations and a final decision by a panel of experts. Inspectors meticulously evaluate guest services and physical attributes, closely examining the level of competence, refinement and hospitality, from reservations to checkout for hotels and from seating to presentation for restaurants.

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Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts Launches Luxury Jet Experience

Contributed by Karla Cripps, CNN

The Four Seasons' new jet, which takes flight in February 2015, is a Boeing 757. The luxury hotel brand says it will be fitted out with 52 seats in a 2-2 configuration.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Four Seasons' branded jet will begin around-the-world tours in 2015
• The 24-day, nine-destination global journey costs $119,000 per person
• Statistics show global travel market poised for growth in 2014

Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts is entering the aviation game.

Sort of.

The Toronto-based luxury accommodation brand has leased its very own Boeing 757, to fly guests on global tours starting February 2015.

Renderings of the black airplane -- dubbed the "Four Seasons Jet" -- show the brand's leaf logo on the tail, while execs say the interiors of the retrofitted plane will be customized by the company's design team.

Flatbed seats and in-flight Wi-Fi are a given.

"[It's] a natural extension of what we've been doing in our hotels for more than 50 years," said Susan Helstab, executive vice president of marketing, in a statement.

The Boeing 757 is a twin-engine short-to-medium-range jetliner that can fly both long- and short-range routes.

On November 28, 2005, Boeing wrapped up the 23-year run of the single aisle 757 passenger airplane but says more than 1,030 of its 1,050 757s are still in service.

Commercial airlines usually fit out these planes with at least 200 seats, but the Four Seasons Jet will have 52 in a 2-2 configuration.

Around the world in 24 days

Four Seasons says it's already accepting reservations for trips in February, April and August.

First up is "Around the World," a 24-day, nine-destination trip that starts in Los Angeles and ends in London.

The price is $119,000 per person and stops include Hawaii, Bora Bora, Sydney, Bali, northern Thailand, Mumbai and Istanbul.

A shorter tour, called "Backstage with the Arts," is a 16-day European trip in April through Paris, Lisbon, Milan, Istanbul, St. Petersburg and Prague.

Each journey includes air travel and ground transportation, planned excursions, all meals, some drinks and accommodations -- only in Four Seasons properties, of course.

In-flight staff will include a concierge to coordinate with local Four Seasons concierges in each destination.

Travelore Tips: Now You Can Customize Your Bed At Four Seasons Hotels

The Four Seasons aims to please their guests with its new customizable sleep experience. Guests will soon be able to choose between three mattress toppers, depending on their choice of firmness, as well as different pillows and bedside amenities (92% of guests who responded in a poll said that they had a preference on the firmness of the bed) when they visit spots throughout the U.S.

A few properties around the country already offer the bed, but it will roll out to many of the chain's hotels by the end of 2014 (properties in Santa Barbara and Jackson Hole will be among the first).

Wealth-X Reveals The World’s Most Exclusive Hotel Suites

Geneva’s Lakeside Hotel Takes Top Spot with US$67,000/Night Suite

 With Valentine’s Day coming soon, Wealth-X, the world’s leading ultra high net worth intelligence and prospecting firm, reveals the world’s most exclusive hotel suites for lovers with deep pockets.
 
“For the world’s most demanding ultra wealthy individuals, only the best will do, regardless of cost,” said Tara Loader Wilkinson, editor in chief at Wealth-X and editor at large at sister publication Billionaire. “With the help of travel consultants Kiwi Collection and Elite Travel International, we have ranked these hotel suites top in taste, opulence and amenities.”
 
The list was compiled initially on the basis of average price per night, with one suite per city. Taste, style and exclusivity were also taken into account when evaluating the shortlist.
 
Here are the top five exclusive suites:
 
1. Royal Penthouse Suite at the Hotel President Wilson
Geneva, Switzerland
Average price per night: US$67,000
1,800 square metres
 
2.   Ty Warner Suite, Four Seasons Hotel
     New York City, USA 
Average price per night: $41,000
  400 square metres
 
3. Hilltop Estate Owner’s Accommodation, Laucala Island Resort
Laucala Island, Fiji,
Average price per night: US$40,000
1,200 square metres
 
4. Penthouse Suite, Grand Hyatt Cannes Hôtel Martinez
Cannes, France
Average price per night: US$37,500
180 square metres
 
 
5. The Royal Villa, Grand Resort Lagonissi
Athens, Greece
Average price per night: US$35,000
410 square metres
 
 
For the full list, visit http://www.wealthx.com/articles/2014/world%E2%80%99s-most-exclusive-hotel-suites/
 
For the Billionaire.com story, visit www.billionaire.com/travel/731/the-worlds-top-ten-most-expensive-hotel-suites