Mount Airy Casino Resort Earns 2017 AAA Four Diamond Award For Seventh Consecutive Year

Mount Airy Casino Resort Is Pennsylvania’s First Casino Resort to be Ranked a Four Diamond Property

Mount Pocono, PA –  For the seventh consecutive year, Mount Airy Casino Resort, a destination offering incomparable casino gaming, picturesque settings, lavish ambiance, exceptional fine dining, luxury accommodations, outdoor activities and unrivalled amenities, has been awarded the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Rating. Mount Airy Casino Resort was the first casino resort in Pennsylvania to have received this prominent award.

The AAA Four Diamond Rating is assigned to lodgings that feature an extensive array of amenities combined with a high degree of hospitality, service, and attention to detail. Restaurants at this level offer a distinctive fine-dining experience marked by high quality ingredients, creative presentation, and attentive service. Fewer than 4 percent of nearly 59,000 AAA Approved hotels and restaurants receive this prestigious rating.

Hotels at this level employ experienced, highly qualified staff to provide the custom service luxury hotel guests expect, according to AAA. These establishments deliver unmatched guest comfort with luxurious accommodations, extraordinary facilities and many personalized amenities. Mount Airy Casino Resort is part of a select group of hotels and restaurants in North America. Just 1,615 hotels and 665 restaurants made the AAA Four Diamond lists for 2017.  

“It is such an honor to have achieved this award for the seventh consecutive year,” stated John Culetsu, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Mount Airy Casino Resort. “We remain committed to providing the highest quality of dining, gaming and luxury accommodations to our guests, and this award highlights that commitment and the work that we have done and will continue to do,” he added.”

“AAA is pleased to recognize Mount Airy Casino Resort for earning the Four Diamond Rating,” said Michael Petrone, director, AAA Inspections and Diamond Ratings. “To maintain the exceptional standards required for this rating on a daily basis is an outstanding achievement. AAA Four Diamond establishments are attentive to guests needs and consistently deliver memorable travel and dining experiences,” he added.  “These establishments consistently exceed the expectations of the most discriminating traveler – the AAA inspector. We are proud to have these dedicated businesses in our region,” He concluded.

ABOUT AAA DIAMOND RATINGS

For more than 80 years, AAA has used professional inspectors to conduct anonymous, in-person property evaluations. AAA offers the only rating system using comprehensive, on-site professional hotel and restaurant evaluations using published guidelines weighted by member priorities. With a far greater inventory than any other rating entity, AAA’s rating system covers the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Travelers can find Diamond Rated establishments and inspector insight in AAA’s trip planning products: the AAA Mobile app, the online TripTik Travel Planner mapping and routing tool, searchable online AAA Travel Guides and AAA TourBook guides available to members at AAA offices.

As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 57 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. Motorists can map a route, identify gas prices, find discounts, book a hotel and access AAA roadside assistance with the AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Learn more at AAA.com/mobile. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at AAA.com.

ABOUT MOUNT AIRY CASINO RESORT:

Mount Airy Casino Resort – Pennsylvania’s first AAA Four Diamond-rated casino, boasts the ultimate gaming experience with over 1,800 slot machines and 80 table games against the backdrop of Pennsylvania’s picturesque Pocono Mountains. Luxury hotel rooms and suites serve every need while guests discover a variety of signature restaurant options, including the recently opened Guy Fieri’s Mt. Pocono Kitchen and Bistecca by Il Mulino. This all-encompassing, full service resort destination for outdoor enthusiasts and gaming enthusiasts alike features an award- winning, lakefront 18-hole golf course; a 16,000 square foot spa, salon and exercise facility; a $5 million, luxury, indoor/outdoor pool and entertainment complex – aptly called Get Wet; an outdoor summer stage that hosts summer concert series; headline entertainment at Gypsies Nightclub and bar; banquet and conference center.  Mount Airy Casino Resort, located in Mount Pocono, Pa., is less than 90 minutes from Philadelphia, New York City and northern New Jersey. For reservations, call 1-877-682-4791 or visit www.mountairycasino.com.

The Newest Innovative Offerings On Cruises Include Better Wi-Fi, Snow Rooms, And Other Wows

By BETH J. HARPAZ

This photo of a rendering provided by Regent Seven Seas Cruises depicts the cruise line’s forthcoming ship, the Seven Seas Explorer, which is expected to debut in the summer of 2016. The ship will include one of the largest and most expensive suites ever offered at sea: 3,875 square feet, $5,000 per person, per night, with a two-person minimum occupancy. (AP Photo/Regent Seven Seas Cruises/Spine)

NEW YORK (AP) - Snow rooms, better Wi-Fi and a continued emphasis on specialty food and drink are some of the trends for cruising in the next year or two.

Here are some details.

THE WOW FACTOR

The industry that put skating rinks and waterslides on ships keeps "coming up with funky, cool things - that wow factor," said Fran Golden, who writes for Porthole.com and USA Today's Experience Cruise site.

Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas debuts in April with the same innovations that made a splash at last year's launch of its sister ship, Quantum of the Seas: robot bartenders, simulated skydiving, bumper cars and an observation capsule rising high above the sea.

Norwegian Escape arrives in Miami in November with a snow room offering freezing temperatures for post-sauna invigoration. The ship's showcase food and drink includes a Margaritaville, Mondavi-brand wine bar, craft beer from Miami's Wynwood Brewing and restaurants offering tapas and Latin seafood from celebrity chef Jose Garces.

Viking, the company known for river cruises, is introducing an oceangoing vessel, Viking Star. With a capacity of 928, it's small compared with megaships carrying 4,000, but Viking says it will be destination-oriented, with more time in port around the Mediterranean, Western Europe and Nordic region. All-inclusive prices will cover shore excursions, Wi-Fi, self-service laundry, wine, beer and specialty restaurants.

Looking ahead to 2016, Carnival will launch its first new ship in four years, Carnival Vista, with the first IMAX theater at sea and two new thrill attractions: a 455-foot-long (139 meters) multicolored tube slide called a Kaleid-o-Slide and SkyRide, a cycling ride suspended from a track. A Family Harbor area offers more family accommodation options and a lounge hangout with large-screen TVs, games and concierge desk.

Regent Seven Seas' new Explorer ship, also debuting in 2016, will have one of the largest and priciest suites ever offered at sea. The $5,000-a-night, per person, Regent Suite will be 3,875 square feet, with grand piano and private spa.

ITINERARIES AND EVENTS

Disney Cruise Line brings "Frozen" to sea next summer with themed deck parties, character meet-and-greets, menus and performances on select sailings. Disney Magic itineraries include the Norwegian fjords that inspired the hit movie.

Cunard marks 175 years since its first ship Britannia crossed from England to North America. Cunard's Queen Mary 2 departs Liverpool on the same route July 4, the date Britannia departed in 1840. All 2015 Cunard sailings will host anniversary events like themed balls. In May, all three Cunard ships - Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria - will rendezvous for celebrations in Southampton and Liverpool.

EXPEDITION CRUISING

An emerging trend identified by CruiseCritic.com editor Carolyn Spencer Brown is expedition cruising or soft-adventure cruising to places like the Amazon. Land-based tour companies like Lindblad have long offered voyages to exotic destinations like Antarctica and the Galapagos, but now luxury cruise companies like Silversea and Seabourn are getting into the business.

"That means the comfort level and sophistication level is going to rise, with more food options, cabins with balconies and suite accommodations," said Spencer Brown, who recently cruised the Peruvian Amazon. "You won't have to give up the comforts of home to do these trips."

PRICES

Cruise Market Watch says per-person, per-day expenditures on 2015 cruises will average $222, including ticket price and onboard spending. That's a 3.5 percent increase over 2014.

But there are still bargains. CruiseCompete.com has a webpage devoted to cruises under $300, including three-night trips on Golden Princess and Carnival Imagination starting in California with stops in Mexico.

Bob Levinstein, CEO of CruiseCompete.com, advises "the absolute best deals are going to be last-minute." That doesn't mean the week before the cruise, but six or seven weeks out, after final payments are due for advance bookings. Last-minute deals work best for folks with flexible schedules who can drive to ports so they don't need plane tickets, Levinstein said.

Bargain cruises are especially prevalent in the Caribbean and Mexico due to an oversupply in the region, especially among "older and less attractive ships," according to Rich Skinner, co-owner of Cruise Holidays of Woodinville, a Vacations.com brand. But Skinner also sees "significant increases to both Europe and Alaska prices." And some cruises now have "value-added" prices where you pay more but get more included, like alcohol, gratuities or Wi-Fi.

FOOD AND FITNESS

Many cruise lines have partnered with famous chefs to appeal "to a foodie audience," said Golden, of Porthole.com. Often the name-brand venues onboard are specialty restaurants, so you pay extra, but still less than what it costs to eat at the chef's land-based restaurant. (An exception, Golden notes: Guy Fieri's burgers are free on Carnival ships.)

Cruises are also offering more intense fitness options, said Levinstein, like Norwegian Fight Klub, a cardio boxing program. People who are into fitness are wary of cruising "because you eat all the time on a ship," Levinstein said. Cruise lines can overcome those concerns with innovative ways to spend time at sea getting in shape instead of putting on weight.

WI-FI

Wi-Fi on cruises has been expensive and slow, but "there's definitely a big push to improve," Levinstein said, especially on Royal Caribbean and Carnival. Carnival is piloting a social media package, with access to sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, for $5 daily or $25 per voyage. You pay more for email, Web-surfing or Skype.

Guy Fieri's Mt. Pocono Kitchen Opens At Mt. Airy Casino Resort, Pennsylvania's First AAA Four Diamond Casino Resort

As part of the first phase of making the Mt. Airy Casino Resort the best foodie destination in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains, celebrity chef Guy Fieri has partnered with the resort to open Guy Fieri's Mt. Pocono Kitchen. The restaurant is open 24 hours on the Casino Level and is featuring Fieri's most popular award winning dishes including the Bacon Mac 'n' Cheese Burger, Vegas Fries and the Motley Que Pulled Pork Sandwich. A collection of craft beers, Sonoma County wines from Guy's hometown, a frozen tap system shot bar, and a unique cocktail selection that includes "Booze Hound Shakes" made with Hood Dairy frozen custard are also offered.

The Mt. Airy Casino Resort is Pennsylvania's first AAA Four Diamond casino resort. It is a full-service resort destination featuring luxury hotel rooms and suites, over 1,700 slot machines, over 80 game tables, a smoke-free casino floor, an 18 hole golf course, a luxury spa, a new "Get Wet" indoor/outdoor pool and lounge, and conference center. The resort is centrally located in Mt. Pocono, PA.; just 90 minutes from Philadelphia, New York City, and Northern New Jersey. For reservations please call 877-682-4791 or visit www.mountairycasino.com

In Spring 2015 we plan do a comprehensive Destination Report on the resort.