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AAA Texas Releases Elite 2007 Five Diamond Winners

Hall of Famer Roger Staubach Is Keynote Speaker

AAA Texas has released its elite list of AAA Five Diamond Rated® properties for 2007. Only four hotels and two restaurants attained the hospitality industry's highest rating in Texas this year.

The two hotels in Houston receiving the prestigious distinction are the Four Seasons Hotel Houston (12 years) and The St. Regis Hotel, Houston (6 years). The Mansion on Turtle Creek (16 years) is the only Dallas hotel to receive a Five Diamond Award, and the Four Seasons Resort and Club (4 years) is the only Irving hotel to receive the distinction.

Only two restaurants in Texas have maintained the Five Diamond Award for 18 consecutive years: The French Room (18 years) located in the Adolphus Hotel and The Mansion on Turtle Creek Restaurant (18 years) located in the Mansion on Turtle Creek. Both restaurants are located in Dallas.

"Important aspects of quality service are consistency and hospitality," said Mark Bell, general manager for AAA Texas. "Achieving the Five Diamond status shows that these six establishments are committed to excellence."

The six establishments selected will be recognized at a luncheon in the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Irving, Texas, on Thursday, January 18th.

Hall of Fame quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys and successful businessman, Roger Staubach, will serve as the keynote speaker.

The total 151 AAA Five Diamond Award winners for 2007 includes 93 hotels and 58 restaurants, which comprises just 0.25 percent of nearly 60,000 AAA Rated properties across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

To become AAA Approved and Diamond rated, hotels and restaurants undergo a thorough inspection by one of AAA's 65 full-time, highly trained professional evaluators. Five Diamond establishments complete a more extensive review that includes a series of inspections and final committee review. Some 60,000 hotels and restaurants will be listed in the 2007 TourBook® guides, in print and on www.aaa.com, where the Diamond ratings are published.

AAA first started listing accommodation information in its travel publications in the early 1900s. In 1937, the first field inspectors were hired to inspect hotels, motels, and restaurants. In 1963, AAA began to rate all accommodations as good, very good, excellent or outstanding. The current one-to-five diamond rating system was introduced in 1977 and continues to be recognized as the trusted leader of quality ratings for North American restaurants and lodgings.

AAA Texas, a member of the American Automobile Association federation of motor clubs, has been serving Texans since 1902. Today, more than a million AAA Texas members benefit by the organization's roadside assistance service, travel agency, financial products, automotive pricing, buying and financing, trip planning services, and traffic safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on AAA Texas' web site at www.aaa.com.