Texas 2008 AAA Four Diamond Winners Announced

AAA Texas Adds Six Lodgings and Restaurants to Exclusive List

Sixty-nine lodgings and 33 restaurants in Texas have been chosen to receive AAA's prestigious Four Diamond Award® for 2008, according to AAA Texas. Six of the recipients appear on the exclusive list for the first time. (See below for list of recipients.)

Seven of the recipients have received the AAA Four Diamond Award® for 25 years or more, with five of them located in San Antonio and two in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In the Dallas/Fort Worth area they include: The Westin Galleria Dallas (25) and The Renaissance Worthington Hotel (27). In San Antonio, they are: Hyatt Regency San Antonio (26), San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk (28), Marriott Plaza San Antonio (29), Hilton Palacio del Rio (32), and the Omni La Mansion del Rio (32).

"The Four Diamond Award® is one of the lodging and restaurant industry's most prestigious honors," said AAA Texas general manager Mark Bell. "It recognizes establishments that have shown an ongoing commitment to superior service and exceptional standards of excellence during rigorous, unannounced inspections."

The Four Diamond symbol will be included in each property's listing in the 2008 AAA Texas TourBook® guide. AAA's more than 50 million members depend upon TourBook guides 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.

The assignment of a AAA rating of One to Five Diamonds marks the completion of a successful annual evaluation. All properties must first meet AAA's rigorous requirements and guidelines during an evaluation by one of AAA's 65 full-time professional inspectors to become AAA Approved. The inspectors visit more than 50,000 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.

AAA's Diamond Rating System is the only rating system that covers all of North America and one of only two that conduct physical, on-site evaluations. It is the only system that uses full-time, professionally trained evaluators to inspect each property on an annual basis using a set of guidelines that are made available to all establishments. AAA rates more properties than any other rating entity. AAA considers and investigates member feedback during reviews, but does not depend on guest opinions to derive a rating. In addition, AAA provides travelers the opportunity to post comments about their experiences at AAA Approved establishments.

AAA has included lodging information in its travel publications since the early 1900s. The association began rating hotels and other accommodations in 1963, adopting the current 'Diamond' rating systems in 1977 in celebration of AAA's 75th anniversary. Evaluations and Diamond ratings of restaurants began in 1986.

For a complete list of 2008 Four or Five Diamond winners, visit www.AAA.com/news.

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 from 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.

               2008 AAA Four Diamond Award®

                       Texas (Hotels)

Name                                         Yrs.      City

Barton Creek Resort & Spa                     12   Austin
Four Seasons Hotel                            21   Austin
Hilton Austin                                  4   Austin
Hyatt Regency Austin                          11   Austin
Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa          1   Austin
Omni Austin Hotel & Suites                    15   Austin
Omni Austin Hotel Southpark                    4   Austin
Renaissance Austin Hotel                       4   Austin
The Driskill                                   8   Austin
Omni Corpus Christi Hotel - Bayfront Tower     8   Corpus Christi
Hilton Dallas Lincoln Centre                  20   Dallas
Hilton Dallas Park Cities                      2   Dallas
Hotel Crescent Court, a Rosewood Hotel         6   Dallas
Hotel Palomar                                  1   Dallas
Hotel St. Germain                             16   Dallas
Hotel ZaZa                                     5   Dallas
Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion                7   Dallas
Renaissance Dallas Hotel                       5   Dallas
The Adolphus                                  15   Dallas
The Fairmont Dallas                            8   Dallas
The Westin Galleria, Dallas                   25   Dallas
Warwick Melrose Hotel                          2   Dallas
Omni Dallas Hotel West                        11   Farmers Branch
The Ashton Hotel                               6   Fort Worth
The Renaissance Worthington Hotel             27   Fort Worth
Embassy Suites Dallas-Frisco Hotel;            2   Frisco
 Conference Center & Spa
The Westin Stonebriar Resort                   5   Frisco
Hotel Galvez-A Wyndham Historic Hotel          4   Galveston
Moody Gardens Hotel & Spa                      4   Galveston
The San Luis Resort Spa &                      8   Galveston
 Conference Center
Embassy Suites Outdoor World                   5   Grapevine
Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention              3   Grapevine
 Center on Lake Grapevine
Grand Hyatt DFW                                1   Grapevine
Hilton DFW Lakes                               5   Grapevine
Horseshoe Bay Resort Marriott Hotel            3   Horseshoe Bay
Hilton Americas-Houston                        3   Houston
Hilton Houston Post Oak                        3   Houston
Hotel Icon                                     3   Houston
Intercontinental Houston                       5   Houston
Omni Houston Hotel                             2   Houston
Omni Houston Westside                          2   Houston
Renaissance Houston Hotel                      6   Houston
 Greenway Plaza
The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa              13   Houston
The Westin Galleria, Houston                   5   Houston
The Westin Oaks, Houston                       5   Houston
Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas            21   Irving
Lajitas The Ultimate Hideout                   4   Richardson
Renaissance Dallas - Richardson Hotel          3   Richardson
Crowne Plaza San Antonio Riverwalk            10   San Antonio
Emily Morgan Hotel                             3   San Antonio
Hilton Palacio del Rio                        32   San Antonio
Hotel Contessa                                 2   San Antonio
Hotel Valencia Riverwalk                       4   San Antonio
Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort             15   San Antonio
Hyatt Regency San Antonio                     26   San Antonio
Marriott Plaza San Antonio                    29   San Antonio
Noble Inns - The Jackson House                 7   San Antonio
Omni La Mansion del Rio                       32   San Antonio
Omni San Antonio Hotel                        12   San Antonio
San Antonio Marriott  Rivercenter             19   San Antonio
San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk                28   San Antonio
Sheraton Gunter                                2   San Antonio
The Columns on Alamo                          11   San Antonio
The St. Anthony Hotel                          5   San Antonio
The Westin La Cantera Resort                   6   San Antonio
Westin Riverwalk Hotel                         5   San Antonio
Watermark Hotel & Spa                          3   San Antonio
Rose Hill Manor                                2   Stonewall
The Woodlands Waterway Marriott                4   The Woodlands
 Hotel & Convention Center

                     (RESTAURANTS)

Name                                         Yrs.      City

III Forks                                      1   Austin
The Café                                       3   Austin
Driskill Grill                                 6   Austin
Hill Country Dining Room                       3   Austin
Restaurant Jezebel                             1   Austin
Republic of Texas Bar & Grill                  5   Corpus Christi
Abacus                                         7   Dallas
Aurora Maison de Cuisine                       3   Dallas
Chaparral                                      3   Dallas
Ciudad D.F.                                    6   Dallas
Dragonfly                                      3   Dallas
Hotel St. Germain                              8   Dallas
The Landmark Restaurant                        2   Dallas
Nana                                          13   Dallas
The Old Warsaw                                13   Dallas
The Pyramid Grill                             19   Dallas
Bistro Louise                                  3   Fort Worth
Shearn's Restaurant                            4   Galveston
The Steakhouse                                 5   Galveston
Bank Jean-Georges                              3   Houston
Brennan's of Houston                           6   Houston
Noe's Restaurant & Bar                         6   Houston
Quattro                                        6   Houston
The Remington Restaurant                       6   Houston
Tony's                                         6   Houston
Café on the Green                              2   Irving
Ocotillo Restaurant                            4   Lajitas
Bohanan's Prime Steak and Seafood              4   San Antonio
Bolo's Latin American Grille                   9   San Antonio
Fig Tree Restaurant                            9   San Antonio
Francesca's at Sunset                          6   San Antonio
Las Canarias Restaurant                        9   San Antonio
Le Reve                                        1   San Antonio

All of the AAA Four Diamond recipients will be recognized at a ceremony in their specific region, with the first ceremony taking place at the The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center at 1601 Lake Robbins Drive in The Woodlands, on Thursday, January 10, 2008 at 11:30 AM. The lodgings and restaurants in the Houston, Galveston, and The Woodlands area will receive their AAA Four Diamond Awards. Mayor Pro-Tem and Houston Council Member Adrian Garcia will serve as the guest speaker. (Note: This ceremony is NOT open to the public - only media.)