Proximity Hotel, O. Henry Hotel and Grandover Resort and Conference Center with Four Diamond awards

CHARLOTTE (Jan. 23, 2012) –AAA Carolinas will honor 14 North Carolina accommodations and eight restaurants for superior quality and service tonight.  This year three new properties have achieved a prestigious AAA Four Diamond rating: The King’s Daughters Inn in Durham, the Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel in Raleigh and The Sanderling Resort and Spa in Duck. 

AAA Four Diamond awards, given out in three separate ceremonies around the state, continues tonight with an awards ceremony for central and eastern North Carolina at the Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club in Durham, NC. A total of 14 restaurants and 34 accommodations throughout the entire state have achieved this rating for a combined total of 461 years of service.  

Central and eastern North Carolina Four Diamond accommodation winners, who will receive their awards tonight, listed with number of years won, include: The King’s Daughters Inn (First Year) in Durham, the Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel (First Year) in Raleigh, the Sanderling Resort and Spa (First Year) in Duck, the Proximity Hotel(4 years) in Greensboro, the Arrowhead Inn Bed and Breakfast (9 years) in Durham, The Verandas (10 years) in Wilmington, The Holly Inn (10 years) in Pinehurst and theWashington Duke Inn & Golf Club (12 years) in Durham. Others that will receive awards tonight are: O. Henry Hotel (13 years) in Greensboro, The Grandover Resort and Conference Center (13 years) in Greensboro, Graystone Inn (13 years) in Wilmington, the Carolina Inn (15 years) in Chapel Hill, The Siena Hotel (16 years) in Chapel Hill and the Carolina Hotel in Pinehurst (30 years).

Central and eastern North Carolina Four Diamond restaurants receiving their awards tonight, listed with number of years won, include; Chef and The Farmer (2 years) in Kinston, Second Empire Restaurant & Tavern (8 years) in Raleigh, The Left Bank (8 years) in Duck, Carolina Crossroads (10 years), 1895 Grille (11 years) in Pinehurst, Four Square Restaurant (11 years) in Durham, The Fairview Dining Room (20 years) in Durham and Il Palio Ristoranté (22 years) in Chapel Hill.

 “AAA’s requirements for a Four Diamond rating are rigorous, and those that win it are among the best hotels and restaurants in the world,” said Dave Parsons, president and CEO of AAA Carolinas. “Only 3.5 percent of the more than 58,000 annual inspections conducted nationally result in a Four Diamond rating.”

AAA gives the Four Diamond awards annually to qualified hotels and restaurants in North America. More than 2,000 properties nationally earn the Four Diamond ratings after specially trained evaluators conduct anonymous overnight stays or dine incognito. Lodgings include eight different classifications, such as bed and breakfast, hotel, cottage and country inn with four sub-classifications such as historic, classic, resort and casino.

Restaurants have varying cuisines and ambiances. Each restaurant and lodging that receives any level of diamond rating from AAA is listed in AAA’s TourBooks that are distributed free to any of the organization’s 53 million members nationwide. 

Western North Carolina awards were distributed on January 16th and Charlotte area recipients will be honored on January 27th. 

AAA Carolinas, an affiliate of the American Automobile Association, is a not-for-profit organization that serves more than 1.8 million members with travel, automobile and insurance services while being an advocate for the safety and security of all travelers.