A pair of luxury hotels in Toronto and New York City are the newest properties to receive the AAA Diamond Program’s highest designation. The Hazelton Hotel in Toronto and Waldorf Astoria in New York City have earned AAA Five Diamonds for their stunning surroundings, thoughtful amenities, and unparalleled service, the Canadian Automobile Association and the American Automobile Association announced.
I haven’t been to the recently renovated Waldorf in Manhattan, but I’ve stayed at the Hazelton Hotel in Toronto’s trendy Yorkville district a couple of times, and dined there on several occasions. It’s an elegant property that definitely worthy of Five-Diamond status. Here’s a hotel review I wrote a few years ago.
The other Canadian hotels with Five-Diamond status are as follows:
Fairmont Pacific Rim, Vancouver (glamorous as can be, with superb food and cocktails, too)
Hyatt Vancouver Downtown Alberni
The Bruce Hotel, Stratford, Ontario (here’s another review from a couple years ago)
Four Seasons Hotel Toronto
Four Seasons Hotel Montréal
The Ritz-Carlton Montréal
Also this month, 10 hotels and five restaurants received AAA Four Diamonds for their upscale style and distinctive fine dining.
Throughout the year, AAA Inspectors visit hotels and restaurants across North America, the Caribbean, and Costa Rica unannounced to objectively verify the 4 Cs of AAA Diamonds: Cleanliness, Comfort, Cuisine, and Consistency. I’ve been on inspection tours with them on two occasions and was highly impressed with the thoroughness of their work.
The Hazelton Hotel is in the heart of Toronto’s trendy Yorkville area. JIM BYERS PHOTO
New AAA Four Diamond Hotels
- Camp Creek Inn | Inlet Beach, Florida
- Dreams Playa Esmeralda Resort & Spa | Miches, Dominican Republic
- Embassy Suites by Hilton Gulf Shores Beach | Gulf Shores, Alabama
- Hotel Du Pont | Wilmington, Delaware
- Hotel del Coronado, Curio Collection by Hilton | Coronado (San Diego), California (a personal fave)
- Hotel Park Ave NYC | New York, New York
- Hotel Thaynes, Park City, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel | Park City, Utah
- Limelight Mammoth | Mammoth Lakes, California
- Secrets Playa Esmeralda Resort & Spa | Miches, Dominican Republic
- The Artisan Hotel at Tuscan Village, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel | Salem, New Hampshire
New AAA Four Diamond Restaurants
- Daniel’s, A Florida Steakhouse | Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Huso | New York, New York
- Jean Georges Steakhouse | Las Vegas, Nevada
- The Waterlot | Southampton, Bermuda
- Yamada | New York, New York
