FLORIDA — The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island achieved a rare rating in the hotel and restaurant industries, the only hotel property on the North American continent to earn it.
The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island in northeast Florida is the only hotel and restaurant combination in North America to achieve an AAA Five Diamond rating in 2013 for both the hotel plus its fine dining restaurant, Salt.
AAA assessed 30,000 hotels for the 2013 ratings that resulted in awarding only 125 of the hotel properties with the top AAA Five Diamond award.
Far fewer restaurants earned the top Five Diamond rating. Of 29,000 restaurants assessed, only 53 achieved the AAA Five Diamond status in 2013, including Salt at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island. To put this into better perspective, reportedly less than one-third of 1% of North American restaurants (within USA, Canada, and Mexico) were awarded AAA Five Diamonds. Congratulations to The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island!
According to AAA, select establishments earn the AAA/CAA Five Diamond Rating, the travel authority’s highest property rating. This exclusive group provides unique experiences chock full of leading-edge creativity and highly personalized hospitality to satisfy even the most savvy traveler.
“AAA Five Diamond hotels offer guests a meticulous degree of personalized attention and extensive amenities in a luxurious setting, and Five Diamond restaurants feature world-class service and imaginative menus using the finest ingredients,” said Michael Petrone, director, AAA Tourism Information Development. “These establishments consistently exceed the expectations of the most discriminating traveler – the AAA inspector — and AAA is pleased to recognize them with a Five Diamond Rating.”
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AMENITIES AT THE RITZ-CARLTON, AMELIA ISLAND, FLORIDA
- 1.5 miles of dune-lined beachfront along the Atlantic Ocean
- 18 holes of PGA championship golf (Golf Club of Amelia at Summer Beach)
- Four restaurants including AAA 5 Diamond, Salt (one outdoors and seasonal)
- Four cocktail lounges (one outdoors and seasonal)
- The wonderful Ritz-Carlton Spa
- Full-service beauty salon
- 24-hour Fitness center
- Indoor and outdoor heated pools with whirlpool
- On-site tennis: Featuring four clay tennis courts, including state-of-the-art Hydro-cool technology that keeps the courts play-ready. Full-service pro shop, daily drill clinics, skilled tennis professionals.
- Beach bonfires for groups, romantic beach fires for couples. Enjoy “S’mores” and more.
- Private star-gazing with telescopes can also be arranged on the beach.
- More than 48,000 square feet of function space plus several oceanside outdoor venues, accommodating groups of 15 to 1,000 people for business conferences and fabulous weddings.
- Ritz Kids program, children’s pool, playground, even “pirate” tuck-ins for the kids.
- Retail gift shops
MORE ABOUT AAA: As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides its members a full range of travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services through a network of 1,100 offices.