Luxury establishments receive top rankings

Three restaurants and two hotels from Newport Beach made the Automobile Club of Southern California’s list of winners of the 2008 Four Diamond Award, which honors the most luxurious venues in the region.

The list, released Monday, catalogs hotels and restaurants that rank in the top 4% in terms of high-end accommodations.

The Automobile Club plans to issue the names of the Five Diamond Award winners, which are the region’s highest-ranking properties, on Friday.

The Newport Beach hotels making the list were the Balboa Bay Club and Resort and the Fairmont, which made the list for the first time this year.

Newport Beach boasted three of the five Orange County restaurants to get a Four Diamond rating, with the Ritz Restaurant and Garden, the Island Hotel’s Palm Terrace and the Balboa Bay Club’s First Cabin awarded.

Carol Thorp, a spokeswoman for the Automobile Club, said venues could post Four Diamond ratings online and on their properties; the recognition appears as well in the club’s guide book.

“It does mean something when people are booking hotels, because people rely on the diamond ratings to know what they can expect,” Thorp said. “When you get to Four and Five Diamonds, those are the luxury hotels, and when travelers are planning trips, they recognize that.”

The Automobile Club sends out inspection teams every year to evaluate venues for a number of factors, including exteriors, public areas, guest services, bathrooms and price range. A total of 62 hotels and 35 restaurants in Southern California made the list this year.

Randy Zupanski, general manager of the Fairmont, said the hotel’s first-time appearance on the list was a welcome reward after an extensive renovation. He expects the rating to boost business.

“We’ll get more customers through AAA, absolutely,” he said. “And we’ll get more customers who are looking for that particular experience.”

MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at [email protected].