- Disney's Beach Club Resort, AAA 4 Diamond Logding - Janey Henning
The AAA Diamond Rating program, which uses a scale of one to five Diamonds, evaluates and ranks approximately 32,000 hotels and resorts in North America each year. Although no Orlando accommodation has received AAA’s highest Five Diamond Rating, several properties in or near the Walt Disney World area – many of them Disney resorts – have earned the upscale Four Diamond rating.
The American Automobile Association and its counterpart the Canadian Association of American (AAA/CAA), known for its travel services and as an advocate for travelers, operates the AAA Diamond Program. The AAA uses a process in which an establishment must first apply for AAA rating. If accepted for review, members of AAA’s full-time staff dedicated to the Diamond Program then inspect that property.
What Criteria is Used to Determine AAA Diamond Ratings?
Criteria for AAA’s Diamond Ratings are based on input from hospitality professionals as well as period input from AAA members. Updates to AAA lodging criteria take into account both changing industry standards and guest expectations.
Areas for inspection include:
- the physical conditions of interior and exterior public areas;
- signage, landscaping, and parking;
- the availability and condition of dining and recreational areas;
- the quality of guest rooms, with consideration of furniture, flooring, sleeping arrangements, bedding and linens, sound, lighting, storage, security, and amenities;
- the quality of guest bathrooms, with consideration of lighting, storage, towels and amenities, outlets, sanitation, and safety;
- property maintenance and cleanliness;
- hospitality services and amenities; and
- manage operations, which addresses the industry’s professional standards and adherance to all codes.
Once a hotel or resort’s application for evaluation is approved, it becomes a AAA Approved accommodation. Only then will it receive a Diamond Rating, which indicates the quality and level of service travelers can expect.
What Does the AAA Four Diamond Rating Mean for Hotels?
According to AAA, a Four Diamond establishment is upscale in all areas and there is a high degree of attention to detail. The accommodation is “refined and stylish,” with its physical characteristics of noticeably high quality. Lodging earning AAA Four Diamond status also offers a wide range of amenities and meets a high standard for hospitality and service.
Of note: although all accommodations pay an application fee as part of their request for AAA evaluation, and AAA often offers its members discounts on Disney travel packages, these things have no effect on the evaluation process.
AAA Four Diamond Resorts and Hotels Inside Walt Disney World
The following Walt Disney World Resort accommodations and nearby others, all located in Lake Buena Vista, have been awarded a four-diamond rating.
- Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Disney's Beach Club Resort
- Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Polynesian Resort
- Disney's Yacht Club Resort
- Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
- Orlando World Center Marriott Resort & Convention Center
- Walt Disney World Swan Resort
AAA Four Diamond Resorts and Hotels in the Orlando Area
The following Orlando accommodations also enjoy a four-diamond rating.
- Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando
- Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport
- JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes
- Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando
- Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando
- Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld
- Rosen Shingle Creek
- The Grand Bohemian Hotel
- The Peabody Orlando
- The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes
- The Villas of Grand Cypress
- The Westin Imagine Orlando
Other Four Diamond Resort and Hotels Near Walt Disney World
The following accommodations, located near Walt Disney World and other Orlando attractions, have also been awarded four-diamond ratings.
- Celebration Hotel (Celebration)
- Gaylord Palms Resort (Kissimmee)
- Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate (Davenport)
Disney guests seeking upscale hotels and resorts in Orlando can use AAA Diamond Ratings as part of their decision-making process. AAA’s criteria and on-site, independent evaluation of accommodations, not to mention its travel services and discounts available to members, makes planning a Walt Disney World vacation easier.
Related Articles: Romantic Deluxe Resorts at Walt Disney World and Disney World Discounts for Select Groups
Author's note: This article was updated April 30 to add Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, which was awarded an AAA four diamond rating for the first time in 2011.
Debra Peterson - A freelance writer and scholar, Debra Peterson specializes in Disney Studies, with particular interests in Walt Disney World and ...
