AAA/CAA Membership Hotels In Carolina | "Four Diamond establishments announced for 2013"

Source     :  http://www.wayneindependent.com
Category   : AAA/CAA Membership Hotels In Carolina
By             : Courtyard Hotel
Posted By  : Hotels Carolina Beach NC


AAA North Penn has announced four lodgings and one restaurant to the esteemed AAA Four Diamond Award designation for 2013 Area lodging and restaurants receiving the prestigious AAA/CAA Four Diamond Rating include: Patsel’s Restaurant, Clarks Summit; The French Manor Lodge & Restaurant, Sterling; The Settlers Inn & Restaurant, Hawley; The Lodge at Woodloch, Hawley; and Mount Airy Casino Resort, Mt. Pocono.

AAA/CAA Membership Hotels In Carolina

Lodgings at this level are refined and stylish, featuring upscale physical attributes, according to AAA. They typically offer an extensive array of amenities combined with a high degree of hospitality, personal attention and guest services. Restaurants at this level offer a distinctive fine-dining experience, according to AAA.
Their offerings are typically distinguished by highly creative chiefs, top-quality ingredients and attentive service. A wine steward may offer menu-specific knowledge.

These establishments are part of a select group of restaurants and hotels within North America. For 2013 just 1,535 lodgings and 754 restaurants received the AAA Four Diamond Rating.
These 2,289 establishments account for just 2 percent of the total 59,000 AAA Approved and Diamond Rated lodgings and restaurants across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
“We are honored to be recognizing AAA Four Diamond Restaurants and Lodgings” said
Glenn Smith, President/CEO of AAA North Penn. They are committed to exceeding guest expectations and providing a premier experience. This rating acknowledges the hard work and dedication of the staff.
“Four Diamond establishments consistently deliver attentive service and memorable travel and dining experiences in comfortable, high-quality surroundings,” said Michael Petrone, Director of AAA Tourism Information Development. “To achieve and maintain these exceptional standards on a daily basis is a commendable achievement. AAA is pleased to recognize these establishments.”
About AAA Diamond Ratings:

AAA Approved and Diamond Rated hotel and restaurant listings can be found in the AAA TourBook* guides available at AAA and CAA offices across the continent. They can be accessed online at AAA.com/Travel and through downloadable e TourBook* guides at AAA.com/ebooks. Smartphone users can locate Diamond Rated establishments using the free AAA TripTik* Mobile app or AAA Mobile Web at AAA.com/moble.

AAA/CAA Membership Hotels In Carolina | "Beach House hotel"

Source     :  http://www.islandpacket.com
Category   : AAA/CAA Membership Hotels In Carolina
By             : Courtyard Hotel
Posted By  : Hotels Carolina Beach NC


A Hilton Head Island hotel known for its Tiki Hut bar and its proximity to Coligny Beach has been sold.

Northview Hotel Group has bought The Beach House, a Holiday Inn Resort, from Integrated Capital. The sale price was not released.

The hotel, which is about 40 years old, underwent $5 million in renovations last year, but its new owners plan another round of improvements, according to Simon Hallgarten, a partner in the hotel group.

AAA/CAA Membership Hotels In Carolina

"The previous owners did a great job and carried out a large amount of the plans we were proposing, but they left a few strategic areas that still need some work, which is what we are going to be focused on," he said.

Upgrading the area around the pool is a top priority.

New bathrooms and more seating at the Tiki Hut, upgrading the lobby and other parts of the 202-room hotel also are planned. The company wants to add several outdoor fire pits and improve the parking lot.

Some upgrades to the pool area have begun and will be finished by summer. The more intensive work is scheduled to begin next fall.

Hallgarten said the company has been interested in The Beach House for a while, and nearly bought it in 2011 when it was on the market.

"We like beachfront properties. ... There is just not much oceanfront property that is being created anymore. It is somewhat irreplaceable," he said, adding that its proximity to shopping and entertainment at Coligny Square also makes it attractive.

Charlie Clark, spokeswoman for the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, said the sale and planned renovations are part of a "renaissance of reinvestment" under way at the island's landmark hotels.

"All of the island's major properties, including the new owners of The Beach House, have done their homework and understand that redevelopment brings a return on investment," she said.

Northview Hotel Group, a privately held company based in Westport, Conn., owns and operates 10 properties around the U.S., including resorts in Oregon, North Carolina and Florida. This is its first property in South Carolina.