Putting a Five Diamond Shine on the Big Apple

If you’re looking to experience the finer side of New York City, AAA has you covered.

For more than 80 years, AAA has inspected and rated both hotels and restaurants on behalf of AAA members. The highest ranking – AAA’s Five Diamond Award – is reserved for the best of the best.

Earlier in the year, New York hosted its first AAA Diamond Award luncheon to celebrate the city’s best in hospitality. Allow us to introduce you to the Big Apple’s finest high-end dining and luxury overnights, including the latest to receive the coveted AAA Five Diamond accolade.

AAA Five Diamond New York Hotels 2017

AAA’s Five Diamond Rated hotels are establishments of pure extravagance. Guests can enjoy ultimate luxury, sophistication and comfort, extensive amenities and meticulous personalized service.

Those are tough boxes to check, which is why only 120 of the 28,000 AAA Approved hotels in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean are Five Diamond Rated.

Six New York hotels were added to the Five Diamond list in 2017, including the St. Regis New York, in midtown Manhattan.

“A New York landmark since 1904, this appealing AAA Five Diamond property offers style at a grand level. When combined with contemporary luxury and attentive services, it is in a rarefied, supreme class altogether,” wrote AAA’s anonymous inspector.

“This historic hotel was built by John Jacob Aster IV as a sister property to the Waldorf Astoria, just a few years before Astor went down with the Titanic. Today, guests can enjoy unlimited use of the private on-site health club, complimentary garment pressing upon arrival and fresh fruit or candy delivered daily.”

New York has 10 Five Diamond hotels, the most of any U.S. city.

AAA Five Diamond New York Restaurants 2017

If you’re stumped about where to eat the next time you head into Manhattan, trust AAA to provide restaurants with flavor and service you won’t forget.

Inspecting thousands of restaurants each year, the highest ranked establishments – AAA Five Diamond restaurants – are reserved for places where extraordinary surroundings and expert staff complement leading-edge cuisine prepared by acclaimed chefs.

Places like The Modern. 

Overlooking the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden at the Museum of Modern Art, The Modern was the only restaurant added to the 2017 AAA Five Diamond list.

“An exquisite museum sculpture garden provides this AAA Five Diamond restaurant a sublime, cosmopolitan and relaxed setting for a most splendid meal,” wrote the AAA inspector.

“Service is energetic and diligent. The wine list is ample, and desserts are, like the setting, wonderfully artistic. Chef Abram Bissell adds his own signature and contemporary New American touch, and service staff is a pleasing blend of professional, enthusiastic young servers and a highly knowledgeable old guard.”

AAA Diamond Ratings for restaurants are determined by overall quality of the food, service, decor and ambiance as assessed by professional inspectors during anonymous, on-site evaluations each year.

If an establishment meets the rigorous AAA approval standards, it is ranked on a scale from One to Five Diamonds depending on the caliber of its attributes.

Just 63 of the 31,000 AAA Approved restaurants in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean earned Five Diamond Ratings for 2017.

Again, New York City comes out on top with nine Five Diamond restaurants – more than any other city in the United States.

For more on AAA’s Diamond Ratings, visit AAA.com/Diamonds.