The AAA 5-Diamond rating is as good as it gets, and several of the Vegas resort hotels fall into this top category. Some of them have now been 5-Diamond rated for several years in succession.
AAA Las Vegas Top 5-Diamond Hotels and Resorts
The AAA inspectors have given the following hotels and resorts their coveted 5-Diamond rating for 2010:
- Bellagio. For the 9th successive year the Bellagio Hotel and Casino picks up the top AAA hotel rating, a remarkably consistent achievement especially given that it has almost 4,000 guest rooms to take care of. The fact that two of Las Vegas's Top Five AAA Restaurants are also at Bellagio also makes a case for this being the best hotel in Vegas.
- The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas. The Ritz-Carlton is 17 miles from the Las Vegas Strip so best-suited to those who want to sample the action without being in the thick of it all the time. Its lakeside setting, white sand beach, and Tuscan-style architecture come as a total surprise to those who expect only neon and glitz.
- Encore Las Vegas. Encore is connected to, but separate from, Wynn Las Vegas on the Vegas Strip. A shopping arcade links the two casino resort hotels. Although it only opened in December 2008, Encore has instantly received the same top 5-Diamond AAA rating as its sister hotel.
- The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino. Only slightly older than Encore, the Palazzo opened in January 2008 and so has also been quick to pick up the top AAA rating. It's a huge hotel-casino resort, said to be the largest building in the Western Hemisphere.
- Four Seasons Las Vegas. One of the older kids now on the block, the Four Seasons has been given its 5-Diamond rating for eleven consecutive years, longer than any other hotel in Vegas.
- Skylofts at MGM Grand. Skylofts are the top two penthouse floors at the MGM Grand, but operated separately from the main hotel. They are winning 5 Diamonds for the fourth consecutive year. The Joël Robuchon restaurant at the MGM Grand is also a 5-Diamond dining experience.
- Wynn Las Vegas. Gets its 5-Diamond rating for the fourth consecutive year, with its Alex restaurant also maintaining its 5-Diamond standard.
- The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino. One of the best-known of the Vegas hotel resorts, and current home to the Blue Man Group and Phantom of the Opera, the Venetian retains its 5-Diamond rating for the third consecutive year.
For non-USA readers unfamiliar with AAA, the initials stand for the American Automobile Association, commonly referred to as Triple-A. It has over 50 million members, and offices in all major towns and cities throughout the United States. It publishes driving guides to each state, covering hotels, restaurants and attractions, and its ratings are very highly regarded.
AAA rates almost 60,000 restaurants and places to stay each year. They cover all 50 states in the United States, along with Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Of all the eating and accommodation places rated, only 113 hotels and resorts, and 52 restaurants, received the top 5-Diamond rating in the AAA's 2010 guides.
Donna Dailey - Donna Dailey is an award-winning travel writer & photographer. Her work appears in newspapers, magazines, websites and guidebooks ...
