The Hermitage Hotel Receives Five Diamond Award

Only nine months after reopening its historic doors following an $18 million restoration project, The Hermitage Hotel has received the coveted American Automobile Association’s Five Diamond Award for 2004, making it the only hotel in Tennessee to hold the distinction.

It’s the first time a Tennessee hotel has achieved AAA’s Five Diamond Award since 1985, when the Spence Manor Executive Hotel in Nashville held the rating. There are no AAA Five Diamond-rated hotels in five of Tennessee’s contiguous states – Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Missouri and Arkansas – or the nearby states of Indiana, Iowa and Kansas. Previously, the closest city to Nashville with a AAA Five Diamond-rated hotel was Atlanta.

The Hermitage reopened on Valentine’s Day after a 10-month renovation, which saw its grand public spaces completely restored, the creation of 123 luxurious guest rooms and suites, and the implementation of many guest services and amenities new to Nashville.

Since announcing The Hermitage’s renovation plans in 2002, the hotel’s owners have expressed a desire to achieve the lodging industry’s highest ratings, especially the AAA Five Diamond Award. According to AAA, only 73 hotels will hold the Five Diamond distinction for 2004. Prior to closing for renovations in April 2002, The Hermitage Hotel held only a AAA Three Diamond rating.

AAA has been publishing its hotel rankings since 1977 when the AAA Tour Book published the ratings for the first time. Less than one third of one percent of all properties inspected receive the AAA Five Diamond award. While the award is extremely rare, it is even more unusual for hotels to attain the rating within the first year of operation – whether a new property or a renovated one.

When considering a property for a Four or Five Diamond rating, AAA inspectors check in to hotels anonymously. Upon departure, they will announce their identity and present a written summary of the inspection and the rating decision. AAA also publishes a list of criteria that is used throughout the evaluation process to determine a Five Diamond rating in eight categories of the guest experience including exterior and grounds, public areas, room décor and ambiance, guest room amenities, bathrooms, housekeeping, management, and guest services.

The AAA Five Diamond Award is not the only recognition The Hermitage Hotel has received this year. The influential magazine, The Robb Report, declared the hotel as one of the world’s “Best of the Best,” while the hotel has become the lodging choice of many of entertainment industry’s biggest names, especially during the recent CMA awards. The Hermitage’s location across from the state capitol building has also ensured that its restaurant, The Capitol Grille, has become the meeting spot for the politically powerful. Afternoon tea in the hotel’s lobby has become a Nashville tradition for many, while the grand ballroom now hosts the city’s most extravagant events and wedding receptions.

For more information about The Hermitage Hotel, visit www.thehermitagehotel.com
For more information about AAA’s Five Diamond Awards, visit www.aaa.com/news