Five Diamond additions lift Las Vegas’ stature

Monday, Nov. 17, 2003 | 11:19 a.m.

The Bellagio and Four Seasons hotels on the Strip and the Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas in Henderson received the Five Diamond award in the lodging category, while Le Cirque and Picasso at Bellagio and Renoir at The Mirage received the award in the restaurant category.

The Bellagio hotel-casino, Picasso and Renoir are three-time Five Diamond award winners. The Four Seasons, which is attached to the Mandalay Bay resort but doesn't have a casino, won Nevada's first Five Diamond award in 1999. The award is a first for Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas, which opened Feb. 11, and Le Cirque.

While the awards may have some effect on the bottom line, hotel representatives say the Five Diamond honor will prove a bigger boost to the city's overall reputation as a resort destination.

"It enhances people's perception of the hotel and the city of Las Vegas," Four Seasons Hotel Manager Vince Parrotta said.

The awards also counteract naysayers who don't believe Las Vegas is a gourmet town on par with other major cities, MGM MIRAGE spokesman Alan Feldman said.

"The addition of a third (Five Diamond) restaurant further cements our reputation ... as a phenomenal restaurant town," Feldman said. "It's been evident in the last three to four years that more and more people are coming to Las Vegas who consider themselves 'foodies.' "

The Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas is the first non-Strip property to receive a Five Diamond award in Nevada and was one of a few other Ritz-Carlton hotels nationwide to make the list.

"We have strived since Day 1 to deliver consistently warm, highly personalized service in a community of mega-hotels and casinos," Ritz-Carlton General Manager Doug Brooks said. "This recognition by AAA inspires us to raise the service bar even higher as we approach our 10th month of operation."

The award is significant for the luxury hotel, spokeswoman Bonnie Crail said.

"There are many travelers who will only book Five Diamond properties," Crail said. "Also, groups that have meetings will select properties from that list."

Crail said her email mailbox was overflowing this morning with inquiries about the hotel since news of the award filtered out.

The property's customer service, more than its appearance, likely won over AAA reviewers, Crail said.

"When we opened our goal was to really set ourselves apart on the service side," she said. "There's so many huge hotels in this market but with 349 rooms we knew we could really focus on service."

When a property earns a Five Diamond award for the first time, the property undergoes multiple evaluations, with a panel of experts making the final decision, AAA said. Several evaluations and a panel decision are also made when a property is in danger of losing its rating.

"This means these properties are among the best of the best," said Sean Comey, spokesman for AAA's Nevada office. "It's a testament to the facility and the staff that they can maintain a truly exceptional level of service every day. Five Diamonds means customers can expect to experience the ultimate in luxury."

The Nevada venues are among 82 hotels and 55 restaurants in North America and the Caribbean to receive the coveted award this year.

AAA evaluates nearly 50,000 properties each year, with less than one half of one percent earning the Five Diamond distinction.

AAA began inspecting lodgings and restaurants in 1937 and adopted a formal rating system in 1963. It introduced the Diamond ratings for hotels in 1976 and created a restaurant category in 1988.