Daytona Beach, FL – A trio of hotels in Volusia and Flagler counties make it onto a select list of the best places for tourists to stay in Florida.
The latest Hotel Diamond rating list from AAA gives 4 diamonds to 2 hotels in Daytona Beach Shores and New Smyrna Beach as well as another in Palm Coast. They’re the only local ones out of 148 hotels in the state to get either a 4 or a 5 diamond rating, with 5 being the highest possible rating.
The Shores Resort & Spa (2637 South Atlantic Avenue in Daytona Beach Shores) has been a regular in the 4-diamond column since 2006 and is the only one in Volusia that is next to the beach.
It’s the second year in a row that New Smyrna Beach’s Black Dolphin Inn (916 South Riverside Drive) has been named a 4-diamond by AAA, while Hammock Beach Resort (200 Ocean Crest Drive) in Palm Coast has been a 4-diamond hotel every year since 2008, according to AAA.
AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins says what makes their ratings so well-respected compared to other hotel rating systems is how the process works.
“AAA is the only organization that sends full-time, professionally trained evaluators to inspect properties on an annual basis,” Jenkins added. “Our inspector visits are unannounced so they will receive the true guest experience.”
The inspectors pay special attention to guest services and physical attributes of the property when making their recommendations, with a panel of experts then determining the final rating.
More than 28,000 hotels in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean are reviewed in this way every year, according to AAA. Less than 1% of those make the 5 diamond rating and only 12 of those 118 hotels were in Florida in the 2016 rankings. Most of those were in the Orlando or South Florida area.
Copyright 2016 Southern Stone Communications.