VegasTripping » The Board » Las Vegas » AAA 4- and 5-Diamond Hotels: No Wynn or Encore

AAA 4- and 5-Diamond Hotels: No Wynn or Encore

Started by AndyA on Wednesday, 23rd January 2013 11:32 am

The AAA Diamond ratings are out, and Wynn and Encore were both left off even the four diamond lists. TI is on the four diamond list, so there's that.

Did they opt out? I'm confused, because Botero, Bartolotta, SW Steakhouse, and the Country Club all got the four diamond rating. I'm not a fan of the last few years' worth of changes there, but it seems a little ridiculous to think that Wynncore isn't on the same level as Monte Carlo or Mirage.

Last response by JakeZ 24th January 6:35pm

Chuckmonster responded on Wednesday, 23rd January 2013

Definitely an interesting question, one which a reader brought to our attention a week ago in the hopes we could investigate.

Five Diamond Hotels:

ARIA Resort & Casino (2010)
ARIA Sky Suites (2011)
Bellagio (2001)
Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas (1999)
Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas (2010)
SKYLOFTS at the MGM Grand (2006)
The Palazzo® Las Vegas (2009)
The Venetian® Las Vegas (2007)

Five Diamond Restaurants:

Joël Robuchon (2006) (in the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino)
Le Cirque (2003) (in the Bellagio)
Picasso (2001) (in the Bellagio)
Restaurant Guy Savoy (2008) (in Caesars Palace)

Four Diamond Hotels:

Caesars Palace (2001)
Golden Nugget Hotel (2010)
JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa (2005)
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino (2000)
MGM Grand Hotel & Casino (2006)
Monte Carlo Resort & Casino (2006)
Palms Place Hotel and Spa (2010)
Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa (2007)
Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel (2005)
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas (2011)
THEhotel at Mandalay Bay (2004)
The Mirage (1990)
The Signature at MGM Grand (2007)
Treasure Island-TI Hotel & Casino (1999)
Trump International Hotel Las Vegas (2008)
Vdara Hotel & Spa (2011)

Four Diamond Restaurants

Alizé (2006)
Andre's at The Monte Carlo (2004)
Aureole (2000)
B & B Ristorante (2012)*
BARTOLOTTA, Ristorante di Mare (2006)
Botero (2010)
Carnevino (2010)
Craftsteak (2006)
CUT by Wolfgang Puck (2009)
Eiffel Tower Restaurant (2000)
Jasmine (2006)
L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon (2006)
Michael Mina (2008)
Michael’s Gourmet Room (2010)
Mix (2007)
Nobhill Tavern (2005)
Pearl (2005)
Prime Steakhouse (2005)
Sage (2010)
Seablue (2005)
Sensi (2006)
Shibuya (2005)
Stripsteak (2007)
SW Steakhouse (2006)
The Country Club - A New American Steakhouse (2010)
Wing Lei (2006)

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detroit1051 responded on Wednesday, 23rd January 2013

Great find. Here's the AAA press release; no mention on Wynn. We should email Heather Hunter at AAA and ask.

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detroit1051 replied on Wednesday, 23rd January 2013

Screwed up the link...again.

http://newsroom.aaa.com/2013/01/aaa-extends-five-diamond-honor-to-13-additional-hotels-and-restaurants-for-2013/

Chuckmonster replied on Wednesday, 23rd January 2013

I just emailed her. I will share whatever response I get from her.

Chris77 replied on Wednesday, 23rd January 2013

Some more links with no mention of Wynn/Encore:
http://www.aaa.biz/Travel_Information/Diamonds/Awards/2013/2013_5D_Hotels.pdf
http://www.aaa.biz/Travel_Information/Diamonds/Awards/2013/2013_4D_Hotels.pdf

And on AAA.com's online hotel booking engine, here is the page for Wynn/Encore:
http://www.res99.com/hotel/10021453-11320116O.html

Compared to Bellagio:
http://www.res99.com/hotel/10021453-11277630O.html

It looks like they did choose not to be rated, and I can see this becoming a trend in the next 4-5 years.

Today's travelers go online and read free hotel reviews on TripAdvisor, they don't go to a bookstore and buy a copy of the latest AAA TourBook or Mobil Travel Guide.

For a large resort with its own in-house marketing and social media teams, chasing those traditional third-party ratings may simply not pencil out any more.

Chuckmonster replied on Wednesday, 23rd January 2013

The fine print for the FYI declaration:

"The lodging listings with FYI in place of Diamonds are included as an information only service for members. The icon indicates that a property has not been rated for one or more of the following reasons: too new to rate, underconstruction, under major renovation, not evaluated, may not meet all AAArequirements. A property not meeting all AAA requirements is included for either its member value or because it may be the only accommodation available in the area. Listing prose will give insight as to why the FYI designation was assigned."

I'll bet they're giving the finger because they got Four Diamonds last year.

parchedearth responded on Wednesday, 23rd January 2013

I seem to recall a discussion about why Wynncore was only 4 diamond last year. I suspect they decided not to apply for a AAA rating this year. They might feel that AAA members aren't the demographic they want anyway. AAA also requires rated properties to adhere to certain rules (e.g. offer AAA member room rates) that might not be agreeable.

Some of the other ratings can essentially be "bought" by buying advertising in their periodicals (e.g. Conde Naste).

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mctrees02 responded on Wednesday, 23rd January 2013

The other glaring omission here are some of Cosmo's restaurants. One could definitely make a case for "e" along w/ Jaleo, Scarpetta, and even Comme Ca or D.O.C.G. to be included in the 4 star range. STK doesn't fit the style of AAA restaurants and I can't speak on Milos.

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vespajet responded on Wednesday, 23rd January 2013

I've heard that if a property makes a lot of changes during the year and the AAA folks are not able to rate them in the wake of those changes, the property will not get a rating for the next year. Perhaps all the changes made recently were significant enough that Wynn and Encore could not be rated for this year. The Golden Nugget lost its' AAA Four Diamond rating for a year before gaining it back and this was likely due to the changes and expansion of the property.

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