Sanctuary at Kiawah earns 5-diamond distinction from AAA - WCIV-TV | ABC News 4 - Charleston News, Sports, Weather

Sanctuary at Kiawah earns 5-diamond distinction from AAA

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. (WCIV) - The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort was among seven hotels and restaurants in the Carolinas to receive AAA Carolinas distinction as a five-diamond facility.

AAA honored the seven properties during an awards dinner Friday.

The Five Diamond rating is the top designation awarded each year by AAA to an elite group of qualified hotels and restaurants after an anonymous overnight visit by full-time specially trained inspectors. Only 0.3 percent of the more than 59,000 annual inspections conducted by AAA results in a Five Diamond rating.

North Carolina winners, with the number of years won, are:

• Herons Restaurant (2 years) in Cary
• The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte (3 years)
• The Umstead Hotel & Spa (6 years) in Cary
• The Fearrington House Restaurant (18 years) in Pittsboro
• The Fearrington House Inn (19 years) in Pittsboro

South Carolina winners, with the number of years won, are:

• The Inn at Palmetto Bluff (2 years) in Bluffton
• The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort (7 years)

"AAA Five Diamond lodgings and hotels offer the highest level of hospitality in the most luxurious surroundings," said David E. Parsons, president and CEO of AAA Carolinas. "These properties are unique, enticing and extraordinary - complemented by an extensive array of personalized services that consistently exceed the expectations of even the most refined traveler."

AAA gives the Five Diamond Awards annually to qualified hotels and restaurants in North America. In 2013, only 178 properties in North America earned the Five Diamond rating after specially trained evaluators conduct anonymous overnight stays or dine incognito.