Advertisement 5 downtown Cincinnati hotels receive Diamond rating National award recognizes standard of excellence Share Shares Copy Link Copy

When it comes to the finest hotels in North America, downtown Cincinnati joins other major cities at the top of the list.Watch this storyAAA announced its Diamond ratings Friday, a prestigious honor. Five hotels in Cincinnati were given the award, along with only 5.7 percent of hotels in North America."The fact that we have five hotels that have reached that four diamond level really says a lot about Cincinnati,” AAA spokesperson Cheryl Parker said.Parker said when it comes to the high rating, it’s all about the product, service and consistency all taken into consideration during a rigorous inspection."It's random, it's unannounced,” Parker said. “The hotel staff has no idea when the AAA inspector will be on site and it's multiple visits, it's not just one time."AAA inspectors travel to hotels across North America, visiting large cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago."You're getting the same quality service in Cincinnati hotels, these four diamond establishments, that you are in some of those major market cities,” Parker said. “So, it’s exciting!”One of the hotels who received the honor is the Renaissance Cincinnati Downtown Hotel."You have to have certain criteria with your rooms, with your bathrooms, with your hotel amenities and then after that, it's the service. What you offer and what sort of experience the guests get when they walk through the door,” Renaissance GM, Keoni Christensen, said.The newly renovated Renaissance hotel opened in July of 2014.Christensen said at the Renaissance hotel, “You get a taste of the Renaissance era, with a modern flare, all while discovering what Cincinnati has to offer.”“It is a hidden gem,” Christensen said. “They don't really think of it as a major market, but Cincinnati has got a lot to offer."AAA travel advisers said future visitors will now know these are the highest rated hotels in the city and some of the best in the country.The five hotels on AAA’s Four Diamond Rating list include: the Renaissance, the Westin, the Hilton Netherlands Plaza, 21c Museum Hotel and the Cincinnatian, which is the longest tenured Four Diamond hotel, celebrating its 19th year in a row receiving the honor.AAA also announced Friday its Diamond Award Winning Restaurants will be awarded Feb. 5.