Your walkthrough with the AAA inspector is largely dependent on that inspector. While they have a standard detailed checklist used for each property for uniformity, one inspector might rate something as 3-diamond, while another might perceive it as meeting the 4-diamond standard.
Likewise, if your property currently holds a diamond rating, the inspector will primarily compare this inspection to your previous ratings. They will not judge your property as a 5-diamond if you currently hold 3-diamond status.
On the day of our inspection, a woman in her early fifties approached the desk and leaned in over the counter, clutching her tablet with a rubber case and handle in one hand and reaching out with her business card in the other. "Hello, my name is Judy. I am an inspector with AAA and I'd like to take a look at a few of your rooms." She said discreetly. "Oh fantastic," I exclaimed, "Well, it's just before check-out time and we were sold out last night, so let me see if housekeeping has any rooms clean and vacant just yet.
Can I offer you a bottle of water while I find some rooms for us?" "That would be great", she said, as she took a seat. Knowing I was on the clock, I did what I could to find some rooms immediately. The good news was that she only wanted to see five rooms of our 100. I think she would have wanted to see closer to ten rooms if we weren't so busy.
I was able to find three clean rooms in our system. After doing so, I met with my Executive Housekeeper to let her know of the inspection and to quickly go through these rooms ahead of us. I also asked to pull team members to get two more rooms done as quickly as possible so as to not keep Judy waiting.
The inspector spent about ten or fifteen minutes in each room. As I walked with her, Judy stated out loud each item she was noting. I had already explained to her that this was the first AAA inspection I was participating in.
When she came to the first room, she took a moment before entering to inspect the guest room door, both the exterior and interior. She noted a scuff along the base of the door, likely where a luggage cart had struck it. We entered the guest bathroom. She noted the caulking along the tub was discolored, the shower head had hard water stains and wasn't polished, and there was heavy dust that had collected on the vanity light fixtures.
She reviewed her amenities standards as she glanced at our single-use shampoo, conditioner, and the bar of soap, inquiring if robes for guest use were provided. We moved to the bedroom. I helped her pull back each layer of the bedding, making sure to neatly place each sheet halfway down the bed so it could easily be put back without too much effort. First, we peeled back the duvet. Using her blacklight, she inspected both the top and bottom of the duvet covering to look for hair or any stains.
Then she inspected the flat sheet before pulling it back. This process repeated as she pulled back the fitted sheet and the mattress cover. Judy made sure to press firmly along the bed edge to inspect the crevices, likely looking for signs of bed bugs. She ran her fingers along the headboard looking for dust and even pushed the mattress out from the wall to shine a small light towards the floor, searching for any dust or debris that may have fallen between the mattress and the wall.
She was very thorough. After replacing all the sheets to ensure the bed was guest-ready, she moved on to the appliances. She checked that all the lamps worked and the lampshades were in good condition. She inspected the guest room phone and checked that there was a dial tone.
She turned on the TV and asked if a guest could view their itemized charges from their guest room before moving to the desk area where the coffee maker was located. Finally, she inspected the balcony overlooking the golf course.
We also briefly looked over the common areas before heading back to the lobby. She read me the current description for the property for accuracy. The only updated information I noted was that our guest rooms now have Keurig's instead of the four cup coffee brewers.
We kept our three-diamond status with AAA. The entire process took less than three hours. A couple weeks later we received a three-diamond sticker for our lobby entrance doors and a plaque denoting the same. We placed the plaque next to the manager on duty sign for guests to see.
Why Get Inspected
Justin William, the General Manager of the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Orlando Florida, described the four diamond rating with these three words: Luxury, Extraordinary, & Consistency. This theme of service excellence is commonly referred to with four and five-diamond accredited accommodations.
When guests see the AAA diamond rating, they know the quality level they will be receiving. Attaining a four or five-diamond rating can help properties demand higher rates as well. Participation in the diamond program can also lead to other revenue generating programs, like their licensing program.
While a discount ranging from 5-15% is customary for AAA members, properties that partner with AAA have access to their 60 million members.
