AAA Texas Releases Elite 2005 Five Diamond List; The Creme de la Creme of Restaurants & Hotels.

IRVING, Texas -- Only seven establishments for the entire state of Texas have been recognized as an AAA Five Diamond winner for 2005, with two cities, Houston and Dallas, dominating the list.

The seven Texas properties are part of a very select group. In all, only 85 lodgings and 57 restaurants across North America were chosen as 2005 recipients. The 142 Five Diamond winners total only one quarter of one percent of the more than 55,000 properties evaluated annually by AAA.

"These establishments are the elite of the industry," said Mark Bell, managing director for AAA Texas. "They earn this recognition because their managers and staffs are committed to meeting the highest expectations of their guests."

The only two Texas restaurants to receive an AAA Five Diamond distinction for 2005 are located in Dallas.

2005 Five Diamond Restaurants
                     -----------------------------
                                Dallas
            A. The French Room (in the Adolphus) - 16 years

     B. The Mansion on Turtle Creek Restaurant (in the Mansion on
                       Turtle Creek) - 16 years

                      2005 Five Diamond Lodgings
                      --------------------------
                                Dallas
               A. The Mansion on Turtle Creek - 14 years

                                Houston
               A. Four Seasons Hotel Houston - 10 years
                    B. Omni Houston Hotel - 5 years
                  C. The St. Regis Houston - 4 years

                                Irving
                A. Four Seasons Resort & Club - 2 years

AAA will recognize these establishments at a luncheon at the La Cima Club at the Towers at Williams Square in Irving, Texas, on Tuesday, Jan. 11th.

AAA's Diamond Ratings is the only lodging and restaurant rating system that covers all of North America including Mexico and the Caribbean, as well as Canada and all of the United States.

To be considered for AAA rating and approval, restaurants and lodgings must undergo a thorough inspection by one of AAA's 65 full-time, trained, professional evaluators. Five Diamond establishments go through a more extensive review throughout a series of inspections and final committee review. Approximately 55,000 restaurants and lodgings will be listed in the 2005 TourBook(R) guides.

AAA first started listing accommodation information in its travel publications in the early 1900s. In 1937, the first field inspectors were hired to inspect hotels, motels, and restaurants. In 1963, AAA began to rate all accommodations as good, very good, excellent or outstanding. The current one-to-five diamond rating system was introduced in 1977 and continues to be recognized as the trusted leader of quality ratings for North American restaurants and lodgings.

AAA Texas, LLC, an affiliate of the AAA, has been serving Texans since 1902. Today, more than a million AAA Texas members benefit from the organization's roadside assistance, travel agency, insurance, financial products, automotive products, trip planning services, and traffic safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on AAA Texas' Web site at www.aaa-texas.com.