Paula C. Squires// April 19, 2018//
The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center has joined an exclusive group of Virginia resorts and hotels. AAA recently awarded the newly renovated historic property and its restaurant, The Regency Room, a Four Diamond Rating.
The hotel is part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, a global portfolio of upscale, hotels and resorts known for their individuality.
“We are honored to receive the coveted AAA Four Diamond Rating for both the hotel and The Regency Room,” Brian Wells, general manager of The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, Curio Collection by Hilton, said in a statement. “… It's a source of tremendous pride for our entire team.”
According to Michael Quonce, the hotel’s public relations and advertising manager, this is the first time the property has received the four diamond designation in 20 years, since requirements from AAA to gain the ranking changed in the 1990s.
For more than 80 years, AAA has used professional inspectors to conduct in-person property inspections. Just 6.1 percent of the more than 27,000 AAA inspected hotels make the Four Diamond list. Inspectors assess eligible properties based on comfort, cleanliness, security and available services and amenities. AAA’s rating system covers the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
“AAA is pleased to recognize The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, Curio Collection by Hilton, as a Four Diamond hotel,” Michael Petrone, director of AAA Inspections & Diamond Ratings, said in a statement. “These establishments dedicate a significant amount of attention to the little extras that help ensure a consistent and memorable guest experience.”
The downtown property joins 18 others in Virginia on AAA's Four Diamond list.
Starting in 2017, the Hotel Roanoke underwent a comprehensive multi-million dollar renovation and redesign that updated the lobby, conference spaces and public areas. The hotel also plans to open a new coffee shop called Steam sometime this spring.
In February 2016, the property joined Curio Collection by Hilton, an elite portfolio of more than 50 hotels and resorts. In 2017, the Hotel Roanoke was awarded the Curio Collection by Hilton Award of Excellence, honoring the brand’s best hotels excelling in four key areas, including quality assurance audits measuring cleanliness and property condition, customer scores rating staff service and guest loyalty.
Designated as a National Historic Landmark, the hotel has 330 guestrooms and a 63,000-square-foot conference center. It is a joint project of Hotel Roanoke LLC, the city of Roanoke and Virginia Tech.