Cheap Last Minute Hotels

AAA rates hotels in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Hotels do not pay to be included in the ratings, but can apply for a rating. To become AAA Approved, the hotel must first meet 27 basic requirements, covering comfort, cleanliness and safety.

If the hotel is approved, AAA sends out anonymous raters to evaluate the hotel and assign a diamond rating from one to five. At present count, about 32,000 hotels are AAA Diamond rated.

It is difficult to get a AAA Five Diamond rating - fewer than 100 hotels are on the list. The main difference is one of service. At a Five Diamond hotel, for instance, you'd expect to be greeted by name when you arrive and escorted to the front desk (and by just about every staff member after that), turndown service without having to request it (with fresh ice and perhaps a gift of chocolate) and a personalized wake-up call.

In general, the AAA Diamond ratings system evaluates the service, amenities and décor of each hotel. Here's an overview of what you can (generally) expect from each Diamond rating level, with example hotels pulled from around the Walt Disney World area:

AAA One Diamond
No-frills accommodations for the budget traveler:

• Basic building and landscaping
• Guest rooms with functional furniture, a wall-mounted TV, a clothes rack, a couple of bars of soap and a pack of tissues
• Telephone, vending and ice machines

AAA Two Diamond
Still low-priced and low-frills, but with some added design and amenities:

• Good curb appeal, landscaping and lighting in the parking lot; covered drive-up entry
• Coordinated décor and furnishings with seating in the registration area
• Sundries at the front desk
• Food court, restaurant or at least continental breakfast
• Guest rooms with inexpensive furniture, a TV in view (with remote), a partially enclosed clothes rack, a vanity area outside of the bathroom, a couple of bars of soap and a box of tissues
• Elevator, coin-op laundry, telephone, vending, ice machines

AAA Four Diamond
More attention has been paid to style and décor, and amenities and services have been added:

• Excellent curb appeal, landscaping and lighting in the parking lot; impressive architectural features; added security
• Upscale décor and furniture; excellent quality flooring (marble, wood, granite, etc.); plenty of seating in a larger registration area; bell desk; better luggage carts
• Upscale gift shop
• Swimming pool with food served poolside, hot tub, steam room, exercise room with state-of-the-art equipment and lockers
• At least one upscale, full service restaurant and a lounge
• Larger guest rooms with upscale or designer furniture and décor, excellent bed linens; comforters with duvet covers; closet with wood hangers; luggage racks; oversized desk; TV in a closed armoire; mini bar; iron and ironing board; marble or higher-grade tile bathrooms; upgraded shower heads; plush towels; free-standing hair dryer; makeup mirror; five-piece amenity set (shampoo, body lotion, etc.)
• High-speed Internet access, service elevators for staff, valet laundry