Villa del Palmar Cancun Luxury Beach Resort & Spa is a Four Diamond hotel, as rated by the travel and leisure company AAA. But what does it mean to be a Four Diamond hotel?
AAA Diamond Rating
The AAA Diamond Rating process is a well-known hotel rating program throughout North America.
Each year the American Automobile Association (AAA) sends their inspectors to thousands of hotels and restaurants in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean to conduct in-person evaluations. The purpose of these evaluations is to help AAA members find the best places to stay. It’s a way of putting boots on the ground to see what the hotels are really like.
Inspections are conducted anonymously; inspectors pose as guests staying at the hotels. During their stays, they check the level of comfort, cleanliness, and hospitality at each hotel. They look at things like the design of the hotel, the decor, the vibe, the menus and creativity in the restaurants and bars, and the quality of service provided by the staff.
Inspectors report back, and AAA rates hotels with a diamond rating. AAA publishes the Diamond Awards for their members via their websites and travel guides.
The diamond ratings indicate the level of services and amenities available at each hotel. One diamond indicates accommodations that just meet the basic requirements of a AAA approved hotel, while five diamonds indicate the highest level of luxury.
AAA has a two-part rating system that includes AAA approval and a Diamond Rating.
In order to apply for evaluation by AAA, hotels must meet 27 essential requirements based on AAA’s member expectations. Quality, cleanliness, comfort, security, and safety are among those 27 requirements. The hotel will get AAA’s stamp of approval if it passes the evaluation, and the hotel will be listed in AAA’s travel guides as “AAA Approved.”
AAA Approved hotels are then assigned a rating of one to five Diamonds.
Approximately 32,000 hotels throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean are AAA Approved and Diamond rated.
What Does a Four Diamond Rating Signify?
When a hotel receives AAA’s Four Diamond rating, this indicates that the hotel has “upscale style and amenities, enhanced with the right touch of service.”
These are not your typical run of the mill hotels; they are nicer, and have a higher level of comfort. According to AAA, “These establishments are upscale in all areas. Accommodations are progressively more refined and stylish. The physical attributes reflect an obvious enhanced level of quality throughout. The fundamental hallmarks at this level include an extensive array of amenities combined with a high degree of hospitality, service, and attention to detail.”
AAA says that Four Diamond hotels are nice places to visit on a special occasion, such as “a romantic getaway.” (We think they are perfect for family or group vacations, too!)
The Four Diamond award is one of the most prestigious awards in the hospitality industry. Out of the tens of thousands of hotels that AAA evaluates each year, only a small percentage receive the Four Diamond Award.
What Makes Villa del Palmar a Four Diamond Hotel?
Villa del Palmar Cancun is listed as a Four Diamond hotel on AAA’s website. The AAA Inspector had this to say after the most recent visit:
“This lovely all-inclusive resort sits right on Playa Mujeres with many rooms boasting stunning Caribbean views. Enjoy the abundance of daily activities for couples and families. Some of the units offer laundry machines, Murphy beds and jetted tubs but they all feature hammocks on their patios. Meets AAA guest room security requirements. Smoke free premises. 414 units, some two bedrooms, three bedrooms, efficiencies and condominiums. 10 stories, exterior corridors. Accessibility (Call).”
Villa del Palmar Cancun also earned the AAA Inspector`s Best of Housekeeping Award in 2021, placing it in the top 25% of all hotels “based on cleanliness and condition.”
AAA has defined a Four Diamond hotel as a place with upscale style and amenities, enhanced with the right touch of service, and Villa del Palmar Cancun definitely fits this definition.
Upscale Style and Amenities
Four Diamond hotels must have excellent curb appeal, impressive architectural features, beautiful landscaping, security, upscale décor and furniture, high quality flooring such as marble, wood, or granite, a large registration area, a bell desk, and luggage carts.
The design and decor of Villa del Palmar Cancun reflects a comfortable, modern, tropical style. Comfortable furniture abounds, and tropical details can be seen throughout the resort, from the lobby to the guest rooms.
Guest rooms in Four Diamond hotels must be spacious, with upscale furniture and décor, excellent bed linens and plush towels. There should be in-room amenities such as a closet with wood hangers, luggage racks, an iron and ironing board, marble or higher-grade tile bathrooms, shampoo, body lotion, and high-speed Internet access.
At Villa del Palmar Cancun, we have all of these, plus more! We’ve added in-suite laundry facilities, robes and slippers, L’Occitane bathroom amenities, and either minibars with snacks or a full-size gourmet kitchen, plus every suite has a private balcony, so you have all the comforts of home at your fingertips. Ocean views are important to most people who book a Mexican beach vacation, so we made sure to maximize the number of rooms with ocean views, and we added hammocks on all of the balconies, so you can relax while enjoying the vista of the Caribbean Sea.
Four Diamond hotels in beach destinations must have amazing beaches. Villa del Palmar has a great location on Playa Mujeres just in front of the ferry pier. We have a wide beach with powdery soft sand, clear turquoise water, and plenty of beach chairs and umbrellas. You can order from the Tiki Beach Bar without leaving your sun lounger. You can also participate in complimentary water sports offered by the resort, including snorkeling, kayaking, and paddle boarding.
In Four Diamond hotels, AAA inspectors expect to see swimming pools with food served poolside, and other amenities such as a fitness center with state-of-the-art equipment. Villa del Palmar has five outdoor heated swimming pools with activities such as water volleyball and aqua fitness at our main pool. Our Waterfall Bridge pool is a great choice for families and groups for friends, with a fun, decorative water feature. We also have an adults-only pool, and a VIP pool for Elite members, as well as a fitness center with all the modern technology you expect, plus yoga classes.
Restaurants are very important, especially for those who choose the all-inclusive plan. Four Diamond hotels must have at least one upscale, full-service restaurant and a lounge. Villa del Palmar has four premier gourmet restaurants and a fine dining buffet venue serving delectable Mexican and international dishes as well as two appetizing snack bars and three appointed cocktail bars, so you can eat and drink your way through your vacation!
Our spa, the Village Spa, is luxurious and has its own character, with a 5,000 square foot facility including private outdoor jacuzzis and massage cabanas with jungle views. Experience Four Diamond quality by indulging in a host of beauty and wellness treatments that will leave you feeling like a million dollars!
All of these amenities at Villa del Palmar Cancun come together to create a fun and luxurious vacation spot worthy of the Four Diamond hotel rating by AAA.
The Right Touch of Service
From check-in until check-out, you will feel the high quality of service at Villa del Palmar. Service is one of the most important factors that helps us earn our AAA diamonds, and we love to accommodate. As soon as you arrive at Villa del Palmar, you will immediately feel a sense of calm and luxury, letting you know that you are in for a relaxing and enjoyable vacation experience.
We focus on providing service that will exceed guest expectations. We offer personalized services for your stay, including amenities such as turn down service, rose petal decoration for your room, and special celebrations for birthdays, anniversaries or other special occasions.
The housekeeping staff is specially trained in AAA’s requirements for the Four Diamond Award, and the staff reviews these guidelines regularly. When housekeeping runs smoothly, guests never notice it. This is our goal. This is what earned us the 2021 AAA Inspector’s Best of Housekeeping Award.
We offer concierge and travel agent services to help you plan your vacation, and we can recommend the best local tours and excursions, so you can enjoy Cancun fully.
Every detail of the guest experience is important to us, and this is another reason why we have earned Four Diamonds, and why we are one of the best hotels in Cancun.
