Townsend Hotel, Rugby Grille Receive AAA Four-Diamond Ratings

A Birmingham hotel and restaurant were named among AAA's four-diamond lodgings and restaurants for 2012, according to a list released Friday.

The and the join 12 other Michigan hotels and five restaurants in receiving the automotive association's second-highest rating this year.

No Michigan establishments received a five-diamond ranking for 2012.

The Townsend has been a AAA four-diamond hotel since 1988, while the Rugby Grille has maintained its elite status since 2001.

AAA's diamond rating system uses trained inspectors to evaluate lodgings and restaurants. Cleanliness, comfort and security of lodgings are rated during an unannounced inspection. Only 4.8 percent of the 31,000 lodgings approved by the AAA make the four-diamond list, while only 2.7 percent of AAA's 28,000 restaurants make the cut.

A full list of ratings of AAA-approved restaurants and lodgings can be found at aaa.com/travel.

Other 2012 four-diamond hotels in Michigan include:

• in Dearborn
• in Dearborn
• The MGM Grand in Detroit
• MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit
• Westin Book Cadillac in Detroit
• The Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids
• JW Marriott in Grand Rapids
• The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island
• Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mount Pleasant
• in Plymouth
• in Rochester
• The Westin Detroit Metrolitan Airport Hotel in Romulus
• The Westin Southfield Detroit in Southfield

Michigan's 2012 four-diamond restaurants include:

• in Farmington Hills
• Cygnus 27 at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids
• in West Bloomfield
• Iridescence at Motor City Casino in Detroit
• SaltWater at MGM Grand in Detroit.