Atlanta’s top hotels, restaurants recognized

The stars and diamonds systems designed to rate a hotel or restaurant have been around for a while, but they have never been more sought after.

With the economy sputtering, hospitality officials said being top-rated can mean the difference between winning a customer and losing him to a competitor.

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JOEY IVANSCO / jivansco@ajc.com

The Four Seasons Hotel in Atlanta is, once again, the only Five Star hotel in Atlanta according to the Mobil Travel Guide.

ELISSA EUBANKS / eeubanks@ajc.com

Brice Ricketson gets a cabernet facial from esthetician Angela Gorham at 29 Spa at Rosewood’s The Mansion on Peachtree.

• Photos: The Lodge at Sea Island

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“As the marketplace gets more crowded, it helps to differentiate us more effectively,” said Elissa Wallis, director of marketing for the Four Seasons Atlanta, which received both five stars and five diamonds. “It’s an objective judgment that we are doing quite well.”

Atlanta, which has traditionally been a strong town for top-rated lodging and restaurants, did not disappoint in 2009. The city added a few new places — including its first top-rated spa — to its list of the best of the best from Mobil Travel Guide, which designates the star system, and AAA Auto Club South, which oversees diamonds.

HOTEL HEAVYWEIGHTS

Five stars: Four Seasons Atlanta

Five diamonds: Four Seasons Atlanta, InterContinental Buckhead, Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, Ritz-Carlton Atlanta (downtown)

Four stars: Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, InterContinental Buckhead, Rosewood’s The Mansion on Peachtree

Four diamonds: Grand Hyatt, J.W. Marriott and Westin in Buckhead; W Midtown; Omni Hotel at CNN Center; the Hilton Atlanta Airport; Evergreen Conference Resort and Renaissance Waverly in Marietta; Renaissance Concourse and Chateau Elan Winery and Resort.

TOP RESTAURANTS

Five stars: The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead

Five diamonds: Aria, the Food Studio, D Morgan’s, Canoe, Bluepointe, Joel, La Grotta Ravinia Ristorante Italiano, La Grotta Ristorante Italiano, Atlanta Grill, City Grill, Nikolai’s Roof, Park 75, Pano’s & Paul’s, Bacchanalia and Nan Thai Fine Dining

Four stars: Park 75 at the Four Seasons, Bacchanalia and Quinones at Bacchanalia

SPA SPECTACULAR

Four stars: 29 Spa at Rosewood’s The Mansion on Peachtree

The superlatives for Georgia restaurants, spas and hotels did not stop at Atlanta’s borders.

The Cloister and the Lodge at Sea Island both received five stars from Mobil, while the Ritz-Carlton Lodge Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro received four stars. The top restaurant outside the city was the Georgia Room at Sea Island with five stars. The Cloister Spa received five stars while the Spa at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge Reynolds Plantation received four.