American Academy of Hospitality Sciences

The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences (AAHS) is a business based on hotels, resorts, spas, airlines, cruise lines, automobiles, products, restaurants and chefs. The Academy started off as a restaurant rating business, founded in 1949. The current establishment is an offspring of this early group of reviewers and was officially founded in 1989. The Academy is most known for its International Star Diamond Award.

Organization

The Academy is based in New York City and is directed by Joseph Cinque.^[1] The members of the Board are experienced in both travel and the stated industries. The Academy also includes a large board of honorary trustees appointed by Joeseph Cinque that serve as regional directors for business development opportunities, general managers, restaurateurs, chefs, and other functions to raise revenue and business opportunities and promotion.

History

The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences is renowned worldwide for awarding excellence in the global travel and luxury services sector. Each year the Academy bestows its coveted International Star Diamond Award Exclusively on Five Star establishments. The Academy was originally formed as an International Restaurant Rating Bureau in 1949 in Chicago, Illinois. Forty years later, in 1989, Joseph Cinque relocated the organization’s headquarters from Chicago to New York City, where it is still based today. The name of the Academy was changed and trademarked to The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences to include five star hotels, etc. The Breadth of the award’s recognition was also expanded Internationally. Under Mr. Cinque’s leadership, the Academy has evolved into an International powerhouse network with affiliates around the world. Today, The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences is the only organization that awards excellence in the luxury travel service sector worldwide, and the Academy’s International Star Diamond Award is the only award program that recognizes excellence on a global level. The Academy has global offices in New York, California Colorado, Palm Beach, Beijing, China, Cannes, Greece, and Tokyo.The International Board of Trustees is made up of respected leaders in the industry and whom themselves, are world travelers. Valuable sources from around the globe routinely submit nominations of Five Star establishments to The Academy for review. The Board then refines the selection to those who qualify for the ultimate evaluation.Among those recognized worldwide by the American Academy are Five and Six Star quality Hotels, Spas, Golf Courses, Restaurants, Chefs, Destinations, Airlines, Cruise lines, and Products. Evaluations are based primarily on hospitality, attitude, quality, cleanliness and above all, service. The decisions of the American Academy are based exclusively on the demonstration of commitment to excellence in luxury and service within its category and classification.

This standard of dedication is what sets the American Academy’s Internationally recognized Star Diamond Award apart from all others. For over a decade, the Academy has hosted an annual Gala ceremony in Berlin during the ITB show, the largest international travel trade convention in the world, and as well as in Cannes, France during the ITLM show. Past AAHS events were held in Berlin, Germany, at the Four Seasons Hotel, and The Hotel Adlon Kempinski. In the past, the Academy’s President Mr. Joseph Cinque has assembled a series of Celebrity Chef Teams including Alain Ducasse, Ferran Adriá, Joël Robuchon, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Heinz Beck, Annie Fèolde, Heinz Winkler, Dieter Müller,Marc Haberlin, Daniel Boulud, Gabrielle Kreuther, and David Burke, among others. Recently inducted Michelin Star Chefs include Thomas Keller, Eric Ripert, and Harald Wohlfahrt.The Academy continues to bring world-class chefs to the forefront of the culinary landscape by hosting various cooking events that united together the many talents and flavors of the world’s finest cuisine. Joined together with the American Academy’s other recipients, this network represent the finest luxury goods and services the world has to offer.Members of the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences are part of an exclusive network of professionals within the luxury sector of the hospitality industry. The Academy’s International Star Diamond Award is the only award program that recognizes excellence on a global level.The Academy expanded the breadth of recognition of the International Star Diamond Award beyond Five Star Hotels and Restaurants to includeResorts, Airlines, Cruise Lines, Spas, Golf Clubs, Destinations, Chefs and Luxury Products. This coveted award recognizes a commitment to excellence in luxury and service, and all evaluations are based primarily on exceptional service, superb facilities, ambiance, attitude, gastronomy, cleanliness and above all, hospitality.

The International Star Diamond Award

The most known aspect of the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences is the International Star Diamond Award which applies to a wide range of businesses. The award recognizes true excellence in hospitality, gastronomy, attitude, quality, cleanliness and above all service.

The award itself has five formats: – For hotels and resorts, a set of gold-plated plaques including the logo and engraved signatures of the three board members; – For restaurants, a set of plaques, both gold and silver-plated, with the logo and signatures; – For chefs, a plaque with recognition engravings and a medal; – A framed letter from the Academy recognizing the destination’s winning of the award; – Lapel pins and cuff links in a jewelry box. An additional format of a plate has been used for chefs.

See also

• Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality

References