Thanksgiving travel is expected to rebound from the recession this holiday, AAA says. The number of Virginians traveling by car, bus, train or airplane during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is expected to increase about 3 percent over last year, the AAA travel organization said yesterday. In the state, about 1.5 million Virginians will be traveling 50 miles or more away from home Wednesday through Nov. 29.

2010 Virginia AAA Five and Four Diamond Winners

Still in its first year of operation, The Westin hotel in Henrico County has won one of AAA’s prestigious Four Diamond Awards for superior service and amenities. The 250-room, full-service Westin, owned by Musselman Hotels of Louisville, Ky., only opened its doors Dec. 18. “We came out of the gate strong on our service component, said Feliks Schwartz, general manager of the hotel at 6631 W. Broad St. “We have not taken any shortcuts.“

The Jefferson Hotel again has won AAA’s prestigious top rating for its guest service and accommodations. The Jefferson joins two other Virginia travel venues in receiving Five Diamond Awards: The Inn at Little Washington and the inn’s Dining Room, in the Rappahannock County town of Washington. The travel authority’s top rating for hotels and restaurants was released yesterday.

For the 17th consecutive year, The Jefferson Hotel has won AAA’s prestigious Five Diamond Award, the travel group’s top rating for hotels and restaurants.

Surge in crude prices during the past few months and less production from the refiners that make gasoline has added pressure on prices.

Gas prices have climbed nationally for almost 50 straight days as speculation about an economic recovery seems to have trumped market fundamentals. The national average rose a half-cent yesterday to $2.674 per gallon, according to auto club AAA, Wright Express and the Oil Price Information Service. How much higher will prices at the pump go? AAA predicts increases through the July Fourth holiday, but not dramatic swings such as those that walloped the nation last summer when prices topped $4 per gallon.

Fueled in part by strengthening U.S. market conditions, rising crude oil prices have been gradually pushing up gasoline prices toward $2 a gallon in Richmond and the nation. “It looks like we’re going to stretch our heads above the $2 retail level,“ said John C. Zehler Jr., president of Virginia Fuels Inc., a Mechanicsville-based gasoline wholesaler.

Geopolitical events are partly to blame for the recent uptick in the price of gasoline, but weak demand is still holding it down.