2023 AA Hospitality Awards Reveal UK Top Hotels and Restaurants

 

• Paul Ainsworth crowned AA Chefs’ Chef of the Year 
• AA Lifetime Achievement goes to Jonathan Raggett of Red Carnation Hotels
• Pan Pacific London wins AA Accessible Award
• AA Sustainable Award goes to The PIG Hotel Group
• The Old Stamp House Restaurant, Chutney Mary, The Jackdaw and Cail Bruich named AA Restaurants of the Year 
• Forest Side, The Lanesborough, Penally Abbey Hotel, Fingal, and Killeavy Castle Estate crowned AA Hotels of the Year 
• South Lodge awarded Spa Hotel of the Year
• New restaurants and hotels awarded AA Rosettes and Red Stars

The Crème de la Crème of the UK hospitality industry gathered at JW Marriott Grosvenor House tonight for the highly anticipated AA Hospitality Awards 2023 hosted by AA Hotel & Hospitality Services. The glittering awards ceremony, presented by TV presenter and broadcaster Claudia Winkleman, celebrated the UK’s top hotels, spas, restaurants, and pubs and the people behind them.

In a dazzling showcase of excellence, the awards hosted around 1,000 guests to honour the outstanding contributions to the UK’s hospitality sector, spanning an impressive array of fifteen categories. The night’s highlights included the crowning of AA Restaurant of the Year, AA Hotel of the Year, AA Accessible Award, AA Spa Hotel of the Year, AA Wine Award, AA Chefs’ Chef, AA Lifetime Achievement Award, AA Sustainable Award and AA Housekeeper of the Year.

Simon Numphud, Managing Director at AA Media said: “It’s a delight to be back at Grosvenor House as we mark the greatest hospitality celebration across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The last year has been tough on the hospitality industry as we’ve felt, like many others, the challenges facing businesses. Yet I’m so proud of the resilience, innovation and quality shown by the UK hospitality industry in response. We would like to extend a massive congratulations all the winners and shortlisted establishments for their hard work, passion, and dedication.”

The AA introduced the renowned star rating scheme for quality in 1908 and have continued to shine a well-deserved spotlight on individuals and establishments who consistently deliver excellence to their guests. The AA Hospitality Awards, now celebrated as the pinnacle of recognition in the industry, have once again showcased the innovation, dedication, and brilliance that define the UK’s hospitality landscape. As the stars of hospitality continue to rise, these awards have cemented their place as the ultimate authority in recognising excellence, setting the gold standard for hotels and restaurants across the nation. This year, the AA is celebrating 115 years of recognising excellence in hospitality.

The full list of this year’s AA Hospitality Awards winners can also be found at: https://www.ratedtrips.com/travel-ideas/discover-all-the-winners-from-the-aa-hospitality-awards-2023

Chefs’ Chef

·       Paul Ainsworth of Paul Ainsworth at No.6

Accessible Award

·       Pan Pacific London, London

Sustainable Award

·       THE PIG Hotel Group

Lifetime Achievement Award

·       Jonathan Raggett, Red Carnation Hotels

Outstanding Contribution Award

·        Angela Hartnett

Housekeeper of the Year

·       Nicola Burton from Hartwell House & Spa, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

Restaurant of the Year

·       England – The Old Stamp House Restaurant, Ambleside

·       London – Chutney Mary, London

·       Wales – The Jackdaw, Conwy

·       Scotland – Cail Bruich, Glasgow

Hotel of the Year

·       England – Forest Side, Grasmere

·       London – The Lanesborough, London

·       Wales – Penally Abbey Hotel, Penally

·       Scotland – Fingal, Leith, Edinburgh

·       Northern Ireland – Killeavy Castle Estate, Killeavy

Restaurant with Rooms

·       England – The New Inn, Hereford

·       Wales – Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms, Eglwys Fach

·       Scotland – The Witchery, Edinburgh

Spa Hotel of the Year

·       South Lodge, West Sussex

Group of the Year

·       The Coaching Inn Group

Small Hotel Group of the Year

·       Crerar Hotels

Food Service Award

·       The Strathearn, The Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder

Finalists:

o   Arkle, The Chester Grosvenor

o   Woven by Adam Smith, Coworth Park

Wine Award

·       England – Allium at Askham Hall, Cumbria

·       Wales – Palé Hall Hotel & Restaurant, Gwynedd

·       Scotland – The Little Chartroom, Edinburgh

College Restaurant of the Year 

·       @thirty-four Restaurant, Exeter College

Finalists:

o   Senara Restaurant, Truro & Penwith

o   The Classroom, Cardiff and Vale College

New 5 Rosettes

·       Muse, London

·       Steve Smith at Latymer, Surrey

New 4 Rosettes 

·       The Cellar, Fife

·       Where The Light Gets In, Manchester

·       Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall, North Yorkshire

·       MO, Dormy House, Worcestershire

·       The Samling, Cumbria

·       Ben Wilkinson at The Pass, West Sussex

New 3 Rosettes

·       Next Door, Cheshire

·       1863 Restaurant with Rooms, Cumbria  

·       The Wildebeest, Norfolk

·       The George at Alstonefield, Staffordshire.

·       Forge, North Yorkshire

·       The Lantern Room, West Yorkshire

·       1921 Angel Hill, Suffolk

·       Restaurant Roots, Dorset

·       The Cottage in the Wood, Worcestershire

·       The Idle Rocks Restaurant, Cornwall

·       The New Inn, Herefordshire

·       The Lanesborough Grill, London

·       The Cygnet at The Swan Inn, Oxfordshire  

·       Crockers Tring, Hertfordshire

·       8 By Andrew Sheridan, Liverpool

·       The Newport Restaurant, Fife

·       Legacy, North Yorkshire

·       London Stock Restaurant, London

·       The Clock House, Surrey

·       The Bulls Head, Derbyshire

·       Behind, London

·       The Star Inn at Harome, North Yorkshire

·       Cedar Tree Restaurant by Hrishikesh Desai, Cumbria

·       The Terrace Restaurant at The Montagu Arms Hotel, Hampshire 

·       Culture Restaurant, Cornwall

·       The Killingworth Castle, Wootton, Oxfordshire

·       The Wild Rabbit, Kingham, Oxfordshire

·       The Ethicurean, Bristol

New 5 Red Stars

·       Crossbasket Castle, South Lanarkshire

New 4 Red Stars

·       The Fish Hotel, Worcestershire

·       Thornbury Castle Hotel, Gloucestershire

The full list of this year’s AA Hospitality Awards winners can be found at www.ratedtrips.com/travel-ideas/discover-all-the-winners-from-the-aa-hospitality-awards-2023

All 2023 award winners, finalists and establishments awarded AA Rosettes feature in the 30^th edition of the AA Restaurant Guide 2024. Offering the definitive guide to the UK’s top 1,400 dining destinations, this is the food lover’s key to enjoying the best cuisine the country has to offer. Get your copy on Amazon (£17.99).

You can find all this year’s winners in The AA Restaurant Guide 2024 published by AA Publishing which can be purchased on Amazon (£17.99).