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.
AA Hospitality Awards – 2023 winners
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:
Arkle, The Chester Grosvenor
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:
Senara Restaurant, Truro & Penwith
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
All 2023 award winners, finalists and establishments awarded AA Rosettes feature in the 30th edition of the AA Restaurant Guide 2024.
