The AA Hospitality Awards returned on 21 September 2026 at Grosvenor House in London, bringing together some of the people, restaurants, hotels and hospitality teams setting exceptional standards across the industry.

Hosted by Fleur East, the awards recognised much more than great food and impressive hotels.

Recognition covered chefs, Front of House professionals, housekeeping teams, emerging talent, spas, wine programmes, sustainability, hospitality education and people whose contribution to the industry stretches across decades.

Alongside the individual awards, 2026 also brought significant new accolades for restaurants and hotels across the UK and Ireland.

 

AA Chefs’ Chef 2026

Adam Byatt. Chef Patron, Trinity, Clapham

It is a particularly meaningful award because the recognition comes from within the culinary profession itself.

The AA highlighted Adam’s work at Trinity, his influence on modern British dining, his commitment to developing future hospitality professionals and his wider contribution to the industry.

Recognition from peers carries a different weight, making this a significant achievement within an already distinguished career.

 

AA Restaurants Of The Year 2026

The AA Restaurants of the Year awards celebrate standout restaurants across different parts of the UK, recognising excellence while reflecting the diversity of the country’s dining scene.

England: The Star Inn at Harome, Harome, North Yorkshire

London: AngloThai, Marylebone

Wales: The Walnut Tree, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire

Scotland: Swadish by Ajay Kumar, Glasgow

The four winners demonstrate just how varied exceptional hospitality can be, from destination restaurants in rural settings to distinctive dining experiences in the heart of major cities.

 

AA Hotels Of The Year 2026

The Hotel of the Year awards recognise exceptional hospitality across different regions, celebrating properties delivering consistently strong experiences for their guests.

England: Calcot Manor and Spa, Near Tetbury, Gloucestershire

London: The Emory, Belgravia

Scotland: Crossbasket Castle, High Blantyre, Lanarkshire

Wales: Porth Tocyn Hotel, Abersoch, Gwynedd

Northern Ireland: Culloden Estate and Spa, Belfast

Each property represents a different style of hotel hospitality, but the recognition reflects the standards being delivered across the complete guest experience.

 

AA Restaurant With Rooms Of The Year

The House of George W. Davies. Broadway, Worcestershire

The Restaurant with Rooms of the Year category recognises businesses where high quality dining and accommodation come together to create one complete hospitality experience.

The House of George W. Davies took the 2026 award.

 

AA Inn Of The Year

The Penny Bun, Ilkley, West Yorkshire

The award recognises excellence within the traditional inn sector, where food, accommodation, atmosphere, service and the wider guest experience all need to work together.

 

AA B&B Of The Year

Lys Na Greyne, Aboyne, Aberdeenshire

Exceptional accommodation at this level is often defined by personal hospitality, attention to detail and consistent standards, making the award an important recognition of the people behind the guest experience.

 

AA Hotel Spa Of The Year

Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa

Wellness now plays an increasingly important role within luxury and resort hospitality, and this award recognises excellence across the complete hotel spa experience.

 

AA Wine Award 2026

The AA Wine Award celebrates outstanding wine programmes within hospitality, recognising the expertise, thought and detail behind the experience offered to guests.

England: etch. by Steven Edwards, Brighton & Hove

Scotland: Knockinaam Lodge, Portpatrick, Dumfries & Galloway

Wales: The Jackdaw, Conwy

 

AA Small Hotel Group Of The Year

Firmdale Hotels

The AA highlighted the consistency delivered across its properties, alongside distinctive design, food and drink, maintenance standards and the hospitality delivered by its teams.

For any hotel group, maintaining a clear identity while achieving consistency across several properties is a significant challenge, making this an important recognition of the wider operation.

 

AA Group Of The Year

The Celtic Collection

The recognition reflects excellence across a larger hotel group, with the AA highlighting its scale within Welsh hospitality as well as its focus on people, talent development, community work and sustainability.

 

AA Small Hotel Team Of The Year

Knockendarroch Hotel, Pitlochry, Perth & Kinross

Hospitality awards naturally put a spotlight on individual leaders, but hotel standards are always delivered collectively.

The Small Hotel Team of the Year award recognises exactly that, with the team at Knockendarroch Hotel taking the 2026 honour.

 

AA Large Hotel Team Of The Year

St Ermin’s Hotel, London

Hotel excellence relies on people working across departments, from reception and housekeeping to kitchens, restaurants, maintenance and leadership.

This award recognises that collective effort and the standards created when those teams work together.

 

AA Sustainable Restaurant Of The Year

The Black Swan. Oldstead, North Yorkshire

The Black Swan became the first recipient of the AA Sustainable Restaurant of the Year award.

The AA recognised the restaurant for its environmentally responsible approach to hospitality and its farm to table philosophy.

The award reflects the growing importance of sustainability within high level dining and demonstrates that environmental responsibility and ambitious food can operate alongside one another.

 

AA Sustainable Award

Malmaison And Hotel Du Vin

Malmaison and Hotel du Vin received the wider AA Sustainable Award for 2026.

The recognition celebrates sustainability within the hotel sector and the work being done to place responsible hospitality more firmly within everyday operations.

 

AA College Restaurant Of The Year

Y Dosbarth, The Classroom. Cardiff and Vale College, Cardiff

Hospitality education plays a vital role in the future of the industry. Creating environments where people can develop practical skills, confidence and genuine service experience gives the next generation the foundations they need to progress.

That makes recognition of hospitality education an important part of the wider awards.

 

AA Lifetime Achievement Award

David Morgan Hewitt MI, FIH

David Morgan Hewitt received the AA Lifetime Achievement Award following more than 40 years in hospitality.

He has been part of The Goring since 1990, progressing through senior leadership positions before becoming Chairman in 2024.

The recognition celebrates not only his leadership within one of London’s best known hotels, but his wider contribution to the hospitality profession across a career spanning more than four decades.

 

AA Outstanding Contribution Award

Adam Terpening. Director of Room to Reward

Adam Terpening received the AA Outstanding Contribution Award for his work with Room to Reward.

The charity connects donated unsold hotel rooms with deserving volunteers from charities and community organisations, allowing the hospitality industry to recognise people giving their time to support others.

The AA recognised Adam’s role in building the charity and developing its relationship with hotels and the wider hospitality community.

 

AA Housekeeper Of The Year

Katarzyna Celinska. The Bloomsbury, London

Housekeeping is one of the areas of hospitality that can sometimes receive less public recognition than it deserves, despite being fundamental to the guest experience.

The AA highlighted themes including leadership, standards, consistency and people development in recognising Katarzyna’s work.

It is a brilliant achievement and an important celebration of the professionals delivering exceptional standards behind the scenes every day.

 

AA Rising Star Award

Ilona Harris, Reception Manager, Cromlix

The Rising Star Award looks towards the future of hospitality.

Ilona Harris, Reception Manager at Cromlix, received the 2026 award, with the AA recognising her guest care, operational leadership, communication, team support and determination to continue developing within the industry.

It is an exciting recognition of someone already making an impact while continuing to build their hospitality career.

 

What Are AA Red Stars?

The AA Hospitality Awards also saw six hotels receive new Red Star recognition. But what does an AA Red Star actually mean? AA Red Stars represent the organisation’s Inspector’s Choice recognition.

Hotels receiving Red Stars stand out among the best properties within their existing star rating. The recognition reflects excellent quality alongside outstanding hospitality and service, regardless of the particular style of hotel.

This distinction is important.

A 5 Red Star hotel has achieved the standards required of a 5 Star property and has then additionally been selected for Inspector’s Choice recognition.

Similarly, a 4 Red Star hotel has been recognised as an Inspector’s Choice within the 4 Star category. Red Stars therefore recognise properties doing more than simply meeting the underlying requirements of their hotel rating.

 

New 5 AA Red Star Hotels 2026

Four hotels received new 5 AA Red Star recognition:

Red Star recognition reflects standards across the complete property, meaning these awards are achievements for the wider hotel teams delivering hospitality and service every day.

 

New 4 AA Red Star Hotels 2026

Two properties received new 4 AA Red Star recognition.

Again, the Inspector’s Choice recognition sits alongside the underlying hotel star rating and reflects the wider standards of quality, hospitality and service found within the property.

 

Understanding The AA Rosette System

AA Rosettes have recognised culinary excellence for decades and remain one of the most established restaurant rating systems in the UK. Rosettes are awarded following assessment by experienced AA inspectors.

Importantly, AA Rosettes are their own independent rating system.

They should not be treated as directly interchangeable with Michelin Stars. Both recognise culinary standards, but they are separate systems with their own assessment processes and criteria.

The 2026 awards saw 21 restaurants receive new multi AA Rosette recognition, including 15 new 3 AA Rosette restaurants and six new 4 AA Rosette restaurants.

 

What Does 3 AA Rosettes Mean?

Three AA Rosettes recognise outstanding restaurants worth planning a journey around.

At this level, consistency becomes particularly important. Precision needs to be extremely strong. Timing, seasoning and flavour combinations need to work consistently. Ingredients should be high quality and handled with skill and clarity.

The standard is assessed over time rather than through one isolated meal, which means restaurants need to repeatedly deliver at the required level.

There is very little room for error. Only around 15%  of AA Rosette awarded restaurants reach 3 Rosette level, showing just how demanding the standard is.

It represents much more than simply producing very good food. It reflects sustained culinary quality and consistency across the restaurant.

 

New 3 AA Rosette Restaurants 2026

Fifteen restaurants received new 3 AA Rosette recognition:

Congratulations to every chef, kitchen team and Front of House professional behind these new 3 Rosette restaurants.

Reaching this level requires consistency from the complete restaurant team, service after service.

What Does 4 AA Rosettes Mean?

Four AA Rosettes represent exceptional destination dining and place a restaurant among the very top establishments in the UK and Ireland. At this level, the AA is looking for exceptional technical ability alongside ambition, creativity and refinement. Originality matters, but not at the expense of balance or clarity.

Ingredients and techniques should be carefully considered, with a clear purpose behind every element of a dish. Most importantly, the standard needs to be sustained.

Four Rosettes are awarded sparingly because this level of dining is deliberately rare. It is recognition of restaurants operating at an exceptional level and maintaining those standards consistently.

 

New 4 AA Rosette Restaurants 2026

Six restaurants received new 4 AA Rosette recognition:

 

Reaching 4 Rosette level is a remarkable achievement for every person involved in these restaurants.

Behind the food itself are kitchen teams, suppliers, Front of House professionals, sommeliers, restaurant leaders and countless details that need to come together consistently at an exceptional level.

 

Congratulations To The 2026 Winners

The AA Hospitality Awards are a reminder of just how much talent, dedication and ambition exists across hospitality.

The individual names deserve celebrating. So do the restaurants, hotels and groups receiving recognition. But none of these achievements happen in isolation.

Behind them are chefs preparing for service, Front of House professionals welcoming guests, housekeepers protecting standards, reception teams creating first impressions, sommeliers building wine experiences, spa professionals, operational leaders and countless people working behind the scenes.

Every Red Star hotel and Rosette restaurant represents a team delivering those standards repeatedly.

From those receiving individual recognition to every person working within a newly awarded Rosette restaurant or Red Star hotel, congratulations from everyone at Ginger Hospitality.

We are proud to work alongside hospitality people and venues striving for these standards every day, and we look forward to seeing what the industry achieves next.