Celebrating the UK’s top hotels, spas, restaurants, and pubs and the people behind them, the AA Hospitality Awards have revealed their 2023 winners at a glittering ceremony. The Forest Side hotel in the Lake District was announced as England’s best hotel, with The Lanesborough taking home London’s coveted title
Hot off the press – or should that be the pass. The UK hospitality industry gathered at JW Marriott Grosvenor House for the highly anticipated AA Hospitality Awards 2023 hosted by AA Hotel & Hospitality Services, with a lineup of impressive winners from around the UK.
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.
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 commented: “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 AA Hospitality Awards – 2023 winners are as follows:
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 – Cail Bruich, 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
Ben Wilkinson at The Pass, West Sussex
New 3 Rosettes
Next Door, Cheshire
1863 Restaurant with Rooms, Cumbria
The George at Alstonefield, Staffordshire.
The Lantern Room, West Yorkshire
The Cottage in the Wood, Worcestershire
The Idle Rocks Restaurant, Cornwall
The Lanesborough Grill, London
The Cygnet at The Swan Inn, Oxfordshire
8 By Andrew Sheridan, Liverpool
London Stock Restaurant, London
The Bulls Head Inn, Derbyshire
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
New 5 Red Stars
Crossbasket Castle, South Lanarkshire
New 4 Red Stars
The Fish Hotel, Worcestershire
Thornbury Castle Hotel, Gloucestershire
See the full list of this year’s AA Hospitality Awards winners via ratedtrips.com
All 2023 award winners, finalists and establishments awarded AA Rosettes feature in the 30th 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 own copy via Amazon (£17.99).
