Discover all the winners from the AA Hospitality Awards 2023
Meet the UK’s top hotels and restaurants of the year
AA Chefs' Chef
Paul Ainsworth
Chef Patron, Paul Ainsworth at No. 6, Padstow, Cornwall
Hailing from Southampton, Paul studied catering and hospitality at his local college and was soon working in some of London's best kitchens, starting in 1998 with Gary Rhodes, later working with Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing
After eight years in London, Paul moved to Padstow to work at No 6, and fell in love with Cornwall. Together with his wife Emma, they took over the business relaunching it as Paul Ainsworth at No 6.
Popular among his peers, he's modest, humble and passionate about hospitality, so it's no surprise he's been voted as this year's Chefs' Chef.
AA Restaurants of the Year
England
The Old Stamp House Restaurant, Ambleside, Cumbria
London
Wales
Scotland
AA Hotels of the Year
England
Forest Side, Grasmere, Cumbria
London
Wales
Penally Abbey Hotel, Tenby, Pembrokeshire
Scotland
Northern Ireland
AA Restaurants with Rooms of the Year
England
The New Inn, St Owen's Cross, Herefordshire
Wales
Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms, Eglwys Fach, Ceredigion
Scotland
AA Spa Hotel of the Year
South Lodge, Lower Beeding, West Sussex
The Spa at South Lodge is simply one of the best in the UK. Set into the natural contours of the land and designed with sustainability in mind, The Spa complements the landscape with a meadow roof and green oak cladding, bringing the outside in and extending the spa out into the grounds.
The 44,000 sq. ft. luxury spa has a state-of-the-art gym and spin studio, indoor pool, outdoor hydrotherapy pool, wild swimming and a thermal suite. There are also plenty of treatment rooms for members, hotel residents and day guests.
AA Group of the Year
The Coaching Inn Group is an independent operator with a passion for bringing historic coaching inns back to their former glory, with a few modern-day twists. Since their launch in 1996, they've brought life back into many iconic buildings providing some of the UK’s most famous market towns with a rejuvenated and welcoming place for locals and visitors to enjoy.
Currently featuring 32 properties, a mixture of hotels and inns, the group was founded by Kevin Charity with its first property, the White Hart Boston. Over the years Kevin has developed a significant portfolio, and the company continues to expand, with just under 1,000 bedrooms in its stock.
AA Small Hotel Group of the Year
Over the past four years, Crerar Hotel Group have been targeting the Scottish luxury market through a blend of high quality refurbishments and service authenticity. Since 2020 they have invested over £15m in the group's properties.
This bold approach in the face of challenging trading conditions has paid off, with the group holding AA Four Star awards to its five Hotels and Five Star Inn awards to its two smaller properties. Furthermore, each of the hotels holds an AA Rosette and the two inns are working towards the same.
AA Accessible Award
Right in the heart of the City, this luxury new-build property is set in a gleaming tower. The judging panel were highly impressed with the level of detail and range of accessible provision on offer, combined with the hotel’s overall approach to improving the accessible guest journey.
There are 24 accessible rooms, with two being specifically adapted with tracking hoists. Other provisions include plenty of accessible toilets, an assistive listening system in the Ballroom event space, a pool hoist in the Sensory Wellbeing spa and gym facilities, and an accessibility management training plan for all employees.
AA Sustainable Award
Sustainability has always been an integral part of THE PIG Hotel Group. With everything starting from its kitchen gardens and an approach to sourcing as local as possible, it's evolved a wonderful holistic approach that is core to the operation of the whole group.
The group's annual impact report highlights many sustainability successes. These include: longterm support for charities Action for Hunger and Hospitality Action; a 'reduce and reuse' programme, which has saved over 140,000 bottles; the championing of English wine and their first shipment of wine by sail; and an approach that values employee welfare.
AA Wine Award
England and Overall winner
Allium at Askham Hall, Askham, Cumbria
Wales
Palé Hall Hotel & Restaurant, Bala, Gywnedd
Scotland
AA College Restaurant of the Year
@thirty-four, Exeter College, Devon
Finalists:
Senara Restaurant, Truro & Penwith College, Cornwall
The Classroom, Cardiff & Vale College
AA Lifetime Achievement Award
Jonathan Raggett, CEO, Red Carnation Hotels
With a career spanning over 35 years in hospitality, Jonathan is both a leading hotelier and a prominent industry leader.
Jonathan was appointed Managing Director of Red Carnation Hotels in 2000. Since then he has taken the portfolio of hotels from 4 to 20 across the globe, developing the organisation into a world class hotel group and gaining numerous awards along the way. His passion for the industry is infectious and is tempered with an underlying humility to all that he achieves.
AA Outstanding Contribution Award
Angela Hartnett, OBE
Angela’s contribution to our industry is immense but often understated. She has helped, supported, and inspired so many, including aspiring chefs and students, as well as organisations and charities.
Above all, she is one of the UK's leading chefs, highly respected by her peers and loved by the public. Her MBE in 2007 and OBE in 2022 were awarded for services to the hospitality industry and the NHS during the pandemic, respectively. Angela is a tireless champion of our industry, a fantastic role model and has clearly demonstrated that a career in hospitality has no limits.
AA Housekeeper of the Year
Nicola Burton from Hartwell House & Spa, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
Nicola knows this landmark hotel better than most, having worked at Hartwell House for 27 years. Starting out as a chambermaid, she steadily worked her way up through the ranks to the position of Head Housekeeper.
The demands of the property are significant, so regular on-going training, attention to detail and strong fundamental practices, are needed to ensure the highest standards are consistently delivered.
New AA Red Star hotels
Congratulations to three new Red Star hotels
Crossbasket Castle, Blantyre, South Lanarkshire
The Fish Hotel, Broadway, Worcestershire
Thornbury Castle Hotel, Thornbury, Gloucestershire
Explore all of the UK's AA Red Star hotels.
New AA Rosette awards
Congratulations to all the new 3, 4 and 5 AA Rosette restaurants.
New 5 AA Rosette Restaurants
Muse, London SW1
Steve Smith at Latymer, Bagshot, Surrey
New 4 AA Rosette Restaurants
The Cellar, Anstruther, Fife
MO, Dormy House, Broadway, Worcestershire
Where The Light Gets In, Stockport, Greater Manchester
Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall, Ripon, North Yorkshire
The Samling, Windermere, Cumbria
Ben Wilkinson at The Pass, Lower Beeding, West Sussex
Explore all of September's new AA Rosettes.
