The Best of UK Hospitality Shines at the AA Hospitality Awards 2025

The best and brightest in British hospitality came together at JW Marriott Grosvenor House tonight for the coveted AA Hospitality Awards 2025, a flagship event recognised as the gold standard of excellence within the industry. Organised by AA Hotel & Hospitality Services, the glittering evening was hosted by television and radio personality Vernon Kay, one of the nation’s best-loved broadcasters.

Welcoming more than 960 guests, the event shone a spotlight on the country’s most exceptional hotels, restaurants, spas, inns, and B&Bs, as well as the inspiring people behind them. Accolades were presented across 18 categories, including AA Chefs’ Chef of the Year, AA Sustainable Award, AA Spa Hotel of the Year and, brand new for 2025, the AA Rising Star Award.

Taking home one of the evening’s most prestigious accolades, Gareth Ward of Ynyshir has been named AA Chefs’ Chef of the Year 2025 (sponsored by Wellocks), an award voted for exclusively by his peers. Known for his bold, boundary-pushing approach to modern dining, Ward has transformed Ynyshir into one of the UK’s most exciting culinary destinations, combining Japanese influences with the finest Welsh produce.

Winner of AA Chefs’ Chef of the Year Award Gareth said of his win: “It’s super humbling – I’m blown away. My name has been up there a few times, but you don’t ever think you’re going to win it, but when you do, you have the most massive appreciation to the all the people in our beautiful industry. It means more as an award that has been voted by all my peers as we’re all in it together and we all have mutual respect for each other.”

The Rising Star Award, newly introduced this year, recognises individuals in hospitality who demonstrate exceptional promise and potential in their field. Nataliia Maiseionok, Sommelier at Fischer’s Baslow Hall and winner of the AA Rising Star Award, relocated from Ukraine in 2022, arriving to the UK with limited English but extensive hospitality experience. She began her career as a waitress at Fischer’s Baslow Hall, working her way up to Sommelier through self-funded education.

On her win she said: “Winning this award means that I’ve been on the right path and the effort, dedication, and commitment I’ve invested in gaining knowledge in a field I’m truly passionate about has not been in vain. I feel genuinely at home in this profession, and while there is still so much more to learn, this only adds to the joy because for a true explorer, discovery is the greatest reward.

I see this not as the final destination, but as a powerful step forward.”

Simon Numphud, Managing Director at AA Media, praised the UK’s hospitality sector for its resilience and innovative spirit in 2025: “This celebration highlights the passion, creativity and resilience that define UK hospitality. The teams have turned challenges into opportunities, inspiring us with their innovation and dedication. Congratulations to all winners, nominees and new Rosette holders – your achievements deserve recognition today and set a shining example for the future of our industry.”

image003.pngSince introducing the star rating system in 1912, the AA has championed quality by celebrating the people and places that set new benchmarks in hospitality. Today, the AA Hospitality Awards stand as the industry’s most prestigious accolade, highlighting creativity, commitment and excellence that define the UK’s hotels, restaurants, inns, and B&Bs. Year after year, these awards continue to raise the bar, recognising those who inspire the future of hospitality while honouring its very best.

All of 2025’s restaurant award winners and new Rosette holders feature in the AA Restaurant Guide 2026. The guide showcases the very best restaurants across the UK and is the food lover’s definitive guide to enjoying the finest cuisine the country has to offer. Get your copy on Amazon (£17.99).

AA Hospitality Awards – 2025 winners

The full list of this year’s AA Hospitality Award winners can also be found here on RatedTrips.com:

Chefs’ Chef of the Year

· Gareth Ward of Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms, Eglwys Fach

Lifetime Achievement Award

· James Thomson OBE of Prestonfield, Edinburgh

Outstanding Contribution Award

· Alain Roux and Michel Roux Jr

Restaurants of the Year

· England – Skof, Manchester
· London – Joséphine, London
· Wales – Gorse, Cardiff
· Scotland – The Little Chartroom, Edinburgh

Hotels of the Year

· England – The Cavendish Hotel, Derbyshire
· London – 1 Hotel Mayfair, London
· Wales – St Brides Spa Hotel, Pembrokeshire
· Scotland – 100 Princes Street, Edinburgh
· Northern Ireland – The Old Inn, County Down

Group of the Year

· Daniel Thwaites (hotels, inns and spas)

Small Hotel Group of the Year

· Brend Collection

Wine Award

· England and Overall – Sketch Lecture Room & Library, London
· Wales – Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms, Eglwys Fach
· Scotland – Timberyard, Edinburgh

Rising Star of the Year

· Nataliia Maiseionok – Fischer’s Baslow Hall, Derbyshire

Housekeeper of the Year

· Amit Pal – Prestonfield, Edinburgh

Sustainable Award
· The Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland

Inn of the Year

· The George Inn, Somerset

B&B of the Year

· The 25 Boutique B&B, Devon

Restaurant with Rooms of the Year

· Restaurant Interlude, West Sussex

Spa Hotel of the Year

· Hoar Cross Hall, Staffordshire

Restaurant Team Award

· The Goring, London

College Restaurant of the Year

@34 Restaurant – Exeter College

New 5 Rosettes

· Forest Side, Grasmere
· Row on 5, London

New 4 Rosettes

· Cedar Tree Restaurant by Hrishikesh Desai, Cumbria
· HAAR, Fife
· Restaurant Interlude, West Sussex
· Forge @ Middleton Estate, North Yorkshire
· Solstice by Kenny Atkinson, Newcastle Upon Tyne
· SOURCE at Gilpin Hotel, Cumbria

New 3 Rosettes

· The Kirkstyle Inn and Sportsman’s Rest, Northumberland
· Skof, Manchester
· The Horn of Plenty, Devon
· The Greyhound, Buckinghamshire
· Fawsley Hall Hotel & Spa, Daventry
· The Avenue at Lainston House, Winchester
· Sushi Kanesaka (45 Park Lane), London
· Melton’s, North Yorkshire
· Gorse, Cardiff
· The Braywood, Berkshire
· The Homestead Kitchen, North Yorkshire
· The Three Chimneys, Colbost
· Gravetye Manor, West Hoathly

New 5 Red Stars

· Raffles London at The OWO, London
· The Beaumont Mayfair, London
· 100 Princes Street, Edinburgh

New 4 Red Stars

· The Elms, Worcestershire
· Down Hall Hotel & Spa, Hertfordshire
· The Swan at Lavenham Hotel & Spa, Lavenham
· Foxhills, Surrey

New 3 Red Stars

· The Pig in The Cotswolds, Cotswolds