The winners of the AA Hospitality Awards have now been announced, with boutique hotels The Goring, Gainsborough Bath Spa and Twr Y Felin Hotel in Wales scooping some of the top accolades.
Held at the Grosvenor House in London, the awards, now in their 20th year, celebrated hospitality’s best achievers from the past 12 months, with awards handed out to winners across 20 categories.
Alongside the awards, new holders of four and five Rosettes and five Red Stars were also unveiled.
The title for AA Hotel of the Year for England went to The Gainsborough Bath Spa, while the award for London saw The Goring come out triumphant. AA Hotel of the Year, Scotland was named as Douneside House in Aberdeenshire, while Twr Y Felin Hotel in St Davids, Pembrokeshire scooped the award for Wales.
The AA Hotel of the Year for Northern Ireland was The Old Inn, Bangor, Co Down
John Williams, executive head chef at The Ritz London was named as AA Chef of the Year, while former head of the Institute of Hospitality Philippe Rossiter was awarded the prestigious AA Lifetime Achievement Award.
The awards ceremony, which marked the release of the 2018 editions of the AA Hotel Guide and AA Best Restaurants Guide, also saw three businesses – Gidleigh Park, Chagford, Devon; Ynyshir, Eglwys Fach, Powys; and Bohemia at The Club Hotel, St Helier, Jersey – awarded five AA rosettes, with six restaurants collecting four rosettes.
The full list of AA award winners for 2017 are:
AA Hotel of the Year for England – The Gainsborough Bath Spa, Bath
AA Hotel of the Year for London – The Goring
AA Hotel of the Year for Scotland – Douneside House, Aboyne, Aberdeenshire
AA Hotel of the Year for Wales – Twr Y Felin Hotel, St Davids, Pembrokeshire
AA Hotel of the Year for Northern Ireland – The Old Inn, Bangor, Co Down
AA Restaurant of the Year for England – The Freemasons at Wiswell, Clitheroe, Lancashire
AA Restaurant of the Year for London – Elystan Street, London
AA Restaurant of the Year for Scotland – The Dining Room, Edinburgh
AA Restaurant of the Year for Wales – Beach House Restaurant at Oxwich Beach, Swansea
AA Pub of the Year for England – the Bell at Ramsbury, near Marlborough, Wiltshire
AA Pub of the Year for Scotland – the Bow Bar, Edinburgh
AA Pub of the Year for Wales – Bryn Tyrch, Conwy
AA Chef of the Year
John Williams, executive chef, the Ritz London
AA Housekeeper of the Year Award
Tzveta Ivanova, the Milestone Hotel, London
AA Eco Hotel of the Year
Oakley Court, Windsor , Berkshire
AA Wine Award for England – Five Fields, London
AA Wine Award for Scotland – Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder
AA Wine Award for Wales and overall winner Ynyshir, Eglwys Fach, Powys
AA College Restaurant of the Year
South Cheshire College, Crewe
AA Foodservice Award
Three Chimneys, Colbost, Dunvegan, Isle of Skye
AA Customer Choice
The Savoy, London
AA Hotel Group of the Year
Andrew Brownsword Hotels
AA Lifetime Achievement Award
Philippe Rossiter, former chief executive, Institute of Hospitality