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.”

The winners are:

• Gareth Ward (Ynyshir) crowned as AA Chefs’ Chef of the Year for 2025
• AA Outstanding Contribution goes to Michel Roux Jr and Alain Roux
• AA Lifetime Achievement honoured James Thomson OBE, one of Scotland’s best-known restaurateurs and hoteliers
• Nataliia Maiseionok, Sommelier at Fischer’s Baslow Hall, named first-ever AA Rising Star Award winner
• St Brides Spa Hotel (Pembrokeshire), 100 Princes Street (Edinburgh), The Old Inn (Bangor), The Cavendish Hotel (Baslow) and 1 Hotel Mayfair (London) crowned AA Hotels of the Year
• The Little Chartroom (Edinburgh), Gorse (Cardiff), Skof (Manchester) and Joséphine (London) named AA Restaurants of the Year
• The Gleneagles Hotel wins AA Sustainable Award