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The nation's best hotels, chefs and hospitality newcomers for this year have been unveiled in the AA's flagship Hospitality Awards 2025.
The star-studded event, which took place at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House and hosted by television and radio personality Vernon Kay on 22 September, shone a spotlight on the UK's most exceptional hotels, restaurants, spas, inns, and B&Bs.
Awards were presented across 18 categories, including AA Chefs' Chef of the Year, AA Sustainable Award, AA Spa Hotel of the Year, and the all-new AA Rising Star Award.
Gareth Ward, of Ynyshir, was named AA Chefs' Chef of the Year 2025, a prestigious accolade voted for exclusively by his peers.
Having transformed Ynyshir in rural Wales into one of the UK's most exciting culinary hotspots, Ward is known for his bold, boundary-pushing approach to modern dining, merging Japanese influences with the finest Welsh produce.
The AA Lifetime Achievement Award was given to James Thomson OBE of Prestonfield, Edinburgh, while Alain Roux and Michel Roux Jr collected the AA Outstanding Contribution Award.
In the Restaurants of the Year category, divided into England, London, Wales and Scotland subcategories, Manchester-based Skof, the capital's Josephine, Cardiff's Gorse and Edinburgh's The Little Chartroom beat out its competitors, respectively.
Derbyshire's The Cavendish Hotel secured Hotel of the Year for England, along with 1 Hotel Mayfair for London, St Brides Spa Hotel, Pembrokeshire, for Wales, 100 Princes Street, Edinburgh, for Scotland, and The Old Inn, Co. Down for Northern Ireland.
With a history dating as far back as 1397, The George Inn, located in Somerset, was awarded Inn of the Year.
It had previously won Inn of the Year in the AA's Bed and Breakfast Awards 2025 - described as having a 'wonderfully warm and engaging atmosphere, a very committed team making every effort to ensure a relaxed and rewarding stay, and a tangible sense of the past at every turn.'
The B&B of the Year award, meanwhile, was presented to 25 Boutique B&B, based in Devon.
The adults-only accommodation had also won the English award for B&B of the Year at the AA's Bed and Breakfast Awards 2025.
The AA called the boutique hotel the 'top of its game' thanks to 'an engaging fusion of comfort, quality and hospitality, all of which combine to ensure a rewarding and fulfilling guest experience'.
In addition, the Grade II-listed Hoar Cross Hall in Staffordshire was crowned Spa Hotel of the Year thanks to its stylish bedrooms, spectacular grounds, decadent dining and state-of-the-art award-winning spas.
Simon Numphud, Managing Director at AA Media, praised the UK's hospitality sector for its resilience and innovative spirit in 2025. He said: '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.'
It comes after glossy holiday bible Conde Nast Traveller unveiled its pick of the best new hotels around the world earlier this year - including some surprisingly low cost options.
The brand published the Hot List 2025 after its experts spent a year travelling the globe to find the best new openings - including a Saudi hotel that transformed an abandoned mud-brick village, a pretty coaching inn in the Peak District and an Art Deco abode in the Big Apple.
Three British hotels make the cut, including the glitzy Mandarin Oriental in London's Mayfair - a sister hotel for the upscale chain's Knightsbridge property.