Press information
For information on the AA recognition scheme, and all AA Lifestyle Guides, please contact:
Midas Public Relations
Tel: 020 75847474
Email: info@midaspr.co.uk
For further information on all AA awards and media opportunities, please contact:
The Brighter Group
Tel: 020 7603 2168
Email: info@brightergroup.com
For all other Hotel Services enquiries, please contact:
AA Hotel Services Marketing Department
Tel: 01256 494974
Email: jennifer.armstrong@theAA.com
History of the AA recognition schemes
Good, reliable and welcoming places to stay have always been priorities for the motorist. And the assessment of their quality has been an important AA activity since its earliest days.
The expectations of the public (and the AA's requirements) are now much more sophisticated, but the information the AA's rating schemes provide is just as important.
AA approval begins
High quality hotels have been approved by the AA almost since it was founded. In 1908, about 1,000 of the leading hotels worked with the AA scouts to provide information for motorists, and they were listed in the 1909 Handbook.
A star rating is born
By 1912, the AA felt that a more critical approach was necessary to show the type of hotel listed. The AA Secretary, Stenson Cooke, had once been a wine and spirit salesman and felt that the star rating of brandy would be a familiar yardstick to apply to hotels. In his words, a 'really decent, average, middle-class hotel' would merit the standard three stars.
The Handbook of 1913 quoted star rating and tariff for all hotels, and so began an enterprise that has been associated with the AA up to the present day.
In 1951, a joint committee for hotel appointments was formed with the RAC and the Royal Scottish Automobile Club, and by 1961, 5,282 establishments were recognised.
A wider range of accommodation
At that time, it was felt that many of the hotels in the Handbook were too expensive, and that a wider range of cheaper accommodation should be included. Some years later, the Guide to Guesthouses, Farmhouses and Inns was published.
In the 1980s, the AA introduced the use of red stars for exceptional hotels and rosettes for good food.
Creating a common rating system
The inspection and quality standards for hotel appointments varied considerably between the AA, the RAC and the English Tourist Board. So in 1997, agreement was reached to harmonise the three schemes.
Today, common quality standards are shared by the AA and the three tourist boards, who inspect and assess accommodation; VisitBritain, VisitScotland and Visit Wales. The RAC no longer has an inspectorate team.
AA Guides
The modern AA Hotel Guide lists more than 4,000 hotels, rated from one to five stars, and the AA provides rosette ratings for restaurants in its popular AA Restaurant Guide.
AA guides are also available for guest accommodation, campsites and pubs, and there are a wide range of specialist AA guides such as AA Pet Friendly Places to Stay and AA Britain's Best Afternoon Tea. You can see a full range of titles at the AA Bookshop.
AA Awards
For more information on the AA B&B Awards, the AA Hospitality Awards or any other award offered by the AA, please visit the AA Hospitality Awards website.
If you have a PR enquiry related to AA Hotel Services, please contact:
Jane Richards
The Brighter Group
Kennedy House
115 Hammersmith Road
London W14 0QH
Tel: 020 7603 2168
Email: info@brightergroup.com