AA Hotel Recognition Scheme

We aim to promote our partners – the establishments that we have recognised with our well-established ratings. To do this we use a range of printed and online marketing that allows us to reach a wide and diverse audience.

Our team also helps and advises proprietors on improvements they can make for the customer. These improvements help these businesses to become more competitive, and to increase customer satisfaction.

National quality standards

The AA assesses establishments that offer accommodation to a set of common quality standards. These standards are agreed by the AA and the UK tourist authorities: VisitBritain, VisitScotland and Visit Wales. Accommodation is assessed under three broad categories: Hotel, Guest Accommodation and Budget Hotel.

If you have been assessed and recognised by one of the tourist authorities you can join the AA as an Associate Member. This means we recognise the rating given to you by the tourist organisation that assessed you.

Hotel categories

Hotel	A formal accommodation offering full hotel services.
Country House Hotel	A hotel with ample grounds or gardens set in a rural or semi-rural situation with an emphasis on peace and quiet.
Small Hotel	Smaller hotels with a maximum of 20 bedrooms. They will be personally run by the proprietor and are likely to have limited function basis.
Town House Hotel	A high quality property of individual and distinctive style with a maximum of 50 rooms, set in a town or city centre. High staff-to-guest ratio. Public areas may be limited. Possibly no dinner served, but room service available instead.
Metro Hotel	A town or city hotel providing full hotel services with the exception of dinner. Within easy walking distance of a range of places to eat.

AA Star Ratings

Star ratings, from one to five, are used to assess guest accommodation. The following is a brief summary of standards expected from guest accommodation within their ratings.

	Courteous staff provide an informal yet competent service. The majority of rooms are en suite, and a designated eating area serves breakfast daily and dinner most evenings.
	All rooms are en suite or have private facilities. A restaurant or dining room serves breakfast daily and dinner msot evenings.
	Staff are smartly dressed and professionally presented. All rooms are en suite, and the restaurant or dining room is open to residents and non-residents.
	Professional, uniformed staff respond to your needs or requests, and there are usually well-appointed public areas. The restaurant or dining room is open to residents and non-residents, and lunch is available in a designated eating area.
	Luxurious accommodation and public areas, with a range of extra facilities and a multilingual service available. Guests are greeted at the hotel entrance. High quality menu and wine list.

Each year we select the best hotels in each rating. These hotels stand out as the very best in the British Isles, regardless of style. The selected Inspectors' Choice hotels are identified by red stars.

For further information, download our Hotel Quality Standards brochure.

Merit score

AA inspectors supplement their reports with an additional quality assessment of all facilities, services and hospitality offered by the hotel. This wider ranging assessment results in an overall merit score, shown as a percentage next to the star rating. To gain AA recognition, a hotel must achieve a minimum quality score of 50%.

Rosette awards for hotels with restaurants

Rosettes are awarded annually to AA inspected restaurants for the quality of their food. Most star-rated hotels have their own restaurants and we also inspect these. Not all restaurants receive an AA award, but will generally serve enjoyable food of a reasonable standard.

	Excellent restaurants that stand out in their local area. The food is prepared with care, understanding and skill, using good-quality ingredients.
	The best local restaurants, offering higher standards and better consistency. Greater precision is apparent in the cooking, and there is obvious attention to the quality and selection of ingredients.
	Three Rosettes are awarded to outstanding restaurants that demand recognition well beyond the local area. The highest quality ingredients receive sympathetic treatment, and there is consistent timing, seasoning, and judgement of flavour combinations You can expect excellent and intelligent service, and a well-chosen wine list.
	Four Rosettes highlight cooking that demands national recognition. Dishes demonstrate intense ambition, a passion for excellence, superb technical skills and remarkable consistency. An appreciation of culinary traditions is combined with a desire for exploration and improvement.
	The food at a Five Rosette restaurant stands comparison with the best in the world. It is highly individual, benefits from breathtaking culinary skills, and sets the standards to which others aspire. There will also be a knowledgeable and distinctive wine list.

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AA training and consultancy

The AA provides a range of training and consultancy for hoteliers. There are a wide range of options available for owners and managers who want to improve the performance of their establishments, and the efficiency of their services and staff.

Find out more about our training and consultancy options.