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 most 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

The Rosette scheme has long been established and successfully recognises cooking at different levels nationwide. The success or failure in achieving Rosettes is based on a single (sometimes multiple) visit/s to a hotel or restaurant. Essentially it's a snapshot; whereby the entire meal including ancillary items (when served) are assessed.

Of all the restaurants across the UK, approximately 10% are of a standard which is worthy of 1 Rosette and above. This is indeed a huge achievement and something not to be underestimated.

We are often asked, "What is the difference between 1 and 5 Rosettes and how can I get to the next level?"

Our answer is, "It's how well a chef manages to apply advanced technique whilst retaining maximum flavour, assuming an appropriate quality of source ingredients"

Whilst we endeavour to work with the industry and promote great cooking across the UK, it's of paramount importance to always serve your market first. We would also recommend you don't chase awards, see them as something to celebrate when they come along. Where however, the achievement of Rosettes is an aspiration, the simple guidelines below are provided for your information. AA food tastings, enhanced food tasting or signing up to one of the AA Rosette Academies can also give further insight and guidance, but are separate from the awards process and do not influence any assessments.

AA Rosettes are awarded solely by AA Hotel and Restaurant Inspectors. External influences from hotels, restaurants or other guide are not taken into account when awarding Rosettes.

	The best restaurants serving food prepared with care, understanding and skill, using good quality ingredients. These restaurants will be achieving standards that standout in their local area. The same expectations apply to hotel and guest accommodation restaurants where guests should be able to eat in with confidence and a sense of anticipation. Around 50% of establishments within our AA Restaurant Guide will have One Rosette
	Excellent restaurants, which aim for and achieve higher standards, better consistency and where a greater precision is apparent in the cooking. There will be obvious attention to the selection of quality ingredients. Around 40% of establishments within our AA Restaurant Guide will have Two Rosettes
	Outstanding restaurants that achieve standards that demand national recognition well beyond their local area. The cooking will be underpinned by the selection and sympathetic treatment of the highest quality ingredients. Timing, seasoning and the judgment of flavour combinations will be consistently excellent. These virtues will tend to be supported by other elements such as intuitive service and a well-chosen wine list. Around 10% of establishments within the AA Restaurant Guide will have Three Rosettes and above
	Amongst the Top restaurants in the UK where the cooking demands national recognition. These restaurants will exhibit intense ambition, a passion for excellence, superb technical skills and remarkable consistency. They will combine appreciation of culinary traditions with a passionate desire for further exploration and improvement. There are very few restaurants with Four AA Rosettes
	The pinnacle! Where the cooking compares with the best in the world. These restaurants will have highly individual voices, exhibit breathtaking culinary skills and set the standards to which others aspire to, yet few achieve

Announcement of Rosette awards

1 and 2 Rosettes are awarded at the time of inspection.

3 and 4 Rosette awards are announced twice during the year, but never at the time of inspection.

5 Rosettes are awarded just the once during a year and never at the time of inspection.

Suspension of multi-Rosettes (3, 4, 5 Rosettes)

When a chef holds 3, 4 or 5 Rosettes and moves from ones establishment to another, the award is suspended at the hotel/restaurant he/she has just left. The award does not follow the chef automatically either.

We therefore recommend that when a change of chef occurs, establishments let us know as soon as possible in order for us to schedule forthcoming inspections.

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.