By Angela Green, Content Executive, H&C News: The AA Hospitality Awards 2022 announce new AA Accessible Award.
The AA Hospitality Awards 2022 will take place 26 September at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London. The event will award 15 of the best hotels, restaurants, and spas across the UK, as well as celebrate individuals with awards including the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Chefs’ Chef Award.
New to this year is the AA Accessible Award, sponsored by Blue Badge Access Awards, the global initiative that celebrates thoughtful and stylish inclusive design across the world, and the only awards scheme that focuses exclusively on accessibility. Robin Sheppard, Co-founder of the Blue Badge Access Awards and President of Bespoke Hotels, won the AA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.
Robin Sheppard, Co-founder of the Blue Badge Access AwardsRobin Sheppard, Co-founder of the Blue Badge Access Awards said: “We are so excited to be part of this year’s AA Hospitality Awards, especially as this will be the first ‘in-person’ ceremony in two years. We believe the AA Awards align with our fundamental and core beliefs and are proud to announce that this year we will be sponsoring the AA Accessible Award.
“As the co-founder of the Blue Badge Access Awards, alongside Fiona Jarvis, we have made it our mission to advocate for inclusivity in the hospitality sector and make the hotel experience more joyful and inclusive for both disabled and non-disabled guests.
“We believe the AA Awards will encourage hospitality industry bosses to better recognise accessibility in hospitality, and cannot wait to see the high-calibre of submissions put forward for this year’s AA Accessible Award. Our ultimate goal is to replace reference to DDA compliant rooms and re-title them as ‘Liberty’ rooms.”
The winner of the Chefs’ Chef Award 2019, Jason Atherton, founder of The Social Company, will be creating the menu for the Awards, catering for the 1,000 attendees on the night.
Atherton said: “As per tradition, the previous winner of the AA Chefs’ Chef Award is always asked to cook; the pandemic delayed this for two years but it is now time to return to how things were and I can’t wait. I am so excited to finally be able to get together with everyone and share some of my favourite dishes as part of such a special occasion.”