Harrogate’s hospitality heroes were rewarded for their excellence and commitment last night (Monday) at the return of Harrogate’s Hospitality & Tourism Association (HHTA).
The annual event, which celebrates the best the town has to offer, returned to the Royal Hall.
This year was the sixteenth year of the sell-out awards evening as host Simon Cotton was joined by the General Managers from the member Harrogate hotels from HHTA, along with the sponsors, to present the coveted award categories.
The winners were as follows:
- Waiter/Waitress of the Year – sponsored by Harrogate Spring Water: Cheryl Smart – Rudding Park
- Bar Person of the Year – sponsored by Matthew Clark: Dan Glover – Starling Bar
- Chef of the Year – sponsored by Sykes House Farm: Iain Wilkinson – Storehouse Kitchen
- Team of the Year – sponsored by Platinum: Harrogate Theatre
- Newcomer of the Year – sponsored by Harrogate College: Rhubarb Restaurant
- Unsung Hero – sponsored by Bidfood: Noel Dobbin – Harrogate Convention Centre
- Outstanding Customer Service – sponsored by Slingsby: Lisa Tait – Three’s A Crowd
- Restaurant of the Year – sponsored by the World of James Herriot: William & Victoria
- Bar of the Year – sponsored by Timothy Taylor’s: Six Poor Folk
- Receptionist of the Year – sponsored by Harrogate Christmas & Gift: Jasmine Whichello – Rudding Park
- Housekeeper of the Year – sponsored by Beaucare: Suzanne Marlow – Grantley Hall
- Harrogate Ambassador of the Year - sponsored by Your Harrogate: David Ritson
This year’s theme was a ‘Game Show Night’ and saw Simon presenting alone, with co-host David Ritson take a well-deserved break after 15 years.
Simon paid tribute to David’s commitment to the HHTA Awards and admitted it had been a struggle without his friend by his side.
He said:
“I do love running these awards as I see how much they mean to everyone in Harrogate involved in the Hospitality sector.
“But it certainly felt bitter-sweet not having my friend and partner up there with me on the night.”
The Harrogate Hospitality and Tourism Awards aim to promote the town’s hospitality offering through celebrating and rewarding those individuals who show the highest levels of commitment and strive towards excellence on the town’s behalf.
During February and March members of the public and visitors to Harrogate were invited to nominate individuals who they thought deserved special recognition and helped generate over 1000 nominations before a shortlist was chosen by the category sponsors, who judge the awards.
Simon added:
“The awards reward not only the winners, but all those who are shortlisted and work in every area of hospitality, recognising the effort and commitment they make on a daily basis.
“Once again we received a huge volume of entries this year to test the judging panel and I’d like to thank everyone for supporting and getting involved. We have been able to reward some very worthy winners.
Simon continued:
“The hospitality sector is so important to this town’s economy and it is wonderful to see the crème de la crème of their category being acclaimed for their efforts; both those shortlisted and those who won deserve their ‘moment’ in the spotlight and it was great to see everyone celebrating tonight!”
With 12 member hotels, the HHTA welcomes over 300,000 guests each year and collectively employs over 1000 members of staff.
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