Questions, answered

Any business working in or serving hospitality — hotels, restaurants, bars, cafés, pubs, venues, caterers and the teams within them. Most categories are open to all sizes and specialisms, whether you are based in Cardiff or operating nationally.

Entry is completely free. There is no fee to nominate, to be shortlisted or to win, and no obligation to attend the ceremony — you can enter as many categories as you like at no cost.

Absolutely. Guests, colleagues and the wider industry can nominate any business or individual they believe deserves to be recognised. A nomination is a genuine way to champion work you rate.

Every entry is scored independently by a panel of industry experts against a published, weighted criteria framework. Scores are moderated for consistency, and judges declare any conflicts of interest.

Yes. Many businesses enter several categories to reflect different sides of the operation — a hotel might enter for guest experience, for its restaurant and for its workplace culture. There is no extra cost.

Winners receive a trophy and certificate, the official winner's digital mark, a press-ready PR toolkit, a feature in our winners' showcase, and a full year's licence to use the recognition across marketing and recruitment.

Entries are open now. Finalists are announced ahead of the ceremony, where winners are revealed live — full dates are confirmed on the event page.

Winners are revealed live and in person at the Awards Ceremony at Cardiff City Stadium on 29 October 2026 — the highlight of the Cardiff hospitality calendar.

No. Attendance is entirely optional and has no bearing on judging. Winners who cannot attend are notified directly and receive their trophy and winner pack by post.

Yes. Third-party nominations are welcome — clients, colleagues, suppliers or industry peers can all nominate. We contact the nominee to confirm they want to proceed before anything is judged.

Specifics beat adjectives. Numbers, dates, named outcomes and short client quotes all score well; general claims about being passionate or market-leading do not. Judges score what they can verify.

Each written answer is capped at around 400 words. Judges read a lot of entries — a tight, evidenced answer consistently outperforms a long one.

Independent operators and specialists from across the hospitality industry, matched to the categories they know. Judges declare conflicts of interest and are recused from scoring anyone they are connected to.

Aggregate feedback is available to entrants on request after the ceremony. Individual judge scores stay confidential to protect the independence of the panel.

A category needs a viable field to be judged fairly. If entries are too few, we contact those affected and offer to move the entry to the closest matching category at no cost.

Sponsorship is handled separately from judging and gives no advantage in the process. The sponsors page has the packages and an enquiry form.