Hospitality stars set to shine at NEHA Excellence Awards
Hospitality professionals from across the North East will gather this month to celebrate the industry’s leading lights at the 2026 North East Hotels Association NEHA Excellence Awards.
Now in its sixteenth year, the NEHA Excellence Awards recognises the stars within the region’s hotel industry, highlighting the hard work and achievements of hoteliers, staff and the venues which play a major role in the North East’s tourism sector.
The prestigious ceremony will bring together around 400 hoteliers and their teams on Thursday, October 8 2026 at The Fed, Gateshead, to shine a light on the region’s biggest stars.
Thanks to support from key sponsors and partners, this year’s ceremony will recognise winners in 11 different categories. These include awards for Service Excellence, Sales Excellence, Inspirational Leader, Culinary Excellence and Cleanliness. Other categories include Rising Star, which recognises the region’s up and coming hospitality heroes and Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable, created to champion sustainable practices, environmentally responsible initiatives and eco-conscious operations.
The North East is home to some of the UK’s most passionate and dedicated hospitality professionals and every day, teams across our hotels are delivering exceptional experiences for guests
Anna Wadcock added, "The Excellence Awards gives us the opportunity to recognise the individuals and teams whose commitment and hard work continue to make a real difference. The standard of entries this year has been exceptional and we look forward to celebrating these achievements."
NEHA, one of the largest regional hotel associations in the UK, was founded more than three decades ago and comprises around 50 leading hotels across Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham and Northumberland. Its mission is to boost the North East hospitality industry’s profile, putting it firmly on the international tourism map. Along with showcasing what the region has to offer, it acts as the voice of the sector, challenging decisions which could have a negative impact and speaking out to ensure the concerns of its members are heard.
The Excellence Awards allows members to nominate teams, leaders and individuals from their hotels. Once a shortlist has been compiled, the winners are chosen by a panel of judges made up of industry experts, hospitality leaders and corporate sponsors.
This year’s award ceremony has been made possible thanks to support by a host of businesses. These are: Experience North East England, North East Chamber of Commerce, Nearby, RDA Limited, Ringtons, Fishers Services Ltd, Roberts Family, Alkimii, Expedia Group, SOS Group Ltd, Trustgenie, Blueline, SPARK EPoS, Gateshead College, Direct Global, WGC, Business Wear Direct and Newcastle International Airport. To discover more about the North East Hotel Association, please email admin@nehotels.co.uk
