HMA crowns 2026 award winners at annual celebration

The Hotel Marketing Association (HMA) has officially announced the winners of its annual Hotel Marketing Awards for 2026, which celebrate the finest marketing talent and campaigns across the UK hospitality industry.

Part of HOSPA, the Hospitality Professionals Association, the HMA’s annual awards ceremony brings together leading hospitality professionals from across the sector to recognise the exceptional impact of strategic and creative marketing over the past year.

The 2026 awards highlighted an industry evolving rapidly to embrace new customer journeys shining alight on a wide range of innovations - from trailblazing digital storytelling and immersive partnerships to the cutting-edge implementation of artificial intelligence.

Broken down across a series of categories, the award-winning entrants on the night were as follows:

• Best Website (sponsored by Clockwork Marketing)

  • Winner: The Newman: Fitzrovia First – The Newman Website

• Best Partnership Marketing (sponsored by HBD Partners)

  • Winner: The Grove, Hawksmoor in the Woods

• Social Media Campaign of the Year (sponsored by GuestRevu)

  • Winner: Barons Eden – The Perfect Blackout

• Innovative Use of AI in Marketing (sponsored by Screen Pilot)

  • Winner: Corinthia Hotels: Every visit, it’s own story.

• HMA Creative Excellence Award (sponsored by Net Affinity)

  • Winner: Horwood House Hotel: The Butterfly Resort

• Best Hotel Marketing Team (sponsored by Agilysys)

  • Winner: London Hilton on Park Lane

• Rising Star in Hotel Marketing (sponsored by For-Sight)

  • Winner: May Facey, Senior Manager, Marketing EMEA, Marriott International

This year’s entries reflected a powerful shift toward high levels of authenticity, with the winning campaigns highly praised by the judging panels for showing clear commercial attribution and distinct brand personality, ranging from Barons Eden’s disruptive in-house Black Friday "calm" campaign to Corinthia Hotels’ cutting-edge deployment of distinct AI content agents.

Other winners included Buckinghamshire country house hotel, Horwood House, which took home the headline Creative Excellence Award for its 'The Butterfly Resort'. Aligned with a national conservation initiative, the campaign maximised a modest budget to secure national press and television coverage, seamlessly blending environmental ESG goals with local community and corporate market engagement. Meanwhile, teams like London Hilton on Park Lane and rising star May Facey (of Marriott International) were spotlighted for bringing agile, data-driven leadership to major corporate brands.

Commenting on the awards, Harry Fielder, Chairman of the HMA, expressed his appreciation for the exceptional calibre of submissions this year, saying. "The innovation and strategic clarity showcased by our winners this year are exactly what our industry needs for the future. From using advanced AI frameworks to executing beautiful, human-centric local partnerships, UK hotel marketers are proving that marketing culture has firmly returned to the heart of business strategy. On behalf of the HMA, I extend my congratulations to all the winners and finalists."

Jane Pendlebury, CEO of HOSPA, also shared her enthusiasm for the evening’s success, saying: "The HMA Awards continue to highlight the extraordinary talent and hard work that’s so synonymous with our sector. It’s a privilege to celebrate the achievements of those who are pushing the boundaries of hotel marketing. Each winner has set a new benchmark for excellence, and their efforts are a testament to the evolving landscape of our industry, which never stays still."

The Hotel Marketing Association is the only dedicated body for hotel marketers in the UK and provides them with support and inspiration, delivering an annual schedule of engaging events and networking with inspiring experts and speakers.

For full details and to find out more about the awards, visit: www.hotelmarketingassociation.com/awards