On Friday, 31 October 2025, the Foundation for Hospitality Expertise (SVH) announced the Top 10 of the Best Hospitality Training Company 2025/2026 competition. This year, 52 recognised training companies were nominated. With the announcement of the Top 10, the first phase of the competition has concluded. At the end of November, it will be revealed which of these training companies have made it to the Top 3.
The competition, organised by SVH on behalf of the hospitality sector, began in early September with the nomination round. Students, apprentices, mentors, teachers, and staff from the hospitality industry could nominate their favourite training companies during this round. Nominated companies then completed tasks to demonstrate why they deserve the title. In the first round, companies are assessed on their training vision, training plan, a testimonial from a student, and a video pitch. With this video pitch, the company shows why they are the best training company. Additional points could be earned by getting as many people as possible to vote for the training company.
Ricardo Eshuis, director of SVH and chairman of the competition committee, said: “Seeing how much effort training companies put into giving young people a flying start makes me incredibly proud of our sector. This year's Top 10 each show how to truly bring learning to life in practice. Mentors and training companies are the heroes behind the next generation of hospitality professionals. Every year, we see how committed they are to guiding young people. Receiving a nomination is truly a significant compliment — congratulations on behalf of the entire competition committee!
This is the Top 10 of the Best Hospitality Training Company competition edition 2025/2026 in alphabetical order:
- De Troubadour in Hardenberg
- Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin in Noordwijk
- Groot Speijck in Oisterwijk
- Hotel & Wellness Zuiver in Amsterdam
- Huize Kwast in Leeuwarden
- Kasteel Kerckebosch in Zeist
- Restaurant Hotel Merlet in Schoorl
- Ron Gastrobar in Amsterdam
- The College Hotel in Amsterdam
- Van der Valk Hotel Den Haag – Wassenaar in Wassenaar
"The two runners-up from last year are also competing for the title again this year, Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin and Ron Gastrobar Group. Also back in the Top 10 are The College Hotel and Van der Valk Hotel Den Haag-Wassenaar. It's great to see how these companies have used the feedback from last year's committee to present themselves even better now. In this strong Top 10, it will come down to details to determine the Top 3!”, said Eshuis.
Competition Progress
The training companies from the Top 10 will be visited by SVH on behalf of the committee in November. The aim is to assess whether the training plan is effectively implemented in practice and to evaluate whether there is a good and safe working and learning environment socially. During the visit, the committee member will discuss this with the students and mentors.
Reports of the visits are made and discussed in the full competition committee. The committee includes representatives from SVH, SBB, KHN, De Horecabond, the MBO Council, and previous winners of the competition: Restaurant ’t Noorden from Aalten and NH Noordwijk Conference Centre Leeuwenhorst. The competition committee decides which three training companies will reach the final. These three companies will be visited by the full committee at the beginning of December.
Best Mentor
The role of the mentor is also highlighted again this year: they have a chance to win the title of Best Hospitality Mentor 2025/2026. The best mentor is chosen from the Top 10 best training companies. The competition committee determines a Top 3 of best mentors based on the company visits. The Top 3 is visited by a committee member to determine the winner.
Finale Horecava 2026
The winning training company and the winning mentor will be announced in the final during the traditional closing of Horecava, on Thursday, 15 January 2026, at 14:00. View the full list of recognised training companies nominated for the title of Best Hospitality Training Company 2025/2026 at www.besteleerbedrijfhoreca.nl/ranking