On Thursday, 27 November, SVH, on behalf of the Best Hospitality Training Company committee, announced which training companies are in the Top 3 of the competition.
The training companies competing for the title of Best Hospitality Training Company 2025/2026 are, in alphabetical order:
- Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin, Noordwijk
- Kasteel Kerckebosch, Zeist
- Ron Gastrobar, Amsterdam
This year, the competition committee, consisting of representatives from SVH, SBB, KHN, De Horecabond, the MBO Raad, and previous winners Restaurant Het Noorden van Aalten, NH Noordwijk Conference Centre Leeuwenhorst, had the pleasant task of determining which training companies and mentors may attend the final at Horecava 2026.
The Top 10 best training companies have been visited by the professional jury in recent weeks. In two hours, the training company was thoroughly examined regarding the culture and structure of learning and working. The jury literally got an extensive look into the kitchen. Naturally, the training plan and the vision on training were scrutinised. The results of the company visits were presented by the jury to the competition committee, after which the Top 3 was determined based on an objective score list.
The Top 3
Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin, Kasteel Kerckebosch, and Ron Gastrobar distinguished themselves as the three best training companies. During the jury visits, the companies stood out for their structured and clear training vision, with an individual approach for each student. The assignments during the nomination round were also best executed by these companies.
Ricardo Eshuis, director of SVH and chairman of the competition committee: "It's not a competition for nothing. And in a competition, details often make the difference. In this edition of Best Hospitality Training Company, this is really applicable. This year, following the previous edition, 4 companies achieved the maximum score, and one company performed just 2 points short of this. All companies are great employers. And that's what we see more and more: good employers invest in people and therefore also in learning. The training companies in the Top 3 excel in good cooperation with schools, participation in various industry activities, and pay a lot of attention to the student as an individual. This year, it has once again been shown that good training companies pay a lot of attention to the well-being of employees and therefore also the students. According to Eshuis, the trend of investing in well-being is evident throughout the top 10 and especially in the top 3.
"Good training companies look beyond technical skills. They create an environment where employees and students feel safe, seen, and supported, and where they enjoy going. There are projects to identify and combat loneliness, initiatives around financial health, and companies that employ special staff to monitor mental and physical well-being. Courses are also offered that contribute to a healthy work-life balance. This makes a huge difference to the attractiveness of working in hospitality and the enthusiasm of the new generation of professionals."
The use of external coaches seems to be taking off within the sector: collaborations with professional parties that support companies with issues that go far beyond the role of the mentor but have become indispensable. Often this is in collaboration with a payroll company that takes on this role with a social approach. Payroll in these cases is no longer about shifting employer risks but about a professional and social staff policy and sustainable employability.
Again in the top 3
It is remarkable that two companies that were in the top 3 last year have placed themselves there again. Both Ron Gastrobar and Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin have adopted the jury's recommendations from last year and have set the bar even higher. An even better training plan, even more attention to the whole person, and as an employer, even more integration between working, learning, and developing on the work floor and as a person. In that sense, it is logical that they are in the top 3 again, but it is also simply very impressive.
Sustainability and craftsmanship
The top of the Best Hospitality Training Company competition is also questioned about their vision on sustainability. This year, it is striking that a large number of companies focus on preventing waste by purchasing whole animals and using everything literally. To give an example from outside the top 3: wild goose at Restaurant Hotel Merlet in Schoorl. The animal, the wild goose in this case, arrives plucked and is fully processed: zero-waste. But at the same time, this helps to protect and keep the craft alive. Because the staff have to process the entire animal, all conceivable techniques come to the fore. Not only for the chefs, but also for the service, this is a very nice deepening of the profession because they have to explain the story to the guest at the table. Thus, sustainability also ensures craftsmanship and a very nice learning environment.
Of the companies that ended outside the top 3, two literally missed out by a few points, and it was about minimal details: Restaurant Hotel Merlet Schoorl and Hotel & Wellness Zuiver in Amsterdam. The top 10 further consists of:
- De Troubadour in Hardenberg
- Groot Speijck in Oisterwijk
- Hotel & Wellness Zuiver in Amsterdam
- Huize Kwast in Leeuwarden
- Restaurant Hotel Merlet in Schoorl
- The College Hotel in Amsterdam
- Van der Valk Hotel Den Haag – Wassenaar in Wassenaar
Best Hospitality Mentor
The role of a good mentor is also highlighted again this year: they have a chance to win the title of Best Hospitality Mentor 2025/2026. The mentors came into the picture during the visits of the professional jury to the training companies in the Top 10. This prize is intended for the mentor who stands out with their own qualities.
The top 3 Best Hospitality Mentor will be announced next week.
Final
The training companies in the Top 3 will be visited and assessed by the full competition committee on Wednesday, 10 December. Then the results will be eagerly awaited. The winning training company and the winning mentor will be announced during the final at Horecava 2026.
Why this competition
"The competition is there to continue working with training companies on the very best practical training for new hospitality employees and to encourage training companies to keep improving themselves. Good mentors and training companies are of indispensable value in training a new generation. That is why SVH organises this competition on behalf of the industry. The competition contributes to the quality improvement of training in hospitality and provides insight into the most important developments within training companies. This is good for the individual training companies and the sector as a whole. In the battle for the title, aspects such as: does a training company devote enough time and attention to students and offer a safe learning environment, with a sufficient balance between work and learning?" according to Eshuis.
More than 50 participants
The Best Hospitality Training Company competition is held annually and started in early September with the nomination and assignment round. Mentors, students, pupils, teachers, and staff from the hospitality sector could nominate their favourite training companies for the coveted title during this round. Nominated training companies then completed assignments to show why they deserve the title. Around fifty training companies were nominated for this competition this year.
Previous winners Best Hospitality Training Company
- 2024/2025: NH Noordwijk Conference Centre Leeuwenhorst in Noordwijkerhout
- 2023/2024: Het Noorden van Aalten in Aalten
- 2022/2023: De Werf in Veere
- 2019/2020: 't Havenmantsje in Harlingen
- 2018/2019: Van der Valk Hotel Sassenheim-Leiden
- 2017/2018: Het Hooihuis in Roosendaal
- 2016: DoubleTree by Hilton Amsterdam Centraal Station
- 2015: Vroeg in Bunnik
- 2014: Stempels Haarlem
- 2013: Hotel Greenside Texel
- 2012: McDonald’s Nederweert
- 2011: Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel
- 2010: Golden Tulip Tjaarda Oranjewoud
- 2009: Conferentiehotel Willibrordhaeghe in Deurne
- 2008: Restaurant Smits Koffiehuis in Amsterdam
- 2007: Landgoed De Wilmersberg in De Lutte
Previous winners Best Hospitality Mentor
- 2024/2025: Jeroen Oosterveen, Ron Gastrobar, Amsterdam
- Mitchell Hendriks, Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin, Noordwijk
- 2023/2024: Christiaan Veldman of Grand Hotel De Draak in Bergen op Zoom
- 2022/2023: Mark Benneker of 't Kruisselt in De Lutte
- 2019/2020: Nita Huning-Koster of Het Noorden van Aalten