The Entree Awards 2026 have placed 55 hospitality businesses and young entrepreneurs on the nomination list. For the leisure sector, the five new hotels are particularly interesting. At the same time, the jury observes a broader trend in the hospitality industry: entrepreneurs are focusing more sharply on figures, seeking collaboration more frequently, and combining creative concepts more explicitly with a sound revenue model.
Five hotel concepts nominated
In the Best New Hotel category, five companies have been nominated:
- Conscious Hotel in Utrecht,
- Elements Terschelling in Formerum,
- Steenenburg Castle in Nieuwkuijk,
- Man with Glasses Coffee Hotel in Rotterdam and
- Metzlr House in Haarlem.
The hotel category is particularly relevant for Pretwerk because the jury looks not only at design and guest experience, but also at food & beverage, service, and entrepreneurship. As such, the selection reflects various elements that are becoming increasingly intertwined within leisure businesses: accommodation, hospitality, concept development, and operations.
More attention to financial health
In total, it concerns 45 new restaurants, hotels, and cocktail bars, supplemented by five family businesses and five young hospitality entrepreneurs. The nominations are divided across eleven categories.
According to jury chair and Entree editor-in-chief Iris Kranenburg, what stands out most this year is that entrepreneurs are looking more consciously at the financial side of their concepts.
Financial insight plays an increasingly important role.
Iris Kranenburg, jury chair and editor-in-chief of Entree
According to Kranenburg, there is a sharper focus on figures, and more thought is given to the financial health of a business right from the start. The jury also observes more collaborations in which entrepreneurs share knowledge, networks, and risk.
This is a development that is also recognizable outside the traditional hospitality industry. Recreational businesses are increasingly combining multiple revenue streams, while higher personnel, purchasing, and accommodation costs demand sharper choices regarding concept and operation.
Restaurants as inspiration for foodservice
The majority of the nominations consist of restaurant and bar concepts. For leisure businesses, these are particularly interesting as a source of inspiration for their own foodservice. The categories range from large restaurants and cocktail bars to smaller restaurant-bars in large and medium-sized cities and local hospitality businesses.
With this, the list offers a snapshot of concepts that, according to the expert jury, stand out due to the combination of food & beverage, design, atmosphere, service, and entrepreneurship. This combination is particularly relevant for holiday parks, attractions, campsites, and other leisure businesses that are increasingly treating their hospitality as an independent component of the guest experience and revenue mix.
Presentation on November 30
The expert jury consists of 22 specialists from hospitality, entrepreneurship, and concept development. They will visit the nominees in the coming period. The winners will be announced on November 30, 2026, at Theater Amsterdam. The Entree Awards are being organized for the nineteenth time this year.
More information
Source: Entree Magazine, press information Entree Awards 2026. The full list of nominees can be found at entreemagazine.nl . Image: Entree Magazine.