by In 1900, a French tire company published a restaurant guide to encourage motorists to hit the road and buy more of their product – genius content marketing in a way ahead of its time. He started adding “Stars” to the 1930s and we know the rest of the story: a new reference for fine dining was established. Today, Michelin hopes to write a new chapter with Keys, a three-tier designation system just like the Stars, but for hotels, which is expected to be the same reference point for accommodation.
This is not entirely new ground for Michelin. The Guide has always included accommodation recommendations and already lists 5,000 hotels worldwide. As with the Cooking Stars, the Keys are awarded following visits from anonymous judges, whose identities are protected by confidentiality to avoid any special treatment. The inspectors, high-level hotel and restaurant professionals from around the world, work in a committee to select the hotels.
According to Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guide, inspectors look out for hotels that “offer the most outstanding experiences” in several criteria: architecture and interior design, quality and consistency of service, personality and overall character, value of the project . price, and greatly enhance the guest experience in a particular location.
The announcement of the Keys began, nature, with the French market in April 2024, followed shortly by the United States and Spain. Selections for Italy and Japan are due to be announced later this year and additional countries are expected to be added as practice progresses.
The French market has the highest number of Keys awarded to date, with 24 Three Key hotels, representing “extraordinary stays”. French tourism authorities already consider France to be a world destination in luxury travel, hence the creation of the “Palace” distinction in 2010, awarded only to French five-star hotels that meet criteria such as spa and global space. class concierge service.
It’s basically like classifying a hotel as six stars: the ones that make the cut, like Le Bristol, are usually in a different league from other hotels in terms of opulence and they also have price tags, to the tune of € 2,000 per night. or more (breakfast not included!). There are 31 of these properties across the country, 12 of which are in the capital.
Several are identified with Three Keys in this new Michelin classification, including La Réserve, which I rate 9 out of 10, recognized for its modern take on classic luxury. His restaurant, Le Gabriel, was also awarded three Michelin Stars this year. I said at the time: “With exquisite styling by star designer Jacques Garcia, this ultra-luxe Parisian hotel offers a hard-to-beat location in one of the city’s most prestigious areas. There are 14 rooms and 26 rooms, and even the smallest of these are equivalent to a standard Parisian apartment. Butler service is standard, and the Spa offers a range of high-end treatments.”
The hotel is accompanied by a traditional Grandes Dames like Le Bristol, which I scored 9 out of 10. Basically this hotel allows guests to feel like Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast When Lumière, the singing candlestick, announces: “Tie your napkin around your neck, chérie, and we’ll provide the rest.” I said in my review: “The feel is traditional grandeur, from the physical key to each room, to the original 1940s elevator and resident Burmese cat, Fa-Raon. [retired in 2021 and replaced by a kitten called Socrate]who is often found sleeping under the Louis XV chair in the lobby.”
The Four Seasons Hotel George V, located in the “Golden Triangle” of Paris, also gets top billing, along with Le Meurice, the Plaza Athénée and of course the Ritz on Place Vendôme. Each of these establishments also has between one and six Michelin Stars attached to their restaurants.
However, the Palaces and the Three Keys are not like it, perhaps indicating that they serve a slightly different purpose – not least because Michelin aims to have a global reach, rather than a limited one. for the best of France alone. Michelin inspectors chose the 11-room Maison Villeroy for Three Keys, although it is not a “palace”.
Although I understood most of the options on the French list, there were a few omissions that surprised me – Byblos in St Tropez, for example, also a Palace hotel. I stayed recently and thought it was up there with the best of them. The IS telegraphThe reviewer praised its style that pays homage to its St Tropez fishing village origins, excellent service that treats everyone like a movie star and a glamorous beach club.
With the exception of the Mandarin Oriental, each of the Paris palaces receives at least one Key. The Lutetia is found on the Left Bank and the Peninsula near the Arc de Triomphe Two Keys. I’d say they’re a bit as ambitious as their Three-Key counterparts: the Lutetia has a €10,000-a-night suite that houses Francis Ford Coppola’s camera collection, and the Peninsula has a distinctive and in-room caviar tasting menu. nail polish dryers. We’re left to speculate why these two don’t make the top tier, even though Lutetia may not have a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Like the food ratings, there is a certain sense of mystery. Michelin Star appraisers appreciate that the designation is not obscure, but it has also been criticized for its elitism and opacity.
Poullennec offered some other clues about what the inspectors are looking for. According to him, the selected hotels “offer travelers a stay that is guaranteed to reflect the destination and its traditions. Our team also showed that they were willing to pay special attention to the well-being of the guests [via the likes of] ultra-personal bedding, adjustable daytime lighting, personalized in-room amenities etc, as well as a commitment to sustainability.”
The US list, published on April 24, includes 11 Three Key hotels, 33 Two Key hotels, and 80 One Key hotels. It includes legendary addresses such as Los Angeles’ Chateau Marmont (Two Keys), and New York’s Chelsea (One Key) – but also newer design-led addresses: the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn (One Star), Downtown LA Proper Hotel (Two Keys). ) and the five-room SingleThread hotel in California wine country, which now has three Keys to go with its three farm-to-table Michelin Stars; our reviewer awarded it a rare 10 out of 10 for food and drink.
The Spanish selection includes five Three Key hotels, 12 Two Key hotels, and 80 One Key hotels, with a mix of city mansions, such as Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid (Three Keys), island beauties such as Es Princep in Palma de Mallorca ( One Key) and food-based addresses such as Akelarre in San Sebastián, which now has to find space to store its Two Keys next to its Three Stars.
But it’s not just about the bling-bling. The more widely given One Key rating in particular leaves room for different types of properties to refer to. Of the 127 in France, we find some rare options, such as the hip boutique Hôtel des Grands Boulevards from the Experimental Group. I happened to be there last week and the young staff were very happy and happy to be included.
John O’Cellaigh, founder of luxury travel consultancy and content agency Lute, thinks it’s a smart move for Michelin to reposition itself at the cutting edge of travel.
“For Michelin Stars, although our approach to food has evolved significantly in recent years, the perception of what a Michelin star restaurant is is very much in the past,” said he. “I think what’s exciting here is that Michelin has an opportunity to expand our view of what a luxury hotel is. I was particularly interested in the US list because some of the Keys were a lot fairer or more modern than you might expect.”
Another atypical choice on the French list was Loire Valley Lodges, a luxury treehouse with no Wi-Fi, a changing roster of guest chefs and a spa. “I wanted to create a hotel that had never been seen before in France,” said its founder and director, Anne Caroline Frey. Frey said she was “surprised and very proud” that her hotel received One Key and believes properties like hers – where trees replace air conditioning and residents replace phones with walkie-talkies – are included. “which shows that hospitality standards are moving. and developing, as is society”.
On the Spanish list, Petunia, a bohemian-cool boutique hotel set in traditional finca buildings in Ibiza, was awarded One Key; another example of a more relaxed, contemporary property with a wellness focus recognized by Michelin. “It was a great surprise to earn a Michelin Key!”, said general manager Josep Sastre. “This recognition shows the dedication of the team […] and it encourages us to continue to raise our offer.”
“The Keys don’t reward a catalog of services and amenities,” says Poullennec. “They celebrate, with a determined human approach, authentic lived experiences. They aim to be a reliable reference for travelers, as well as a response to ‘hyper-choice’ and the standardization of tourism”.
This may be the tire company’s boldest move since 1900.
