For nearly a century, fine diners have been chasing Michelin stars to experience the upper echelon of restaurants around the world. Now savvy travelers can use the brand’s exacting standards to discover extraordinary stays, following the unveiling of the first set of global Michelin Key hotels at a ceremony in Paris on October 8.
While Michelin’s new key designation rolled out to 15 eligible countries last year, 2025 marks a much bigger selection of properties worldwide. This inaugural global list spans 2,457 hotels in 26 countries, including new entries in Brazil, India, Ireland, Kenya, Laos, Monaco, Morocco, Peru, Sri Lanka, Türkiye, and Vietnam.
Out of all the recipients, 143 properties received the highest possible rating of three keys, indicating an “extraordinary” stay that’s the “ultimate in comfort and service, style, and elegance,” the France-based company said in its announcement, adding that these hotels are “all about astonishment and indulgence.”
The three-key properties represent a variety of accommodations, all rooted in authenticity and uniqueness of experience: adult-only villas with private pools in the Costa Rican rainforest; a centuries-old Japanese ryokan nestled among bamboo trees; a 795-room mega-resort housed in a maze of interlocking blocks in Dubai; and an eight-room lodge on a private South African reserve, just to name a few.
125 years in the making
The origins of the Michelin guide are rooted in the hospitality industry. In 1900, French brothers Andre and Edouard Michelin, founders of the eponymous tire company, created a small red guidebook with recommendations for hotels and restaurants as a way to inspire motorists to drive more. As cultural interests evolved and enthusiasm for culinary travel grew, Michelin eventually shifted its primary focus to food. However, the brand has been orchestrating a return to the hotel sector since 2010.
“The momentum is just perfect now,” Gwendal Poullennec, international director of Michelin Guides, told Afar. “In the last three years, not much more, there has been a real acceleration of authentic hospitality projects with a real identity. The idea is not just to offer a room, but to craft an experience with curated decorations with a sense of the place.”
In a process similar to the one followed by Michelin restaurant reviewers, anonymous hotel inspectors use five universal criteria to critique properties: architecture and design, connection to local life, welcoming service, value for the money, and authenticity, Poullennec explained.
Michelin’s famously rigorous inspection system also offers travelers a more reliable source of hotel recommendations in an age of sometimes questionable user-generated ratings and social media posts. “Just like the stars have long guided people to the best dining experiences, the keys have the potential to become a familiar, credible go-to mark of quality for travelers,” Hotels Above Par founder Brandon Berkson said.
AFAR Travel Advisory Council member Cari Gray, CEO and founder of active luxury travel company Gray & Co., agrees that the reputation Michelin has established in the culinary world with its star-rated system could “quickly” translate to the hotel sector as the keys become more well known.
In addition, there may be more opportunities for hotels eager to earn a key of their own. That’s because while Michelin stars can only be awarded to restaurants in selected cities that the inspectors deem as having a worthy culinary scene, hotels can be selected for keys, regardless of where they are located.
At the same time, Gray also cautions that some confusion could arise for travelers upon seeing a Michelin placard on a hotel and assuming its restaurant also has a star—a scenario she personally experienced in Reykjavík. That said, Gray believes the hotel keys represent a lucrative and savvy brand extension for Michelin (whose website and apps also allow bookings for its key hotels) provided that its standards remain high.
Time will tell if the hotel keys achieve the status of their culinary predecessors. But Michelin is confident in its strategy.
“There is a lot of information on hotels out there and the algorithm won’t always provide the right answer,” Poullennec said. “What will always be important is the on-the-ground approach by professional inspectors because that step of approval is the basis of trust.”
Here’s more about the world’s three-key Michelin hotels for 2025 as inspiration for your next trip.
The Al Mamoun Suite at La Mamounia features a details wood beam ceiling, a candle chandelier, and green walls with tile details.
Courtesy of La Mamounia
Michelin Key hotels in Africa
The continent’s inaugural selection includes six three-key stays in four countries, including a celebrity-favorite Moroccan art deco palatial wonderland and two eight-room lodges that feature animal experiences and butler service.
Among them are Giraffe Manor, a 12-room boutique property in a 1932 family home outside Nairobi where the namesake animals are known to poke their heads in during mealtime, and Royal Malewane, a lodge on a private reserve within Kruger National Park with safari excursions accompanied by master trackers. In Marrakech, La Mamounia, which debuted a makeover on its 100th birthday in 2023, lures guests with design features like colorful mosaics and water fountains galore.
Asaba Ryokan in Izu, Japan, is a 530-year-old traditional inn.
Courtesy of Asaba
Michelin Key hotels in Asia
Japan and Thailand were part of the limited key rollout last year, and they now top Asia’s list of three-keys, with seven properties in Japan and six in Thailand. Putting an emphasis on cultural connections, Asaba Ryokan in Izu, Japan, got upgraded from two keys in 2024, with inspectors calling the 530-year-old traditional inn “all cute and devilishly authentic.” Meanwhile, Thailand’s Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, whose interiors feature sleek teak floors and Siamese artwork, is surrounded by rice paddies where guests can join workers.
Hotels in new countries represented this year include Raffles Singapore, a legendary mainstay since 1887; the Maldives’ Cheval Blanc Randheli Private Island with thatched-roof overwater bungalows and a spa island; and Rosewood Luang Prabang in Loas, where the amenities include a monk-in-residence.
Here’s the full list of Asia’s three-Michelin-star hotels.
The Woodward, Auberge Collection on Lake Geneva has three keys, and its restaurant L’Atelier Robuchon has two Michelin stars.
Courtesy of The Woodward, Auberge Collection
Michelin Key hotels in Europe
Michelin inspectors have been busy in Europe, with eight of last year’s 15 countries on the continent, while Croatia, Ireland, and Monaco were added to the 2025 list. The company’s home base of France leads with 23 three-key properties, including Parisian château Saint James Paris, which is encircled by lush gardens, and Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle, located on the grounds of Versailles.
The grandeur continues in Monaco with Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, a favorite of late actress Grace Kelly’s, which unveiled a $280 million renovation in 2019, and in Austria’s Hotel Sacher Wien, synonymous with the nation’s favorite sweet treat, Sacher torte. Other standouts include the all-suite The Woodward, Auberge Collection in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Scottish Highlands manor of Gleneagles Hotel, where falconry is a way of life.
Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort, in Hawai’i, was redesigned in 2023 to have 150 hales (rooms) along the beach and a lagoon.
Courtesy of Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort
Michelin Key hotels in North America
All three North American countries are returning for their second keys, capturing the diversity of offerings across the continent. Urban luxury comes with a playful twist at New York City’s The Whitby Hotel, while family-friendly Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort is a Big Island haven with accommodations that sleep up to 12, and Canyon Ranch Tucson’s all-inclusive wellness offerings have set the bar since the 70s. Meanwhile, Mexico’s One&Only Mandarina offers a reprieve about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta, while Newfoundland, Canada’s Fogo Island Inn melds stunning design with the dreamiest of remote settings.
Michelin Key hotels elsewhere (South America, Australia, Caribbean, Central America)
This year features five three-key properties in South America, two in Oceania, and one each in Central America and the Caribbean. (Some French islands are categorized under Europe.)
Among the international highlights are Chile’s Awasi Patagonia, with a dozen villas on the doorstep of Torres del Paine National Park, and Australia’s Lizard Island Resort in Cairns, the only property on the island flanked by coral reefs and white-sand beaches.
