by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 10:10 AM ET, Thu October 9, 2025
One hundred twenty-five years after the creation of the MICHELIN Guide, the prestigious organization, which ranks the best restaurants in the world by one to three stars, is launching the Global MICHELIN Keys Selection, a new guide recognizing the world’s best hotels and resorts.
MICHELIN Guide Inspectors surveyed over 7,000 hotels to choose the 2,457 hotels currently listed in the Global MICHELIN Keys Selection. Ranked by one to three Keys, like stars, these properties represent the best of the best. Inspectors investigate the hotels using five criteria.
A One MICHELIN Key property denotes a very special stay, offering something different and unique, or holding high standards among its class. Service is always excellent.
A Two MICHELIN Key hotel offers an exceptional stay, where guests have the experience of a lifetime. Character, charm, pride and care are put into every part of the hotel, with incredible design or architecture showcasing local influence or culture.
Lastly, the prestigious Three MICHELIN Key properties provide an extraordinary stay, with the ultimate in comfort, service and hospitality.
"125 years after its creation as a guide for discerning travelers, The MICHELIN Guide is once again redefining excellence — this time in the world of hospitality,” said Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of The MICHELIN Guide. “Just as MICHELIN Stars celebrate the world’s most exceptional restaurants, MICHELIN Keys now honor hotels that offer truly remarkable stays, where design, service, and location come together to create unforgettable moments. With the introduction of the MICHELIN Keys, the Guide establishes a new, global, and independent benchmark for outstanding hotel experiences.”
In Europe, MICHELIN Key properties include De L’Europe Amsterdam, a Three-Key hotel and Villa Nai 3.3 in Croatia, a Three-Key boutique hotel on an olive estate.
Some of the MICHELIN Key properties in Central America and the Caribbean include Nayara Springs in Costa Rica, a three-MICHELIN-Key hotel near Arenal Volcano National Park, Golden Rock Inn in Charlestown, St. Kitts and Nevis, a Two-MICHELIN-Key property.
In South America, the recognized hotels include Tierra Patagonia Hotel & Spa in Chile, a Three-MICHELIN-Key property; Hotel das Cataratas, A Belmond Hotel in Brazil, a Three-Key property; and Explora Rapa Nui, a One-Key adventure hotel on Easter Island.
In Africa, MICHELIN-Key properties include Three-Key hotels Kasbah Tamadot in Morocco, Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa and Two-Key Shipwreck Lodge on Namibia’s Skeleton Coast.
MICHELIN-Key properties in Asia include Three-Key 500-year-old Asaba Ryokan in Izu City, Japan, One-Key The Kumaon, an Indian mountain retreat, and Two-Star Capella Shanghai, Jian Ye Li, which boasts historic shikumen architecture.
MICHELIN-Key properties in the Oceania region include Three-Key eco-resort The Brando in French Polynesia, historic Two-Key hotel Thorngrove Manor in Australia and One-Key homestead and historic vineyard in New Zealand, Stoneridge Estate.
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