For nearly a century, fine dining restaurants have chased Michelin stars to experience the upper echelons of restaurants around the world. Savvy travelers can now take advantage of the brand’s exacting standards to find an extraordinary stay, following the unveiling of the first set of global Michelin-starred hotels at a ceremony in Paris on October 8th.
Michelin’s new flagship designation was rolled out to 15 eligible countries last year, and in 2025 there will be even more accommodation options around the world. This inaugural global list includes 2,457 hotels in 26 countries, including new entries in Brazil, India, Ireland, Kenya, Laos, Monaco, Morocco, Peru, Sri Lanka, Turkiye and Vietnam.
The France-based company said in an announcement that 143 of its properties out of all winners received the three highest ratings, demonstrating an “extraordinary” stay that is “the ultimate in comfort, service, style and elegance”, adding that the hotels are “all about surprise and luxury”.
The three main properties represent a variety of accommodations rooted in the authenticity and uniqueness of the experience. Adults-only villa with private pool in the Costa Rican rainforest. A centuries-old Japanese inn surrounded by a bamboo forest. A huge 795-room resort set in a maze-like block in Dubai. An eight-room lodge on a private reserve in South Africa, just to name a few.
125 years of history
The origins of the Michelin Guide are rooted in the hospitality industry. In 1900, French brothers Andre and Edouard Michelin, founders of the tire company of the same name, created a little red guidebook with recommended hotels and restaurants as a way to encourage motorists to drive more. As cultural interest grew and enthusiasm for gastronomic travel grew, Michelin eventually shifted its main focus to food. However, the brand has been plotting a return to the hotel sector since 2010.
“The momentum is perfect right now,” Michelin Guide international director Gwendal Poulennec told Afar. “In the last three years, we’ve really seen an acceleration of real hospitality projects with a real identity. The idea is not just to provide a room, but to create an experience with a curated décor that gives you a sense of the place.”
In a process similar to that followed by Michelin restaurant critics, anonymous hotel inspectors critique properties using five universal criteria: architecture and design, connection to local life, welcoming service, value for money, and authenticity, Poulenec explained.
Michelin’s famously rigorous inspection system provides travelers with a more reliable source of hotel recommendations in an era when user reviews and social media posts are questionable. “Just as stars have long led people to the best dining experiences, keys have the potential to become familiar and trusted markers of quality for travelers,” said Brandon Berkson, founder of Hotels Above Par.
Kari Gray, a member of the AFAR Travel Advisory Board and CEO and founder of active luxury travel company Gray & Company, agrees that the reputation that Michelin has established in the culinary world with its star rating system could spill over into the hotel sector “soon” as the keys become better known.
Additionally, there may be more opportunities for hotels looking to acquire their own keys. That’s because Michelin stars are only awarded to restaurants in select cities that inspectors deem to have a worthy culinary scene, whereas hotels can be keyed in regardless of their location.
At the same time, Gray warns that it can be confusing for travelers to see a Michelin placard at a hotel and think that the restaurant also has a star. This is a scenario she personally experienced in Reykjavik. That said, Gray believes Hotel Keys represents a useful and smart brand extension for Michelin (whose main hotels are also available for booking on their website and app), provided standards remain high.
Only time will tell whether Hotel Keys can attain the status of its culinary predecessors. But Michelin remains confident in its strategy.
“There’s a lot of information out there about hotels, but algorithms don’t always give you the right answer,” Poulenec says. “What is always important is an on-site approach by a professional inspector, as the approval step is the basis of trust.”
For inspiration for your next trip, here’s a closer look at three of the world’s leading Michelin hotels for 2025.
michelin key hotels in africa
The continent’s first selection includes six three-core stays in four countries, including a celebrity-favorite Art Deco palatial wonderland in Morocco and two eight-room lodges featuring animal experiences and butler service.
These include Giraffe Manor, a 12-room boutique property housed in a 1932 family mansion outside Nairobi, where the namesake animal is known to poke its head in while you eat, and Royal Merwane, a lodge in a private reserve in the Kruger National Park with safari tours accompanied by master trackers. La Mamounia in Marrakech will undergo its first renovation in time for its 100th anniversary in 2023, captivating guests with design features such as colorful mosaics and an abundance of fountains.
Major Michelin Hotels in Asia
Japan and Thailand participated in limited key deployments last year and now sit at the top of Asia’s Three Keys list, with seven in Japan and six in Thailand. With a focus on cultural connections, Asaba Ryokan in Izu City, Japan, will be upgraded from Two Keys in 2024, with inspectors calling the 530-year-old traditional inn “everything cute and devilishly authentic.” Meanwhile, the Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai in Thailand features smooth teak floors and Siamese artwork in its rooms, and is surrounded by rice fields where guests can mingle with the workers.
New country hotels joining this year include Raffles Singapore, a legendary mainstay since 1887. Cheval Blanc Randheli Private Island in the Maldives features thatched-roof overwater bungalows and a spa island. Rosewood Luang Prabang in Loas features a monk’s residence.
Here is the complete list of 3 star Michelin hotels in Asia:
Major Michelin hotels in Europe
Michelin inspectors have been busy in Europe, with eight of the continent’s 15 countries added to the 2025 list last year, including Croatia, Ireland and Monaco. The company’s home base in France includes 23 major properties, including Château Saint-James Paris, surrounded by lush gardens, and Airel Château de Versailles, Le Grand Control, on the grounds of Versailles.
This grandeur continues in Monaco at the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, a favorite of the late actress Grace Kelly, which announced a $280 million renovation in 2019, and at Austria’s Hotel Sacher Wien, synonymous with the nation’s favorite sweet, the Sachertorte. Other standout hotels include The Woodward Auberge Collection, an all-suite hotel in Geneva, Switzerland, and Gleneagles Hotel, a mansion in the Scottish Highlands where falconry is a way of life.
Michelin Key Hotels in North America
All three North American countries are returning for a second key, capturing the diversity of services across the continent. The Whitby Hotel in New York City offers a playful twist on urban luxury. A family-friendly Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort is a Big Island haven with accommodations for up to 12 guests. Canyon Ranch Tucson’s all-inclusive wellness services also set a standard since the ’70s. Meanwhile, Mexico’s One&Only Mandarina, about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta, offers a haven of peace. Meanwhile, the Fogo Island Inn in Newfoundland, Canada, combines stunning design with a dreamy, secluded setting.
Michelin and other major hotels (South America, Australia, Caribbean, Central America)
This year, three major properties will feature: five in South America, two in Oceania, and one each in Central America and the Caribbean. (Some islands in France are classified as Europe.)
Among the international highlights are Chile’s Awasi Patagonia, which has more than a dozen villas just steps from Torres del Paine National Park, and Australia’s Lizard Island Resort in Cairns, the only property on an island surrounded by coral reefs and white-sand beaches.
