Michelin Guide awards hotel ‘keys’ in the United States
Last year, when World’s 50 Best issued its first global ranking of hotels, only two properties in the U.S. made the cut: the Equinox and Aman New York hotels, both in Manhattan.
Now Michelin has arrived stateside, in its second-ever presentation of “keys” – a new system from the eponymous tire maker that’s doling out one, two or three key emblems, like its restaurant stars but to the world’s worthiest hotels.
Out of more than 1,000 luxury hotels across the country, 11 were awarded three keys. The winners were all in California and New York, from Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur to Single Thread Inn in Healdsburg and the Whitby Hotel in Midtown. Aman New York, echoing its position on World’s 50 Best, was also included; Equinox, meanwhile, received no keys at all.
Importantly, keys were only distributed to hotels in seven primary markets across the U.S. where the Michelin Guide also reviews restaurants: New York City, California, Chicago, Florida, Colorado, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Michelin says next year’s ceremony will expand to include more of the U.S.
One key denotes a “special” stay, two make it “exceptional” and three reflect hotels that are “extraordinary.”
Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, has described the criteria for these awards in highly subjective terms. Recently, he told Bloomberg that these most exceptional properties will be judged based off “the experience” alone. Rather than requiring them to adhere to certain definitions – like having a spa, pool or minimum staff-to-guest ratios – the hotel experience “has to be memorable and singular in a way that will give people a feel for local character,” he explained. At the awards ceremony, he built upon that sentiment. “We’re not a checklist of amenities,” he said.
This is still an improvement over other ranking systems, which rely on already-published articles by outside media or complimentary stays to produce their results; by contrast, Michelin has committed to independently paying for its hotel reviewers to stay at each property. In an interview after the ceremony, Poullennec went further, adding that multiple inspectors stay at each hotel, sometimes multiple times, before assigning keys.
“We have boots on the grounds, inspectors working the field in every country, leaving no stone unturned and also looking for discoveries, new openings, in order to be fully up to date in their recommendation,” Poullennec said in remarks during the key presentation.
It’s not that Michelin is the only designation that consumers can use to parse quality hotels. Walk into many of the keyawarded hotels, and you might see a Forbes’ fivestar plaque – that honor was given to some 80 luxury hotels in the U.S. in 2023, and American travel magazines dole out similar recognitions each year. But Michelin’s reputation spans much of the globe, in a way that the others do not.
“Nothing matters more than the independence of our recommendations,” Poullennec said.
Here is the list of winners divided by market:
THREE KEYS
California: The Beverly Hills Hotel, Dorchester Collection; Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur; SingleThread Inn, Healdsburg; Hotel Bel-Air, Dorchester Collection, Los Angeles; Auberge du Soleil, Auberge Resorts Collection, Rutherford; Meadowood Napa Valley, St. Helena; and Canyon Ranch Woodside, Woodside
New York City: Crosby Street Hotel; The Whitby Hotel; Aman New York; and Casa Cipriani New York
TWO KEYS
California: L’Ermitage Beverly Hills; The Maybourne Beverly Hills; The Peninsula Beverly Hills; Ventana Big Sur, an Alila Resort; Bernardus Lodge & Spa, Carmel Valley; The Stavrand, GuernevilleMontage Healdsburg; The Madrona, Healdsburg; Montage Laguna Beach; Rosewood Miramar Beach, Montecito; Milliken Creek Inn & Spa, Napa; Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco at Embarcadero; The Battery, San Francisco; Cavallo Point Lodge, Sausalito; Pendry West Hollywood; Chateau
Marmont, West Hollywood; and North Block, YountvilleBardessono, Yountville
Chicago: Pendry Chicago; The Langham; and The Peninsula Chicago
Florida: Mayfair House Hotel & Garden, Miami; The Setai Miami Beach; Faena Hotel Miami Beach; and Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club, Miami Beach
New York City: The Fifth Avenue Hotel; The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel; The Mark Hotel; Hotel Barrière Fouquet’s New York; Nine Orchard; and Pendry Manhattan West
Washington, D.C.: Rosewood Washington, D.C., and The Jefferson
ONE KEY
Atlanta: Stonehurst Place Atlanta; The Candler Hotel Atlanta; and Hotel Clermont
California: Four Seasons Resort Napa Valley, Calistoga; Harbor House Inn, Elk; Downtown LA Proper Hotel; Soho Warehouse DTLA, Los Angeles; The Aster, Los Angeles; The Paramour Estate, Los Angeles; The Prospect Hollywood, Los Angeles; Stanly Ranch, Auberge Resorts Collection, Napa; Pendry Newport Beach; Dive Palm Springs; Holiday House Palm Springs; La Serena Villas, Palm Springs; Sparrows Lodge, Palm Springs; Rancho Caymus Inn, Rutherford; 1 Hotel San Francisco; Hotel Drisco, San Francisco; Hotel San Luis Obispo; San Luis Creek Lodge, San Luis Obispo; El Encanto, A Belmond Hotel, Santa Barbara; Casa Del Mar, Santa Monica; Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, Santa Monica; Santa Monica Proper Hotel; Shutters on the Beach, Santa Monica; The Georgian, Santa Monica; The Sea Ranch Lodge, Sea Ranch West; Chamberlain West Hollywood; Hotel 850 SVB, West Hollywood; Palihouse West Hollywood; Soho House Holloway, West Hollywood; Sunset Tower Hotel, West Hollywood; and The Charlie, West Hollywood
Chicago: Chicago Athletic Association; Nobu Hotel Chicago; The Gwen, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Michigan Avenue Chicago; Viceroy Chicago; and Waldorf Astoria Chicago
Colorado: Hotel Jerome, Auberge Resorts Collection, Aspen; The Little Nell, Aspen; Mollie Aspen; Clayton Hotel & Members Club, Denver; Four Seasons Denver; The Crawford Hotel, Denver; Sonnenalp Hotel, Vail; and Four Seasons Vail
Florida: Mandarin Oriental Miami; Mr. C Miami - Coconut Grove; 1 Hotel South Beach, Miami Beach; Esmé Miami Beach; Hotel Greystone - Adults Only, Miami Beach; The Betsy - South Beach, Miami Beach; Ette Hotel, Orlando; Lake Nona Wave Hotel, Orlando; The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes; Palihouse Hyde Park Village, Tampa; and The Tampa Edition
New York City: 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn; Ace Hotel Brooklyn; Wythe Hotel, Brooklyn1 Hotel Central Park; Baccarat Hotel & Residences; Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park; Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad; The Beekman - A Thompson Hotel; The Bowery Hotel; The Greenwich Hotel; The Hotel Chelsea; The Lowell; The Ludlow Hotel; The Mercer; The Peninsula New York; The Wall Street Hotel; and Warren Street Hotel
Washington, D.C.: Eaton DC; Pendry Washington DC - The Wharf; Riggs Washington DC; The Dupont Circle Hotel; and The Hay-Adams Hotel