Even non-foodies know about the Michelin star system. But did you know there are now Michelin keys? In September, the awards list was made public, celebrating the very highest caliber of hospitality in hotels across the nation.
The list was four years in the making and put together by an extensive list of experts. Like the restaurant awards, the hotel awards are issued from one to three keys, three being the most impressive. Hotels were gauged based on a number of factors, from interior design and service quality to personality and value for the price. Plainly put: These are the hosts with the most, touting amenities and locations worth salivating over.
How hotels make the list
Which esteemed lodging options earned a key? All in all, 16 U.S. hotels garnered three keys, 70 received two keys, and 207 took home one key. The list is an impressive one, and it’s must-read material for any traveling bucket-lister out there. Hotels of all kinds were considered, like new resorts in rural Montana, iconic hotels in the Carolinas, and luxe inns in California coastal towns.
Michelin has been analyzing hotels since the 1920s but this marks the most comprehensive look at stays across the globe. Some seven countries have been painstakingly pored over, including Japan, France, and Mexico, with likely more to come in the future. As the organization said, “The same way the Michelin star recognizes restaurants for outstanding cooking, the Michelin key recognizes hotels for outstanding stays.”
Three key winners
An impressive seven California hotels earned three-key ratings, while New York brought home four. A few new hotels earned the highest rating, including Sage Lodge, one of our favorite options near Yellowstone National Park. The Canyon Ranch in Tucson earned three keys, perhaps not surprising given the stunning location in one of America’s best food towns. The Big Island of Hawaii produced a winner, too, in the Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort.
Blending handsome architecture with the kind of service that anticipates your every need, these hotels can make a vacation legendary. Some melt into their stunning surroundings while others offer world-class tastes of the big cities they are set in.
Two key winners
One of the most remote hotels in America earned two keys. Alaska’s Stillpoint Lodge is one, located in Halibut Cove overlooking stunning waterways and vast wilderness where grizzlies and other rugged creatures play. Four Seasons made a strong showing throughout the list and had several properties earning keys, unsurprising given the pedigree of the brand. Among them, Four Seasons Embarcadero in downtown San Francisco, an esteemed urban retreat set in the marine layer of the Bay Area’s eye-catching skyline.
Blackberry Farm in Tennessee was also awarded two keys. The bucolic inn and working farm on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains has been impressing for years with its combination of local cuisine and unrivaled hospitality (including some great house-made beer). The stately Langham in Boston and wildly lush Mayfair House Hotel in Miami attracted similar ratings.
One key winners
Four Seasons Napa Valley took home a key thanks to its iconic wine country setting and some of the sleekest interior design and private residences imaginable. In Colorado, Four Seasons also earned a key each for its lodging options in Denver and Vail.
One key recipients also included the likes of The Lodge at St. Edward Park, a gorgeous structure just outside of Seattle home to one of the best Pacific Northwest restaurants.
“It is such an honor to see our team’s work recognized by The Michelin guide in their inaugural list of United States Michelin key hotels,” said Corey Roettgers, the general manager at The Lodge at St. Edward Park. “The designation of a Michelin key shines light on the exceptional hospitality, luxury amenities, thoughtful programming, and truly unique sense-of-place we’ve proudly developed within this beautifully restored historic landmark building here at The Lodge at St. Edward Park.”
Another standout option, The Atticus Hotel, earned a key, too. The McMinnville hotel boasts 36 distinctive rooms a short walk from historic Third Street, in the heart of Willamette Valley wine country.
For the record, key-earning hotels do not have to have a Michelin star restaurant on the premises. Some do, it’s not a requirement. However, when you’re judging a place based on architecture, guest assistance, and overall experience, it’s hard not to consider such a thing, especially with so many hotels now embracing elevated food and beverage programs. To borrow the verbiage of Michelin, a one-star hotel produces a “very special stay,” a two-star outfit “an exceptional stay,” and a three-star establishment “an extraordinary stay.”
Hotels on the list were pulled from the Michelin guide, which accounts for more than 5,000 hotels all over the globe. Which ones have you been to? Is there a suite you’ve always wanted to stay in?
You can see the entire Michelin key list here. This list will be fun to follow, as we all know Michelin star retention is a laborious process. If you haven’t started planning your next vacation, perhaps it’s time.
