Famed Michelin Guide will now start rating HOTELS with key emblems as it expands beyond restaurants

The famous Michelin Guide will now start rating HOTELS with key emblems as it expands beyond restaurants

  • Michelin will soon award keys to commendable hotels around the world
  • The news was revealed on Thursday, October 5 at an event in Paris
  • The service will launch in 2024, officials said in a news release

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The Michelin Guide is expanding from recommending prestigious restaurants to now also identifying ‘Michelin Key’ hotels worthy of patronage.

In a press release Thursday, Michelin Guide officials announced the new system for recognizing incredible hotels around the world, which will launch in 2024.

“The MICHELIN Key is a clear, reliable indication for travelers,” said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide.

It is unknown if the system will follow a similar rating of one, two or three. For restaurants, one star equals a ‘very good restaurant’, while three equals ‘exceptional’.

“Just as the MICHELIN Star recognizes restaurants at the pinnacle of their field, the MICHELIN Key recognizes the most exceptional hotels in the world,” Poullennec said.

The keys will be based on five criteria: local character, individuality, excellence in architecture and design, top service and comfort, and consistent value for money.

The Michelin Guide expands from recommending prestigious restaurants to now identifying 'Michelin Key' hotels worthy of protection

The Michelin Guide expands from recommending prestigious restaurants to now identifying ‘Michelin Key’ hotels worthy of protection

It is unknown if the system will follow a similar rating of one, two or three.  For restaurants, one star equals a 'very good restaurant', while three equals 'exceptional'

It is unknown if the system will follow a similar rating of one, two or three.  For restaurants, one star equals a 'very good restaurant', while three equals 'exceptional'

It is unknown if the system will follow a similar rating of one, two or three. For restaurants, one star equals a ‘very good restaurant’, while three equals ‘exceptional’

According to an Instagram story posted Thursday morning, the Michelin Key stands for “opening doors to great experiences.”

In a statement, Poullennec added that the Michelin Key “also recognizes the teamwork of dedicated enthusiastic hospitality professionals.”

By comparison, the Michelin star stands for ‘gastronomic excellence for gourmets around the world’.

The first round of Michelin Key hotels will be announced in 2024 from a pre-selected list of approximately 5,300 hotels already included in the Michelin Guide.

The 5,300 hotels in question cover 120 countries around the world.

The Michelin Keys are awarded by a panel of Michelin judges who stay anonymously in the hotels before the first list is published.

In addition, Poullennec said Michelin’s staff judges will pay their bills.

He said this is to ensure there is no “commercial bias.”

Regardless of which hotels receive the keys first, all hotels can be booked on the Michelin Guide website, which provides travelers with unforgettable accommodation.

“In an industry saturated with questionably reliable recommendations, the Michelin Guide offers its expertise to travelers to guide them to only the very best experiences,” the Michelin Guide said in a press release.

Famed Michelin Guide will now start rating HOTELS with key

Famed Michelin Guide will now start rating HOTELS with key

According to an Instagram story posted Thursday morning, the Michelin Key stands for “opening doors to great experiences”

By comparison, the Michelin star stands for 'gastronomic excellence for gourmets around the world'

By comparison, the Michelin star stands for 'gastronomic excellence for gourmets around the world'

By comparison, the Michelin star stands for ‘gastronomic excellence for gourmets around the world’

“The MICHELIN Key is a clear, reliable indicator for travelers,” says Gwendal Poullennec (pictured), international director of the Michelin Guide

“The MICHELIN Key is a clear, reliable indicator for travelers,” says Gwendal Poullennec (pictured), international director of the Michelin Guide

“The MICHELIN Key is a clear, reliable indicator for travelers,” says Gwendal Poullennec (pictured), international director of the Michelin Guide

The Michelin Key list, like the Michelin star system, is updated annually.

“The MICHELIN Guide teams are currently in the field and will unveil the first MICHELIN Key selection in the first half of 2024,” officials wrote.

Travelers who want to take advantage of the Michelin Guide can do so here.

The website and mobile app recommends hotels and accommodations based on city or region, dates and other criteria chosen by the searcher.