All You Need to Know About the MICHELIN Key

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Travel

 01 August 2026

The MICHELIN Star recognizes the most outstanding restaurants in the world, the MICHELIN Key does the same for outstanding hotels. Here’s everything you need to know about the distinction.

[MICHELIN Keys](https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/tags/MICHELIN%20Keys) [Hotels](https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/tags/Hotels) [Travel](https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/tags/Travel)

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In the 1920s, the MICHELIN Guide made its first hotel recommendations — and hotels have been part of our guides in Europe and Asia ever since. But just six years ago, we began a comprehensive refresh of our hotel selection, with a mission to provide a complete travel resource.

Explore the Guide on our website or mobile app and you'll find a definitive, ever-evolving list of the world's most memorable restaurants and hotels, all in one place, all accompanied by tips and analysis from our Inspectors.

Ready and available now, the MICHELIN Guide selection recommends over 9,000 hotels across the world.

[Discover and book the MICHELIN Guide hotel selection →](https://guide.michelin.com/en/hotels)

After selecting thousands of hotels worldwide, it is our privilege to specially highlight the _crème de la crème_ of our selection. All MICHELIN Guide hotels excel in design, architecture, service and personality — the MICHELIN Key denotes the most outstanding experiences in our selection.

All hotels in the MICHELIN Guide Selection are eligible for the Key distinction. [The MICHELIN Keys for 2026 will be unveiled on September 18](https://guide.michelin.com/en/article/travel/michelin-key-hotels-global-reveal-2025), covering spectacular hotels around the world. While you wait for the big announcement, why not explore [all the current MICHELIN-Key hotels](https://guide.michelin.com/en/article/travel/all-the-key-hotels-in-the-world-michelin-guide).


Yes. The same way the MICHELIN Star recognizes restaurants for outstanding cooking, the MICHELIN Key recognizes hotels for outstanding stays.