What Are Michelin Keys and How Are Hotels Rated? - AFAR

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By [Sophie Friedman](https://www.afar.com/authors/sophie-friedman)

The company that rates the world’s best restaurants with coveted Michelin stars recently launched Michelin key ratings for hotels. Here’s how Michelin reviews and rates the top hotels in the world.

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Ultra-luxe outdoor resort Amangiri in Canyon Point, Utah, is among the highly esteemed hotels with three Michelin keys.

When brothers Édouard and André Michelin launched [the first Michelin Guide](https://guide.michelin.com/kr/en/article/features/history-michelin-guide) 125 years ago, the pair knew nothing about restaurants; The guides, which they initially gave away for free, were a marketing ploy; the Michelin brothers were tire manufacturers trying to entice more people to hit the road in France and thus buy their tires.

In 1926, Michelin Guide started awarding one star to fine dining restaurants, and as the 20th century rolled on, the guidebooks aimed at novice motorists evolved into tomes of high-profile reviews and ratings doled out by a group of undercover taste testers.

Today, Michelin stars are for many chefs among the most coveted badges of approval (though for some, the pressure to earn the star year after year is “extreme,” as [reported by the _Guardian_ in April 2025](https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/apr/21/are-michelin-stars-a-blessing-or-a-curse-restaurants)).

Nearly a century after awarding its first restaurant stars, Michelin last year began a new hotel-rating system, the [Michelin Keys](https://www.afar.com/magazine/michelin-unveils-new-hotel-ratings-michelin-keys)—the hotel equivalent of Michelin stars. And just like the brand’s sought-after stars, its hotel ratings are the result of the same rigorous scrutiny given to restaurants.


A tent at the two-Michelin-key JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge in Kenya

Michelin keys are the hotel equivalent of the brand’s famed Michelin stars. A restaurant in a Michelin Guide can have a rating of recommended (which means it’s included in the guide but with no symbol), Bib Gourmand (meaning it offers well-executed, good-value dishes), and one, two, or three stars. Note that [decor has no impact on whether a restaurant gets a Michelin star](https://guide.michelin.com/en/article/features/what-is-a-michelin-star).