Understandably keen not to let William Reed Business Media (publishers of the oft polarising ’50 Best’ lists) steal the spotlight, the Michelin Guide has just published its inaugural list of “the most outstanding hotels in France.”
Marking the prestigious culinary guide’s very first foray into luxury accommodations full stop, the list echoes the tried-and-true, three-tier format established via the iconic Michelin stars. Only this time around, the appropriate jargon that the Guide’s inspectors have settled on… is ‘keys.’
For this landmark occasion, Michelin inspectors awarded keys to a total of 189 establishments across France, with around a fifth of these (predictably) concentrated in the City of Light).
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Awarded by inspectors โ in a manner akin to the Michelin restaurant guides โ following an anonymous visit and stay, sans the aid of trade/national tourism organisations, all of the properties included in this list of Michelin key hotels can be divided into three-key (“extraordinary”), two-key (“exceptional”), and one-key (“very special”) stays.
By design, an exhaustive checklist of criteria favoured by Michelin inspectors is never publicly disclosed, though the Guide’s own website states, in no uncertain terms, that the quality of each hotel is judged on the following:
- Architecture and interior design
- Quality and consistency of service
- Overall personality and character
- Value for the price
- A significant contribution to guests’ experiences in a particular setting
Notwithstanding the high number of Parisian hotels conceived in the grand olde Haussmannian style (e.g. La Rรฉserve or Rosewood-backed Hรดtel de Crillon), other notable awardees for 2024 include the Hotel du Palais in Biarritz (two keys); La Maison d’Estournel (one key), the intimate guesthouse abutting the legendary Bordelaise winemaker of the same name; and a host of “small, design-forward boutique” operations that signal the Michelin Guide’s sensitivity to the changing face of luxury travel.
According to representatives of Michelin Guide France, luxury-obsessed travellers can expect keys to be awarded to another 411 hotels across four countries: beginning with the USA and Spain in late April, Italy in May, and (relevantly for Aussies) Japan in July.
Until then, check out the complete list of Michelin key hotels in France below.
Michelin Key Hotels (France)
Three Keys
- Antibes: Hรดtel du Cap-Eden-Roc
- Bordeaux: Les Sources de Caudalie
- Champillon: Le Royal Champagne
- Courchevel: Cheval Blanc Courchevel
- Courchevel: Le K2 Palace
- Gordes: La Bastide de Gordes
- Le Castellet: Hรดtel du Castellet
- Le Puy-Sainte-Rรฉparade: Villa La Coste
- Les Baux-de-Provence: Baumaniรจre
- Megรจve: Four Seasons Megeve
- Monte-Carlo: Hรดtel de Paris Monte-Carlo
- Paris: Villeroy
- Paris: La Rรฉserve Paris
- Paris: Saint James Paris
- Paris: Four Seasons George V
- Paris: Cheval Blanc Paris
- Paris: Ritz Paris
- Paris: Le Bristol Paris
- Paris: Le Meurice
- Paris: Plaza Athรฉnรฉe
- Reims: Domaine Les Crayรจres
- Saint Tropez: La Reserve Ramatuelle
- Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat: Grand Hรดtel du Cap-Ferrat
- Versailles: Airelles Chรขteau de Versailles, Le Grand Contrรดle
Two Keys
- Aix-en-Provence: Chรขteau de la Gaude
- Avignon: La Mirande
- Biarritz: Hรดtel du Palais
- Bommes: Chรขteau Lafaurie-Peyraguey
- Busnes: Le Chรขteau de Beaulieu
- Cassis: Les Roches Blanches
- Cheverny: Les Sources de Cheverny
- Cognac: Chais Monnet
- Courchevel: Aman Le Mรฉlรฉzin
- Courchevel: L’Apogรฉe Courchevel
- Dinard: Castelbrac
- Eugenie les Bains: Les Pres dโEugenie – Michel Guerard
- รze: Chรขteau Eza
- รze: Chรขteau de la Chรจvre d’Or
- Gargas: Coquillade – Provence
- Honfleur: La Ferme Saint-Simรฉon
- Lauris: Domaine de Fontenille
- Le Grand-Lucรฉ: Chรขteau du Grand-Lucรฉ
- Massignac: Domaine des รtangs
- Monte-Carlo: Hรดtel Mรฉtropole Monte-Carlo
- Montpellier: Domaine de Biar
- Nice: Le Negresco
- Paris: Crillon
- Paris: J.K. Place Paris
- Paris: Lutetia
- Paris: Nolinski
- Paris: Bulgari Hรดtel Paris
- Paris: Le Royal Monceau
- Paris: The Peninsula Paris
- Paris: Shangri-La Paris
- Porto-Vecchio: Casadelmar
- Roquebrune-Cap-Martin: The Maybourne Riviera
- Sabran: Chรขteau de Montcaud
- Saint Tropez: Airelles Saint-Tropez Chรขteau de la Messardiรจre
- Saint Tropez: Cheval Blanc St-Tropez
- Saint-Mรฉloir-des-Ondes: Chรขteau Richeux – Les Maisons de Bricourt
- Saint-Paul-de-Vence: Le Domaine du Mas de Pierre
- Val-d’Isรจre: Le K2 Chogori
One Key
Auvergne-Rhรดne-Alpes
- Annecy: Le Clos des Sens
- Bagnols: Chรขteau de Bagnols
- Chamonix-Mont-Blanc: Le Hameau Albert 1er
- Courchevel: Annapurna
- Courchevel: Le K2 Djola
- Evian-les-Bains: Hรดtel Royal Evian
- Grignan: Le Clair de la Plume
- Le Broc: Origines
- Megรจve: Flocons de Sel
- Megรจve: Les Fermes de Marie
- Megรจve: Zannier Hotels Le Chalet
- Mรฉribel: Le Kaรฏla
- Saint-Martin-d’Uriage: Maison Aribert
- Saint-Martin-de-Belleville: La Bouitte
- Talloires: Auberge du Pรจre Bise
- Tignes: Maison Bouvier – Les Suites
- Val Thorens: Altapura
- Valence: Pic
- Vonnas: Georges Blanc
- Lyon: Villa Florentine
- Lyon: Villa Maรฏa
- Val-d’Isรจre: Les Barmes de l’Ours
- La Clusaz: Au Cลur du Village
Bourgogne-Franche-Comtรฉ
- Leugny: La Borde
- Montigny-la-Resle: Chรขteau de la Resle
- Port-Lesney: Chateau De Germigney
- Puligny-Montrachet: COMO Le Montrachet
- Saint-Jean-de-Trรฉzy: Domaine de Rymska
- Saulieu: Le Relais Bernard Loiseau
- Vault-de-Lugny: Chรขteau de Vault-de-Lugny
Brittany
- La Gacilly: La Grรฉe des Landes
- Roscoff: Le Brittany & Spa
- Trรฉbeurden: Manoir de Lan-Kerellec
Centre-Val de Loire
- Blois: Fleur de Loire
- Esvres-sur-Indre: Loire Valley Lodges
- Guainville: Domaine de Primard
- Onzain: Les Hauts de Loire
Corsica
- Corte: Dominique Colonna
- Bonifacio: Version Maquis Citadelle
- Oletta: La Dimora
- Porto-Vecchio: Grand Hotel de Cala Rossa
- Sartรจne: Domaine de Murtoli (L’Hรดtel de la Ferme)
Grand Est
- Colmar: La Maison des Tรชtes
- Illhaeusern: Hรดtel des Berges (Auberge de l’Ill)
- Lembach: L’auberge Du Cheval Blanc et Spa
- Montenach: Le Domaine de la Klauss
- Strasbourg: Les Haras
Haut-de-France
- Chantilly: Auberge du Jeu de Paume
- Courcelles-sur-Vesle: Chรขteau de Courcelles
- Lille: Clarance
- Valenciennes: Royal Hainaut
รle-de-France
- Paris: Brach
- Paris: Chรขteau des Fleurs – Hรดtel & Spa
- Paris: Chรขteau Voltaire
- Paris: Grand Hรดtel du Palais Royal
- Paris: Grand Powers
- Paris: Hรดtel des Grands Boulevards
- Paris: Hรดtel Le Ballu
- Paris: Hรดtel Madame Rรชve
- Paris: Hotel Pulitzer Paris
- Paris: La Fantaisie
- Paris: Le Burgundy
- Paris: Le Grand Mazarin
- Paris: Le Pavillon de la Reine
- Paris: Les Bains
- Paris: Maison Delano Paris
- Paris: Maison Proust, Hotel & Spa La Mer
- Paris: Marquis Faubourg St-Honorรฉ
- Paris: Monsieur George
- Paris: Norman Hรดtel & Spa
- Paris: Providence
- Paris: Relais Christine
- Paris: Soho House Paris
Normandy
- Caen: Chez Laurence du Tilly
- Saint-Jouin-Bruneval: Les Pins de Cรฉsar
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Biarritz: Regina Experimental Biarritz
- Bidart: Les Frรจres Ibarboure
- Bordeaux: InterContinental Grand Hรดtel Bordeaux
- La Rochelle: Villa Grand Voile Christopher Coutanceau
- Magescq: Relais de la Poste
- Pyla-sur-Mer: Ha(a)รฏtza
- Saint-รmilion: Chรขteau du Palanquey
- Saint-รmilion: Logis de la Cadรจne
- Saint-Emilion: Hรดtel de Pavie
- Saint-Estรจphe: La Maison d’Estournel
- Saint-Nexans: La Chartreuse du Bignac
- Saint-Pรฉe-sur-Nivelle: L’Auberge Basque
- Soorts-Hossegor: Les Hortensias du Lac
- Trรฉmolat : Le Vieux Logis
- Brantรดme: Moulin de l’Abbaye
Occitania
- Assignan: Chรขteau & Village Castigno
- Barbotan-les-Thermes: La Bastide en Gascogne
- Castillon-du-Gard: Le Vieux Castillon
- Martignargues: La Maison du Passage
- Mercuรจs: Chรขteau de Mercuรจs
- Montpellier: Domaine de Verchant
- Toulouse: Maison Soclo
- Villeneuve-lรจs-Avignon: Le Prieurรฉ
- Lacave: Chรขteau de la Treyne
- Nรฎmes: Maison Albar Hรดtels LโImperator
- Uzรจs: La Maison d’Uzรจs
Pays de la Loire
- Carquefou: Chรขteau de Maubreuil
- Fontevraud-lโAbbaye: Fontevraud LโHรดtel
- La Plaine-sur-Mer: Anne de Bretagne
Provence-Alpes-Cรดte d’Azur
- Aix-en-Provence: Les Lodges Sainte-Victoire
- Antibes: Belles Rives
- Beaulieu-sur-Mer: La Rรฉserve de Beaulieu
- Bonnieux: Capelongue
- Cadenet: Auberge La Feniรจre
- Chรขteau-Arnoux-Saint-Auban: La Bonne รtape
- Crillon-le-Brave: Crillon le Brave
- Joucas: Le Phรฉbus
- La Croix-Valmer: Chรขteau de Valmer
- Le Puy-Sainte-Rรฉparade: Chรขteau de Fonscolombe
- Les Baux-de-Provence: Domaine de Manville
- Lorgues: Chรขteau de Berne
- Marseille : Le Petit Nice
- Mรฉnerbes: La Bastide de Marie
- Moustiers-Sainte-Marie: La Bastide de Moustiers
- Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat: Royal Riviera
- Saint-Paul-de-Vence: Toile Blanche
- Saint-Rรฉmy-de-Provence: Hรดtel de Tourrel
- Saint Saturnin: Domaine des Andeols
- Tourrettes: Terre Blanche
- Vauvenargues: Sainte-Victoire
- Vence: Chรขteau Saint-Martin
- Villelaure: La Ferme HI Bride
