Following the era of starred restaurants, the Michelin Guide also rewards the world’s finest hotels. It isn’t the number of Stars that signals the assessment made by the experts (who stayed in the hotels completely anonymously), but the “Keys”: one, two, or three depending on the level of services offered and the standards of excellence achieved by the property. Worldwide, there are 5,000 hotels with Michelin Keys. For the first time, the Michelin Guide to hotels arrives in Italy with a selection of 146 superbly luxurious properties.
Hotels with the Michelin Keys
Of the 146 hotels awarded by the Michelin Guide, eight received three Keys, 31 two Keys, and 107 one Key. These are accommodations housed in historic mansions, boutique hotels, charming agritourismos, and renowned grand hotels. Who won.
Hotels with Three Michelin Keys
The highest hospitality accolade of the Michelin Guide, the three Keys, has thus been awarded to eight hotels in Italy. Massimo Bottura, already a familiar name of the Stars in cuisine with his Osteria Francescana, also earned recognition for his hotel Casa Maria Luigia in Modena, housed in a country estate: only 12 rooms, complete with a garden, a pool, a tennis court and a fitness center that also serves as an art gallery. Another is JK Place Capri on the island of Capri, an elegant seaside boutique hotel perched on a cliff overlooking Marina Grande. With just 22 rooms and a penthouse with a private terrace that gazes out over the Gulf of Naples. On the Amalfi Coast, San Pietro di Positano was honored for its theater-like pool carved into the rock.
In the medieval village of Civita di Bagnoregio – also known as “the dying city” – there is another three-Keys hotel, Corte della Maestà, with only four rooms in an ancient episcopal residence. In a bucolic setting there is Castello di Reschio from the 10th century, in Lisciano Niccone, in the province of Perugia. Some suites occupy the church sacristy, but the most astonishing one unfolds over five floors of the ancient tower. In addition to its Michelin-starred restaurant, the Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, set in a 2,000-hectare estate near Montalcino, also earns the three Keys in hospitality. Finally, the last two ultra-luxury hotels are in Venice: Aman Venice, a Renaissance palace overlooking the Grand Canal, and Palazzo Vendramin, a 15th‑century aristocratic residence incorporated into Cipriani, a Belmond Hotel.
Hotels with Two Michelin Keys
There are 31 hotels that have earned the two Keys from the Michelin Guide. Among these are some spectacular places in truly unique locations, such as Hotel Vilòn in Rome, occupying a wing of Palazzo Borghese, the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, the Borgo Dell’Eremo in Piegaro (Perugia), the Therasia Resort on Lipari in the Aeolian Islands, Castel Fragsburg in Merano, the Forestis Dolomites in Bressanone, and the Borgo San Felice Resort spread across Castelnuovo Berardenga (Siena).
Hotels with One Michelin Key
There are as many as 107 properties that can boast a single Michelin Key in Italy, but for some it is merely the latest accolade because they are already world-famous. Tuscany is the most awarded region, with 24 properties, including Villa Fontelunga in Arezzo, Precise Tale Poggio alla Sala in Montepulciano, COMO Castello del Nero in Barberino Tavarnelle (FI) and Lupaia in Torrita di Siena. But there are several others around Lake Como, starting with Passalacqua in Moltrasio, or along the Amalfi Coast, such as the famous Le Sirenuse in Positano and the Capri Tiberio Palace. There’s also Palazzo Margherita in Bernalda, owned by Francis Ford Coppola, and the Byblos Art Hotel Villa Amista in Corrubbio at the gates of Verona, and the COMO Alpina Dolomites in the Seiser Alm, or the Vigilius Mountain Resort with views of the Dolomites – a UNESCO World Heritage site, not to mention the famous Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita in Matera, carved from cave dwellings some dating back to the Paleolithic era.
The Criteria for the Michelin Keys
As with the choice process for the Starred restaurants, the hotels were selected based on several criteria. What are they:
1. excellence in architecture and interior design;
2. personality and authenticity;
3. quality of service, comfort, and maintenance;
4. the setting in which the property is located;
5. value for money – the quality of the experience relative to the price.
All the Keys Awarded by the Michelin Guide
Hotels with Three Michelin Keys
JK Place Capri, Capri, Campania
Corte della Maestà, Civita di Bagnoregio, Lazio
Castello di Reschio, Lisciano Niccone, Umbria
Casa Maria Luigia, Modena, Emilia-Romagna
Rosewood Castiglion Del Bosco, Montalcino, Tuscany
Il San Pietro di Positano, Positano, Campania
Aman Venice, Venice, Veneto
Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice, Veneto.
Hotels with Two Michelin Keys
Hotel Santa Caterina, Amalfi, Campania
Borgo Santandrea, Amalfi, Campania
Capri Palace Jumeirah, Capri, Campania
Hotel Borgo San Felice, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Tuscany
Bellevue Hotel & Spa, Cogne, Valle d’Aosta
Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, Florence, Tuscany
Villa La Massa, Florence, Tuscany
Villa Cora, Florence, Tuscany
Palazzo Portinari Salviati Residenza D’Epoca, Florence, Tuscany
Eala My Lakeside Dream, Limone sul Garda, Lombardy
Therasia Resort, Lipari, Sicily
Grand Hotel Victoria, Menaggio, Lombardy
Villa Eden The Leading Park Retreat, Merano, Trentino-Alto Adige
Castel Fragsburg, Merano, Trentino-Alto Adige
Bulgari Hotel Milano, Milan, Lombardy
Portrait Milano, Milan, Lombardy
Grand Hotel et de Milan, Milan, Lombardy
Castelfalfi, Montaione, Tuscany
I Borghi dell’Eremo, Piegaro, Umbria
Lefay Resort & Spa Dolomiti, Pinzolo, Trentino-Alto Adige
Forestis Dolomites, Plose, Trentino-Alto Adige
JK Place Roma, Rome, Lazio
Hotel Vilòn, Rome, Lazio
Castello di Casole, A Belmond Hotel, Tuscany, Siena, Tuscany
Bellevue Syrene 1820, Sorrento, Campania
La Minervetta, Sorrento, Campania
San Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel, Taormina, Sicily
Grand Hotel Timeo, A Belmond Hotel, Taormina, Sicily
Il Sereno, Torno, Lombardy
Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Tremezzo, Lombardy
Hotel Gritti Palace, Venice, Veneto.
Hotels with One Michelin Key
Vivere Suites and Rooms, Arco, Trentino-Alto Adige
Donna Coraly Country Boutique Hotel, Arenella, Sicily
Villa Fontelunga, Arezzo, Tuscany
Cascioni Eco Retreat, Arzachena, Sardinia
Palazzo Margherita, Bernalda, Basilicata
Casa Clàt, Cagliari, Sardinia
Lake Spa Hotel Seeleiten, Caldaro, Trentino-Alto Adige
Locanda al Colle, Camaiore, Tuscany
Locanda Rossa, Capalbio, Tuscany
Capri Tiberio Palace, Capri, Campania
Como Alpina Dolomites, Castelrotto, Trentino-Alto Adige
L’Andana, Castiglione della Pescaia, Tuscany
Villa d’Este, Cernobbio, Lombardy
Borgo Santo Pietro, Chiusdino, Tuscany
Castello di Vicarello, Cinigiano, Tuscany
Palazzo Albricci Peregrini – Como, Como, Lombardy
Nordelaia, Cremolino, Piedmont
Critabianca, Cutrofiano, Puglia
Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel, Florence, Fiesole, Tuscany
Hotel Calimala, Florence, Tuscany
Ad Astra, Florence, Tuscany
Torre di Bellosguardo, Florence, Tuscany
Riva Lofts Florence, Florence, Tuscany
Hotel Lungarno, Florence, Tuscany
Velona’s Jungle Luxury Suites, Florence, Tuscany
Brunelleschi Hotel, Florence, Tuscany
Mezzatorre Hotel & Thermal Spa, Forio di Ischia, Campania
Botania Relais & Spa, Forio, Campania
Principe Forte dei Marmi, Forte dei Marmi, Tuscany
Lefay Resort & Spa Lago di Garda, Gargnano, Lombardy
Conti di San Bonifacio, Gavorrano, Tuscany
Villa Crespi Lake, Orta, Piedmont
Vigilius Mountain Resort, Lana, Trentino-Alto Adige
Palazzo de Noha, Lecce, Puglia
La Fiermontina Palazzo Bozzi Corso, Lecce, Puglia
Ottolire Resort, Locorotondo, Puglia
Biohotel Hermitage, Madonna di Campiglio, Trentino-Alto Adige
Milla Montis, Maranza, Trentino-Alto Adige
Relais Blu, Massa Lubrense, Campania
Art Hotel Villa Fiorella, Massa Lubrense, Campania
Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita, Matera, Basilicata
La Foresteria Planeta Estate, Menfi, Sicily
Vico Milano, Milan, Lombardy
Mandarin Oriental Milan, Milan, Lombardy
Hotel Principe di Savoia, Dorchester Collection, Milan, Lombardy
Passalacqua, Moltrasio, Lombardy
Villa le Prata – Residenza del Vescovo, Montalcino, Tuscany
Castello Banfi – Il Borgo Relais & Chateaux, Montalcino, Tuscany
Precise Tale Poggio Alla Sala, Montepulciano, Tuscany
Seven Rooms Villadorata, Noto, Sicily
Country House Villadorata, Noto, Sicily
Gardena Grödnerhof Hotel & Spa, Ortisei, Trentino-Alto Adige
Paragon 700 Boutique Hotel & Spa, Ostuni, Puglia
Baglioni Masseria Muzza, Otranto, Puglia
Hotel Castello di Monterone, Perugia, Umbria
Laqua by the Lake, Pettenasco, Piedmont
Villa Làrio Lake Como, Pognana Lario, Lombardy
Susafa Polizzi, Generosa, Sicily
Il Pellicano, Porto Ercole, Tuscany
Le Sirenuse, Positano, Campania
Casa Angelina, Praiano, Campania
Caruso, A Belmond Hotel, Amalfi Coast, Ravello, Campania
Lido Palace, Riva del Garda, Trentino-Alto Adige
Hassler Roma, Rome, Lazio
Hotel Eden, Dorchester Collection, Rome, Lazio
The Hoxton Rome, Rome, Lazio
Rocco Forte Hotel De La Ville, Rome, Lazio
The Inn at the Roman Forum, Rome, Lazio
Hotel Locarno, Rome, Lazio
Bulgari Hotel Roma, Rome, Lazio
Maalot Rome, Rome, Lazio
Umiltà 36, Rome, Lazio
Singer Palace Hotel, Rome, Lazio
Portrait Roma, Rome, Lazio
Six Senses Rome, Rome, Lazio
The St. Regis Rome, Rome, Lazio
Rocco Forte Hotel de Russie, Rome, Lazio
Lagació Hotel Mountain Residence, San Cassiano, Trentino-Alto Adige
Byblos Art Hotel Villa Amista, San Pietro In Cariano, Veneto
Mediterraneo Sorrento, Sant’Agnello, Campania
Grand Hotel Miramare, Santa Margherita Ligure, Liguria
Sextantio, Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Abruzzo
Terra – The Magic Place, Sarentino, Trentino-Alto Adige
Masseria Calderisi, Savelletri di Fasano, Puglia
Masseria Torre Maizza, Savelletri di Fasano, Puglia
Borgo Egnazia, Savelletri di Fasano, Puglia
Masseria Torre Coccaro, Savelletri di Fasano, Puglia
Palazzo Pascal, Scala, Campania
Goldene Rose Karthaus, Schnals, Trentino-Alto Adige
Villa Cortine, Sirmione, Lombardy
Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria, Sorrento, Campania
Como Castello del Nero, Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, Tuscany
Canne Bianche Lifestyle Hotel, Torre Canne di Fasano, Puglia
Cape of Senses, Torri del Benaco, Veneto
Follonico Suite B&B, Torrita di Siena, Tuscany
Siena House, Torrita di Siena, Tuscany
Lupaia, Torrita di Siena, Tuscany
Vocabolo Moscatelli Boutique Hotel & Restaurant, Umbertide, Umbria
Il Palazzo Experimental, Venice, Veneto
Nolinski Venezia, Venice, Veneto
Hotel Londra Palace, Venice, Veneto
Palazzo Maria Formosa, Venice, Veneto
Corte di Gabriela, Venice, Veneto
Ca’ di Dio, Venice, Veneto
Palazzo Venart Luxury Hotel, Venice, Veneto
La Barchessa di Villa Pisani, Vicenza, Veneto
Monaci delle Terre Nere Zafferana, Etnea, Sicily.
