Skift Take
New York and California dominated in the top “key” category with Michelin’s new U.S. hotel ratings. Maybe it’s time to take a trip to wine country.
Michelin announced its top picks for U.S. hotels Wednesday, using its new hotel “key” system. Only a handful of hotels across seven cities made the cut.
Hotels in Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, New York, Orlando, Tampa, and Washington, D.C., were eligible, along with ones in California and Colorado.
Michelin already lists about 1,000 hotels in the U.S. as recommendations. The 124 hotels are the first in a wave of U.S. hotels to receive the higher commendation of “key” awards.
Hotels in New York and California swept the coveted three-key category.
Two Keys: Michelin’s “exceptional” hotels
One key: Michelin’s notable hotels
Michelin listed the hotels receiving its one-key designation on its website.
One recipient of a one key rating is Riggs Washington, DC, an 1891 Romanesque Revival bank building that re-opened as a luxury hotel a few years ago.
“The Michelin recognition has a lot of influence on guest choices, and this recognition will help put Riggs on the map from an international perspective for people not familiar with the market,” said Dewayne Wright, general manager of Riggs Washington DC. “To have the same recognition as long revered hotels like the Hay-Adams will help sustain our team’s high motivation, too.”
“No pay for play model”
Skift reported Tuesday that Atlanta’s tourism marketers have paid $1 million over three years to encourage Michelin to review restaurants there and to help promote the selected restaurants. Skift has previously reported that, internationally, Michelin often enters some financial deals with tourism boards to initiate market entry.
To dispel any confusion, Michelin said its partnerships with seven tourism groups, including Visit California and Visit Florida, are centered on helping destinations promote themselves as gastronomic centers of excellence and that they don’t affect their selections.
“Michelin doesn’t have a pay-for-play business model,” said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides. “Partnerships with tourism boards don’t affect assessments of restaurants or hotels. You don’t pay anything to be recognized by Michelin and don’t participate in any kind of scheme.”
All of Michelin’s inspectors are on staff, not freelance, and fully pay their way for meals and hotel stays.
“The destination marketing organizations use the content of the Michelin Guide to promote their destination, such as by hosting events that announce names being recognized,” Poullennec said. “It’s a marketing program that has no impact on the selections or assessments. That is absolutely not related with what we are doing for the hotel.”
Some other hotel award organizations offer consulting services to help hotels “better understand the review process.” Others charge fees to affect which places are awarded. Michelin does neither.
“You can’t do consulting and do independent assessments,” Poullennec said.
—With additional reporting by Sean O’Neill.
