Where To Go When You Can Go Anywhere?
We rarely hear the question, “Can we afford it?”, so we’ve stopped asking ourselves that. Instead, we ask: where is it really worth going? When we can go anywhere and don’t need further recommendations, we look for ways to filter through the plethora of options.
On Friday, September 18, the MICHELIN Guide hotel selection for 2026 was revealed. The renowned guide’s database already includes over 9,400 hotels, including 2,832 with the MICHELIN Key distinction. Since October 2025, the database has grown by over 2,200 addresses. This distinction isn’t just club membership; it’s a selection validated by experts who are intimately familiar with the alternatives.
Key Question: How To Read MICHELIN Keys?
MICHELIN Key is the hotel equivalent of the MICHELIN star. It is awarded by inspectors who travel anonymously and independently. The system launched in 2024 in 15 destinations and is now global.
The scale is simple. One Key indicates a very exceptional stay, two an excellent stay, and three an extraordinary stay. The distribution of awards explains why we take them seriously: 2,020 hotels have one Key, 657 two, and only 155, or about 5%, have three. This shows that those addresses make for destinations, not merely an idea for where to stay overnight.
This is only the second global selection, so the map hasn’t been completely trampled over yet. Those who book today get in first.
The Itinerary
Part of choosing a hotel for us is choosing transportation. Therefore, the plan below is a rough outline based on a list, not a report of our stays.
Europe: Water, Cliff and the Alps
We’re starting in Venice. Airelles Palladio Venice, winner of the MICHELIN Guide Opening of the Year Award, is the first Airelles hotel outside France, overlooking the Giudecca Canal. It debuted on the list with three Keys. We’re not flying there with luggage and a schedule. The hotel is located on Giudecca Island, a five-minute boat ride from Piazza San Marco, so we’ll take a private boat from the airport.
Then there’s the Amalfi Coast and Borgo Santandrea, which has been upgraded to three Keys. This modernized structure from the 1960s, after a thorough renovation, is built directly into the seaside cliff. Arrivals are by helicopter or yacht. Italy leads Europe with 224 Key hotels, closely followed by France with 220.
In Bavaria, the Schloss Elmau Luxury Spa Retreat & Cultural Hideaway, winner of the Wellness Award, awaits. Six spas in an isolated valley in the Bavarian Alps. Wellness has ceased to be an accessory to your stay and has become the reason for it.
If time permits, we’ll visit two more modest locations. The first is Les Sources de Vougeot in Burgundy, a new hotel with two Keys. Housed in a former monastery, the Caudalie spa is housed in the historic vaulted cellars. The second is the Park Hotel Sonnenhof in Vaduz, the first-ever family-run Key hotel in Liechtenstein.
Africa: Gorillas and Vineyards
Rwanda has received its first Key Award in history. One&Only Gorilla’s Nest is one of three hotels with two Keys, opening the Rwandan selection. We fly to Kigali by jet and then by helicopter, as trekking in the Virunga Mountains begins in the morning.
Then, South Africa. At the Londolozi Game Reserve, winner of the Local Gateway Award, the history of the place is paramount. It’s one of the prototypes of a luxury safari camp, with five camps and a foundation investing in conservation and education. Finally, Delaire Graff Estate in Stellenbosch, Africa’s newest hotel with three Keys. Here, we explore the vineyards and sample local wine.
Middle East and Asia: Rock, Ocean, and Zipline
The Desert Rock Resort in Umluj, Saudi Arabia, received the Architecture & Design Award. The hotel is nestled in the Hijaz Mountains. Its creators used the surrounding Arabian rock as a foundation, just like the ancient Nabataeans. We plan to fly there by charter flight.
Soneva Secret in the Maldives is the only new three-Key launch in Asia. Located in the remote Haa Dhaalu Atoll, each residence is assigned a private chef. Seaplane travel is both romantic and convenient across the archipelago.
One of the ten new destinations in Mongolia is Ayan Zalaat. It’s the first, and currently the only, Key Hotel in the country, boasting 32 rooms in a protected valley on the edge of Ulaanbaatar. Meanwhile, in Cambodia, Shinta Mani Wild, a resort with two Key Awards, awaits. Accommodation in tents on platforms and a zipline descent to the hotel are definitely not to be missed.
Oceania: The End of the World
In the Northern Hemisphere winter, we fly to the other side of the globe, taking advantage of the opportunities offered by chartering a long-range jet. The Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island has upgraded from two to three Keys. The second new hotel with three Keys in Oceania is the Saffire Freycinet. Meanwhile, the Rosewood Matakauri in Queenstown has upgraded from one to two Keys.
Americas: Jungle, Andes and Rapa Nui
Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Costa Rica, is the only new hotel with three Keys in the Americas, having been upgraded from two. Peru’s Las Casitas retains its three Keys for the second consecutive year and offers access to the Andes and the Colca Valley. Explora Rapa Nui on Easter Island has been upgraded to two Keys. We fly to each of these destinations by private jet, transferring to a local plane upon arrival.
In the USA, MICHELIN Guide added 65 new Keys, but this is a topic for a separate text.
New maps
Prestiż przesuwa się z „gdzie wszyscy jeżdżą” na „gdzie można być pierwszym”. W 2026 roku MICHELIN Key pojawił się w dziesięciu nowych destynacjach: Armenii, Beninie, Botswanie, Kazachstanie, Liechtensteinie, Mongolii, Mjanmie, Rwandzie, Słowacji i Zimbabwe. Wśród naszych znajomych i klientów rzadko kto był w więcej niż dwóch z nich.
For those in the know, there’s also Europe. It already boasts over 1,300 Key hotels in over 35 destinations, with Italy (224) and France (220) clearly leading the guide’s list.
Six trends seen from an armchair you don’t have to rush up from
MICHELIN Guide inspectors have described six directions for change. For someone who manages their own time, they sound particularly apt.
- Slow travel. Longer in fewer places, fewer crowds. For us, it’s a simple calculation: time is the only currency that can’t be printed.
- Work-life balance. Rest and work no longer require separate calendars.
- New luxury. “Rough luxury,” private villas, residential hospitality. Privacy, authenticity, and connection to place are what count.
- Wellness beyond the spa. Hotels are turning into places for taking care of body and mind.
- Design that catches the eye. Interiors are meant to attract attention, but it’s the services offered, the staff, and the atmosphere that determine your stay.
- Luxury on the water. Four Seasons Yachts, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, and Aman at Sea. For us, this is the most interesting observation: the hotel becomes a means of transportation.
The Voice of the Industry
Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the MICHELIN Guide, sees this year’s result as evidence of hoteliers “continuously raising the bar.” He attributes a particular role to independent, boutique hotels, which he believes are driving change throughout the industry, while large groups are accelerating it.
This confirms our impression from the trip. Uniqueness is no longer determined by the size of a brand, but by the courage of one person who wanted to do something different.
In lieu of a summary
Selection doesn’t limit freedom of choice, but merely facilitates decision-making. The key is a good metaphor, but the point isn’t which lock to open, but which is worth the effort. The full list is available on MICHELIN Guide platforms. Luxury Boutique sets off from Venice.
