The Michelin Guide famously rates restaurants – but it has been sending inspectors into accommodation around the world for its new hotel ‘key’ ratings.
Having presented key accolades to hotels in France, Spain, Italy, Japan, the U.S, Canada, Mexico and Thailand, the world-famous guide has awarded 123 hotels in Great Britain and Ireland with key ratings.
Selected properties receive either one, two or three keys. One key means the inspector had a ‘very special stay’, two is for ‘an exceptional stay’ and three is for an ‘extraordinary stay’.
For its inaugural British and Irish awards, 14 hotels have received three keys, 37 two and 72 hotels have been presented with one Michelin key.
Out of the total, 91 awarded hotels are located in England, 15 in Scotland, three in Wales and 14 in the Republic of Ireland. Here are some of the key results…
Adare Manor in the Republic of Ireland has been awarded three Michelin keys
ONE KEY
Of the 72 newly-awarded one-key hotels, three are located in Wales, 12 in Scotland, 48 in England and nine in the Republic of Ireland.
Among the one-key hotels, travellers ‘looking for urban exploration will be pleased to find many options in Dublin, Edinburgh and London’, the guide said.
It continued: ‘From stylish modern properties – Dylan and Wilder Townhouse in Dublin or Beaverbrook Town House, Flemings Mayfair and Broadwick Soho in London – to more traditional or bohemian ones, such as Gleneagles Townhouse or Prestonfield in Edinburgh, each capital city offers a wide hospitality kaleidoscope of hotels which are true gateways to discover their own cultures and charms.’
Lots of countryside hotels also received one-key ratings, including Welsh hotel Penmaenuchaf, set on the south side of Snowdonia National Park, and Cliff House Hotel, located on a cliff off Ireland’s south coast. Michelin described this hotel as ‘a stunning, contemporary hotel for seascape lovers’ with a ‘stunningly photogenic’ pool.
The guide added that many one-key hotels are located in former castles, manor houses or on aristocratic estates, such as Dromoland Castle (Newmarket on Fergus, Republic of Ireland), Thornbury Castle (England), Glenapp Castle (Ballantrae, Scotland) and Palé Hall (Bala, Wales).
‘Finally,’ said the guide, ‘those wishing to relax in an island retreat can book a stay in Longueville Manor or Kinloch Lodge. Located in Jersey, the first is a tranquil 30-room hotel located on an 18-acre estate, while the second is nestled in a humble 16th-century hunting lodge. The 19 rooms are lavish, but with a lovely old-fashioned style.’
TWO KEYS
Cashel Palace in Cashel in the Republic of Ireland has been awarded two Michelin keys (above two images)
Of the 37 hotels awarded two Michelin keys, two are located in Scotland, three in the Republic of Ireland and the rest are in England.
Highlights in a ranking of highlights include The Fife Arms in Braemar in the Scottish Highlands (‘filled with impressive art and Scottish references’); The Balmoral in Edinburgh (‘heritage architecture combined with contemporary, luxury furniture’), Cashel Palace in Cashel in the Republic of Ireland (‘a Palladian manor house dating from 1728’) and multiple hotels in London – including Rosewood London, The Dorchester and Ham Yard Hotel.
THREE KEYS
The Connaught hotel in Mayfair, London, has been presented with three Michelin keys
Somerset’s The Newt – ‘a country house hotel settled in a 300-year-old estate’ – has three keys
London is home to eight of the 14 properties honoured with three keys.
These are Claridge’s, The Connaught and The Savoy, along with five international-branded hotels – Bvlgari Hotel London, Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, Raffles London at The OWO and The Peninsula London.
The guide says its inspectors enjoyed ‘impeccable service’ at these properties.
Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, A Belmond Hotel has three Michelin keys
Above – the huge pool at Raffles London at The OWO, which boasts three Michelin keys
In the English countryside, three hotels are awarded three Michelin keys – Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, A Belmond Hotel (‘gorgeous’); The Newt in Somerset (‘a country house hotel settled in a 300-year-old estate’); and Lucknam Park in the Cotswolds (‘charming’).
In Scotland, The Gleneagles Hotel also receives the highest Michelin Guide hotel distinction (‘the best of Scottish hospitality’), while in the Republic of Ireland, Adare Manor and Ballyfin Demesne scoop three-key honours. The former is a ‘neo-Gothic manor house surrounded by 840 acres of formal French gardens’ and the latter ‘a spectacularly well-preserved Regency house’.
Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guides, states: ‘For our latest European release, we are absolutely thrilled to present to world travellers our very first Michelin key selection for Great Britain and Ireland.
‘Featuring no fewer than 123 outstanding hotels, this selection is an invitation to explore the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, visit their historically rich cities, relax in their charming countryside and scenic landscapes, and enjoy, for a few nights, a timeless lifestyle in century-old castles and manor houses.
‘From boutique hotels or flagship luxury properties located in eclectic London to country houses nestled in dramatic Irish countryside; from stunning Scottish manor houses to tranquil Welsh retreats: every hotel awarded one, two or three Michelin keys is a gem sculpted by talented professionals.’
