Foodies everywhere turn to the MICHELIN Guide for restaurant recommendations, as the organization awards "stars" to some of the world's most exceptional restaurants. Chefs so honored gain widespread acclaim and notoriety, and starred restaurants are inundated with reservations. Recently, MICHELIN has turned its attention to hotels, where it aims to honor the world's finest hotels and resorts with the new "MICHELIN Key."
In April 2024, the MICHELIN Guide debuted the Key distinction, focusing its ratings on five universal criteria that it considers to be the mark of exceptional accommodation. Those criteria are:
- Excellence in architecture and interior design
- Quality and consistency of service
- Overall personality and character
- Value for the price
- Significant contribution to the neighborhood or setting
Just like a MICHELIN-rated restaurant, a MICHELIN-rated hotel can earn one, two, or three Keys, and the organization describes those as follows:
- One Key: a very special stay.
- Two Keys: an exceptional stay.
- Three Keys: an extraordinary stay.
In reviewing the list of honored properties, I discovered that I have stayed at two MICHELIN Key hotels — the Hotel Imperial, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Vienna, Austria, and The Tennesseean Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee. While I enjoyed both stays immensely, both fell short of the level of accessibility I would expect from a hotel considered to be among the world's finest.
While the Key may suggest one should expect a "very special," "exceptional" or "extraordinary" stay, it does not guarantee an accessible one. For disabled travelers, accessibility is non-negotiable, and in my view it should be table stakes for any hotel to be designated among the world's finest.
MICHELIN does not consider accessibility in its ratings, but that doesn't mean that some of the properties awarded Keys also excel in welcoming disabled guests.
Later this year, on the 2025 Wheelchair Travel Group Trip to Barcelona, our travelers will be staying at a MICHELIN Key hotel that the guide regards as "very special," but which is simultaneously wheelchair-friendly. The hotel boasts thoughtfully designed accessible guest rooms and a swimming pool lift to meet the needs of disabled travelers. That's what disabled travelers should expect from every hotel, and especially from a five star MICHELIN Key hotel.
To learn more, and to find out if you have stayed at a MICHELIN Key hotel, visit the MICHELIN Guide website.
