Michelin Key: What travellers can expect from Michelin Guide’s new hotel rating arriving in 2024

The decision to award a Key will always be “a team decision, never a one-man-show,” added Poullennec, who says different inspectors are typically sent to evaluate the same properties to eliminate individual biases. To do this effectively, “we will go as many times as needed,” he saed. “It’s not a set amount because we are not an algorithm.”

THE SEA (AND SKY) IS THE LIMIT

Intriguingly, Poullennec suggests the Guide’s hotel (and Key) selection could, moving forward, potentially include non-traditional accommodations like yachts (or presumably even airborne vessels).

“What’s important is that it offers a singular experience and gives access to local life,” he said. One might also speculate that similar to its star ratings, the Guide may eventually differentiate its Keys, as well as recognise exceptionally “green” accommodations the way it does with its annual Green Star award, which honours restaurants with industry-leading sustainability practices.