On October 8, Michelin unveiled the first edition of its global Michelin Key Hotel Selection in Paris, officially launching the hotel edition of its famed Michelin Guide.
The list features 2,457 hotels across nearly 100 destinations worldwide.
Notably, this marks the first time Michelin has included Chinese hotels in its selection, recognizing 64 properties in total — including 2 three-Key hotels, 13 two-Key hotels, and 49 one-Key hotels. The selections span Hong Kong, Sichuan, Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Sanya, showcasing China’s growing presence in global luxury hospitality.
However, when the list was announced, social media reactions were less celebratory than puzzled — many Chinese netizens said that they simply “don’t get it.”
In China, domestic platforms like Trip.com and Meituan have years of experience curating hotel rankings that reflect local user preferences and consumption habits. This means Michelin faces a steep localization challenge—it must both build credibility and adapt to China’s complex and diverse market environment.
To sustain its extensive evaluation system, Michelin also publicly acknowledged for the first time that it has financial partnerships with certain destination tourism boards.
