Mirroring the famous Michelin Star system used for restaurants, the Michelin Guide introduced its hotel-grading Michelin Keys in 2024. This year, four brand-new London hotels have been recognised for their exceptional hospitality.
The Michelin Guide was founded in 1900 by a French tire-manufacturing company. At the time, very few cars were on the road – the brothers behind the Michelin Guide wanted to change this. The Michelin Stars encouraged Parisians to leave the city and travel to dining destinations, boosting tyre sales in the process.
One star was considered a good stop if you were in the area; two stars demanded a detour; while three stars meant the food was worth an entire trip. This designation translates easily to hotels: one key is special, two is exceptional, and three is an extraordinary destination in its own right.
Just like the restaurant guide, the critics follow universal criteria (design, service, character, value and setting contribution). A useful tool when travelling, the Michelin Keys can not only guide you to an excellent hotel, but help you decide where to holiday in the first place.
Whether you’re seeking a staycation in the city or travelling to London, the capital’s four new Michelin Key hotels offer plenty of inspiration.
Which London hotels have been awarded Michelin Keys?
The Newman
Now in possession of one Michelin Key, The Newman is Fitzrovia’s newest hotel. An 81-bedroom boutique stay in the heart of the city, you’re moments from the thrum of Soho, the shopping on Oxford Street or the storied pubs of Marylebone. Three years in the making, the Newman is the first hotel from the British hospitality brand Kinsfolk & Co, complete with a subterranean wellness floor, a European brasserie, and a 1920s-speakeasy-style bar.
Designed with Art Deco interiors in a nod to Fitzrovia’s heyday, the hotel is populated with black-and-white photographs of the area. illustrations of fashionable bohemians, and contemporary images of residents and business owners captured over a year of street walking. This attention to London detail is sure to delight both city dwellers and visitors.
The Chancery Rosewood
The Chancery Rosewood now has two Michelin Keys under its belt, despite opening just a year ago. The1960s building once housed the US Embassy, but has now been transformed into one of Mayfair’s most luxurious – and exclusive – properties. Home to 144 bespoke luxury suites and private houses, you’d have to cought up at least £2,000 for just one night at the uber-luxe property.
Thankfully, it’s as much a dining destination as a hotel, with eight restaurants and bars giving you a flavour of what The Chancery Rosewood offers. The hotel’s subterranean wellness space includes a 5-metre indoor lap pool, a vitality pool, hot and cold plunge pools, an ice bath, a traditional sauna, a steam room, and heated marble loungers. Combining mid-century design with contemporary amenities, the all-suite hotel is one to bookmark for a very, very special occasion.
Six Senses London, Bayswater
Six Senses London
Among this year’s most anticipated London hotel openings, Six Senses London is found in the Grade II-listed Whiteleys building on Queensway. The 100-year facade, dome and grand central staircase have been carefully restored. Positioning itself as a leading wellness destination in the UK, the 2,300-square-meter wellness area boasts an indoor pool, thermal suite, sauna, steam room and magnesium plunge pool. Clinical treatments span longevity and biohacking, with Six Sense’s first-ever members club – Six Senses Place – giving non-guests access to the co-working areas, wellness rooms and exclusive restaurant.
When The Standard’s beauty director, Rose Beer, reviewed the wellness facilities, she said: ‘Here, as it should be, wellness is considered to be an emotional matter as much as a physical one. The aim is to meet clients where they are, then to restore, surprise and delight them. Arriving topped-up with cortisol and carrying a hefty sleep deficit, I was swiftly put to work — if you can call it that — to slow down, regroup and reconnect with myself.”
Pan Pacific London, the City
Pan Pacific
A five-star hotel conveniently located just minutes from Liverpool Street Station, Pan Pacific blends British and Asian influences in its minimalist design. The sleek skyscraper gives you a bird’s-eye view of one of London’s busiest postcodes. Awarded one Michelin Key, the property boasts 237 rooms and suites, alongside multiple restaurants and a wellness area. With its refined interiors and sleep program (mattress pads, weighted blankets, etc.), it’s become a popular choice among business travellers looking for calming, quiet, and reliable luxury. The fusion restaurant, Straits Kitchen, is also worth a visit – particularly for its £29 two-course express lunch offer.
Which London hotels were downgraded?
Which London hotels kept their Michelin Keys?
Claridge’s, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, Raffles London at The OWO, The Connaught, The Peninsula London, and The Savoy all held onto their three Michelin Keys, while The Dorchester, 45 Park Lane, The Ritz London, The Berkeley, The Langham, Corinthia, Brown’s, Ham Yard Hotel, Haymarket Hotel, Hotel Café Royal, Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, The Beaumont, The Cadogan, and The Lanesborough have all retained their two Michelin Keys.
