The Michelin Guide now rates HOTELS – and THESE are the properties in Britain and Ireland that inspectors have ranked as the best for 2024
The Michelin Guide is known for rating restaurants – but it has sent inspectors to properties around the world for the new ‘key’ ratings of hotels.
After presenting major awards to hotels in France, Spain, Italy, Japan, USA, Canada, Mexico and Thailand, the world-renowned guide has awarded 123 hotels in Britain and Ireland major ratings.
Selected properties will receive one, two or three keys. One key means that the inspector has had a ‘very special stay’, two is for ‘an exceptional stay’ and three for an ‘extraordinary stay’.
For the first British and Irish award, 14 hotels received three keys, 37 two and 72 hotels one Michelin key.
Of the total, 91 award-winning 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 recently awarded single key hotels, three are in Wales, 12 in Scotland, 48 in England and nine in the Republic of Ireland.
Among the one-key hotels, travelers “seeking city exploration will be pleased with the many options in Dublin, Edinburgh and London,” the guide said.
It continued: ‘From stylish, modern properties – Dylan And Wilder mansion in Dublin or Beaverbrook mansion, Flemish Mayfair And Broadwick Soho in London – to more traditional or bohemian ones, such as Gleneagles mansion or Prestonfield in Edinburgh, each capital offers a wide kaleidoscope of hotels that are true gateways to discover their own cultures and charms.”
Many country hotels were also rated one key, including the hotel in Wales Penmaenuchaflocated at the southern end of the Snowdonia National Park, and Cliff House Hotellocated on a cliff off the south coast of Ireland. Michelin described this hotel as ‘a beautiful, contemporary hotel for seascape lovers’ with a ‘stunningly photogenic’ swimming pool.
The guide added that many one-key hotels are located in former castles, country houses or on aristocratic estates, such as Dromoland Castle (Newmarket on Fergus, Ireland), Thornbury Castle (England), Glenapp Castle (Ballantrae, Scotland) and Pale Hall (Bala, Wales).
“Finally,” said the guide, “those who want to relax on an island retreat can book a stay Country house Longueville or Kinloch Lodge. Located in Jersey, the first is a quiet 30-room hotel on an 40-acre estate, while the second is set in a modest 16th-century hunting lodge. The 19 rooms are luxurious, but in a beautiful 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 in Scotland, three in the Republic of Ireland and the rest in England.
Highlights in a highlights ranking include The Five Arms in Braemar in the Scottish Highlands (‘filled with impressive art and Scottish references’); The Balmoral in Edinburgh (‘heritage architecture combined with contemporary, luxury furnishings’), Cashel Palace in Cashel in the Republic of Ireland (‘a Palladian country house from 1728’) and several hotels in London – including Rosewood London, The Dorchester And Ham Yard Hotel.
THREE KEYS
The Connaught hotel in Mayfair, London, has been awarded three Michelin keys
Somerset’s The Newt – ‘a country house hotel set in a 300-year-old estate’ – has three keys
London is home to eight of the fourteen properties awarded three keys.
These are Claridges, The Connaught And The Savoytogether with five hotels from international brands – Bvlgari Hotel London, Four Seasons Hotel London on Park Lane, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, Lotteries London in the OWO And The Peninsula of London.
The guide says inspectors at these properties enjoyed ‘impeccable service’.
Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, A Belmond Hotel has three Michelin keys
In the English countryside, three hotels receive three Michelin keys – Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, a Belmond hotel (‘Delicious’); The Newt in Somerset (‘a country house hotel set on a 300-year-old estate’); And Lucknam Park in the Cotswolds (‘charming’).
In Scotland, The Gleneagles Hotel also receives the Michelin Guide’s highest hotel award (‘the best of Scottish hospitality’) while in the Republic of Ireland Adare country house And Ballyfin Demesne winning three major awards. The former is a ‘Gothic Revival mansion surrounded by 340 acres of formal French gardens’ and the latter ‘a spectacularly well-preserved Regency house’.
Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guides, said: “For our latest European release, we are delighted to present to world travelers our first ever Michelin Key selection for Great Britain and Ireland.
‘With no fewer than 123 excellent 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 picturesque landscapes, and enjoy a few nights of timeless stay. lifestyle in centuries-old castles and country houses.
‘From boutique hotels or luxury properties in eclectic London to country houses nestled in the dramatic Irish countryside; from beautiful Scottish country houses to tranquil retreats in Wales, every hotel that has been awarded one, two or three Michelin keys is a gem sculpted by talented professionals.”
