/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25650792/2174061530.jpg "Hurricane Helene barreled through a crucial chip mining area in North Carolina")
On Thursday, the Michelin Guide revealed the most outstanding hotels in Canada according to their new Michelin Key distinction (and quite a few Toronto hotels made the list). The Michelin Key was announced earlier this spring — while the Michelin Star distinction recognizes restaurants worldwide for outstanding cooking, the Michelin Key recognizes hotels for outstanding stays.
Just like a Michelin-rated restaurant, a Michelin-rated hotel can earn one, two, or three keys: One Key means a very special stay, Two Keys equal an exceptional stay, and Three Keys mean top honours — an extraordinary stay.
If “you can make it to a Three[-]Key hotel — do whatever you can to get there for a night. It’s one of the most outstanding experiences in the world,” the Michelin Guide noted in a statement.
The 2024 MICHELIN Guide hotel selection in Canada includes a total of two Three-Key hotels, eight Two-Key hotels, and 23 One-Key hotels.
While no Toronto hotel received a Three-Key distinction, five hotels in the city received One-Key distinctions: 1 Hotel Toronto (550 Wellington St), Ace Hotel (51 Camden St), Park Hyatt Toronto (4 Avenue Rd), as well as TIFF-favs the Bisha Hotel (80 Blue Jays Way) and the Shangri-La Hotel (188 University Ave).
Well-established players like the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto (60 Yorkville Ave) and the Hazelton Hotel (118 Yorkville Ave) fared better, each receiving Two Keys).
Only two hotels in Canada received Three Keys each: Fogo Island Inn (Joe Batt’s Arm, NL) and Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge (Tofino, BC). The Guide states that both are “remote, secluded, and ensconced” in spectacular natural gifts. Off the northeast coast of Newfoundland, the small Fogo Island Inn tailors guest activities to the seven distinct seasons of its particular microclimate, while the canvas tents of Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge are a “superlative take on glamping” amidst the UNESCO-designated reserve.
The selection team considers five universal criteria when selecting hotels: excellence in architecture and interior design, quality and consistency of service, overall personality and character, value for the price, and a significant contribution to the neighborhood or setting.
To get a Michelin Key, hotels don’t just fulfill one of the above criteria, they have to be the absolute best in all categories.
The Michelin Guide now includes over 5,000 hotels globally.
“[N]ot a single one is simply a room for the night. These are places that significantly add to your experience as a traveler, each vetted and judged excellent in [the] five categories” their website states.
