13.45 - Michelin Guide’s Key to Finding the Best Hotels—the MICHELIN Key
NEW: In the spirit of the MICHELIN Star, the MICHELIN Key recognises the most exceptional hotels throughout the world... PLUS discovering les Bains, an exceptional hotel in Paris
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Michelin Guide’s Key to Success in Hotel Selection
Recently published articles: MyFrenchLife™ Magazine
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Salut,
It’s Judy here, the Fondatrice of MyFrenchlife.org. I hope that you enjoy today’s le Bulletin, which is all about Michelin and the Key to exceptional hotels.
Please say hi and tell me your story info [at] MyFrenchLife [dot] org - I would really like to meet you.
Merci
Judy MacMahon
PS: If you’re enjoying this ‘le Bulletin’ please consider upgrading your subscription to gain full access. Merci. Judy - 11.11 23
1. Overnight success - well not really
The Michelin Guide recently announced the launch of a new division.
After four years, the Michelin Guide teams have rethought their hotel selection. Like restaurants, the MICHELIN Guide intends to independently recommend establishments that constitute true destinations according to their 5 criteria: “Style and service. Personality and reliability. Culture, comfort, and a consistently extraordinary experience — this is what makes a MICHELIN Guide hotel. “
According to Monocle Magazine’s Newsletter:
Few publications wield the power to make or break a restaurant (or cause even the coolest chef to boil over) like the Michelin Guide. For more than a century, it has been a culinary compass, first guiding motorists, then a fleet of food-focused customers who are today willing to cross borders or scale mountains to try the finely-honed fare that its pages recommend. Overnight, the hospitality heavyweight announced the tool that it will be using to rate hotels too: the Michelin Key.”
Then Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guide, says that the Michelin Guide teams have selected more than 5,000 hotels and accommodations around the world. To highlight establishments offering exceptional hotel and travel experiences, the Michelin Guide unveils the Michelin Key, a special distinction that will be implemented in 2024.
The MICHELIN Key is a clear, reliable indication for travelers. Just as the MICHELIN Star distinguishes those restaurants that are at the peak of their art, the MICHELIN Key recognizes the most exceptional hotels throughout the world. It is also an acknowledgment of the teamwork of committed enthusiastic hospitality professionals,”
The Guide puts its expertise at the service of travelers (should they choose a VIP membership) to support them in their search for personalized experiences.
In response to the hyper standardisation of accommodation (design, interior decoration, attention to detail in the room, etc.), the guide aims to arouse the emotion of customers by directing them towards establishments that excel in all areas—architectural choices, the art of craftsmanship and detail to doing a job and asserting their own personality.
The new selection of the MICHELIN Guide recommends more than 5,000 remarkable hotels in 120 countries, with varied price ranges and diverse styles.
Michelin Key Criteria
The Michelin Key star rating is based on 5 criteria:
A destination unto itself: the hotel contributes to the local experience
Excellence in architecture and interior design
Quality and regularity of service, comfort, and maintenance
Singularity reflecting the personality of the establishment, its unique character
Consistency between the quality of the experience and the price paid
“These are not your run-of-the-mill lodgings,” says international director of Michelin Guides Gwendal Poullennec. “They are destinations unto themselves, offering a glimpse into a world of architectural feats, personalized service and more than anything else, [places] that have an unparalleled uniqueness and authenticity to them.”
In an industry increasingly saturated with unreliable recommendations and cookie-cutter hotels, there’s certainly space on the bookshelf (and in app stores) for another trusted voice that talks about decent service and honest hospitality. Michelin, it seems, will remain key to the conversation,” wrote Rooksana Hossenally of the Monocle who was present at les Bains in Paris for the launch.
This is a huge new initiative for Michelin. Some are wondering how they will monitor, their current 5000+ rated hotels to maintain the accuracy of their star ratings. Let’s watch this space.
Editors Note: This is not a promotional piece and neither MyFrenchLife.org nor le Bulletin benefits in any way from its publication.
Les Bains
Unrelated to the Michelin story… but I thought you might enjoy a peep at les Bains, which I discovered by accident in Paris some years ago and I loved the ambiance - very trendoid! and regarded as one of the best hotels in Paris.
Les Bains is a distillation of the best Paris has to offer. To be enjoyed day and night, it is a 5-star Boutique Hotel, a neo-bistro with outdoor patios, a spa, a legendary bar, a mythical nightclub, an avant-garde scene, and a want-everything concept store…
les Bains: Vintage glam oozes out of every last sparkly mosaic tile at this mythical address where Marcel Proust frolicked in baths in the 19th century and pop stars clubbed until dawn in the 1980s and 1990s. Retro-chic rooms, all-day dining and midnight swimming in the basement nightclub seduce millennial hipsters today, wrote the Telegraph in a review
On a quiet street, a stone's throw from the trendy restaurants, bars, and fashion boutiques of the achingly cool area, near rue Montorgueil and Etienne Marcel. For modern art lovers, the Musée Picasso and Centre Pompidou are both an easy 15-minute walk away. A trio of nearby metro stations (Etienne Marcel, Arts et Métiers and Rambuteau) make light work of getting around the capital.
2. Recent MyFrenchLife Magazine articles
Keep up to date with the new articles published on our Magazine this week.
3. Merci mille fois + travel
“Thank you so much for reading ‘le Bulletin’. I appreciate the support you’re all offering across the 67 countries, and 47 states of the USA, in which le Bulletin is read.”
À Bientôt,
Judy x
PS: this week’s ‘le Bulletin’ for PAID subscribers, is in your inbox. Check-out the preview & consider upgrading to enjoy it in full.
PPS: *I’m taking a break until late in November* to visit my family in the UK. It’s been too many years! The girls are growing up far too fast and I need to spend some real (not facetime) time with them. I’ve worked to prepare and schedule a quite a number of newsletters for you to enjoy whilst I’m travelling. I hope there are no technical glitches ;) Cross fingers - thanks Judy.
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Hmmmm... I do use the red guide when looking for restaurants, but for hotels..?? I prefer to check rating on Tripadvisor or Booking.com. The top hotels will obviously we those that require a second mortgage or the sale of your kidneys...
Interesting! I was disappointed with Les Bains. The hotel was visually appealing (even if the room's light switches confused me no end) but les bains themselves, which was the reason we chose there, weren't at all worth it.
I'm certainly keen to see what this guide delivers.