The long-awaited "Michelin Key" Asian version launches in Japan
What are the 108 hotels and inns carefully selected by Michelin?

7Month4On the 108th, the first "Michelin Key" hotel selection in Asia was announced. This is the hotel version of Michelin. A total of XNUMX Japanese hotels and inns were selected this time.

What is a "Michelin Key"? It may be an unfamiliar name, but it's no surprise. The Michelin Guide, a world-renowned authority on star-ranked restaurants,2024This is a hotel guide that was launched in 2013 and is already available this year.4Starting in April, France and the United States (7The announcement ceremony is being held in the US, Spain and Italy. Japan is the first Asian country to hold the event.12Since the announcement was made in February, travel journalists and many travel enthusiasts alike have been buzzing about which hotels and inns will be selected by the Michelin Guide.

There are currently about 100 hotels in Japan, ranging from top-class luxury hotels to high-class inns, business hotels, resort hotels, and private lodgings.5It is said that there are tens of thousands of accommodation facilities.2023Announced by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare at the beginning of the year2021This data is from the end of the fiscal year, and considering the bankruptcies caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the steady decline in inns, and the influx of new hotels opening due to the increase in inbound tourism, it is highly likely that the data has changed significantly since then.

However, this Japanese version of the Michelin Key does not cover all existing hotels and inns. It only covers about 100 hotels and inns that were selected in advance by the Michelin Guide's official inspectors (anonymous investigators).250From the selection list, we have selected 3 Michelin Keys (62 Michelin Keys (171 Michelin Key (85The eaves were selected.

3 Michelin Key (top-class stay) awarded accommodation

Gora Flower Bed (Kanagawa)
Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto
Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo (Tokyo)
Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi (Tokyo)
Palace Hotel Tokyo (Tokyo)
Amanemu (Mie)

What makes us different from other hotel ranking guides?

By the way, restaurant rankings include the Michelin Guide and the Best50"," "Gault & Millau," "Tabelog," "Retty" and many others, but the same can be said for the hotel industry.1987The Reader's Choice Awards by Conde Nast Traveler, which was launched in the United States in 2013,1958There is also the Forbes Travel Guide, which has been running since 2007. Both publish rankings and ratings of Japanese hotels and inns almost every year, and these can be easily searched for on the Internet.2023From 2017, here is the "Best50" entered the market, and in the fall of last year, the first "World's Best Hotel50" was announced (also from Japan)3In addition, travel booking sites offer a wide variety of user rankings, so it feels like there are now a lot of different guidelines for choosing a hotel or ryokan.

Michelin Key was launched with great anticipation in this era of fierce competition. With so many different rating guides, it can be hard to know what criteria to use, but it's actually a simple matter. This is my personal opinion, but if you keep in mind "who is selecting them" and "what is the evaluation axis," the answer will come naturally.

<Forbes Travel Guide>
Our own dedicated researchers conduct anonymous reviews. Our specialist researchers stay at the properties for a fee.800The inspection items are thoroughly and rigorously checked. The inspection items are specialized and basic, such as the cleanliness of the room and whether there are any deficiencies in the service. There are rumors that the inspection results are notified to the accommodation at a later date.

<Conde Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards>
This award is based on a reader vote (so it can also be considered a kind of anonymous review). It is a historic award selected by votes from the magazine's millions of readers around the world. The selection criteria are simple, asking people to list their "next travel destinations", and compared to Forbes and the like, it may be closer to a popularity ranking than a review.

＜World Best50>
Appointed official regional chairmanvoteAnonymous survey by (voters).2023Although it has just started, the basic voting system is "World Best50"Similar to the restaurant version. There are nine regions around the world, each with its own chairman.voteAppoint an anonymousvoteThe site is made up of journalists, hoteliers, and travel enthusiasts, who vote for the hotels they most highly evaluate from around the world. Therefore, the results are similar to a popularity ranking.

So what are the criteria that Michelin Key uses to assess the results?

We place the greatest value on the individuality of the accommodation and the experience you have there.

Before I talk about the Michelin Key evaluation criteria and methods, there is something I would like to mention first. That is the long history of the Michelin Guide. In Japan, the company is known as a restaurant guide, but its main business is a major manufacturer of automobile tires based in France. The French version of the Michelin Guide was launched just recently.100More than 10 years ago1900This was back in the 1960s, when traveling by car was still a big adventure. Guidebooks providing information on food and accommodation at travel destinations were born from a desire to make road trips a little more comfortable and dreamy.

When did star ratings begin?1926In 1990, the restaurant guide's criteria for a three-star rating clearly stated that "exceptional cuisine is worth traveling for," making it clear that accommodation and food were the two main pillars. Later, the restaurant section became so famous that the image of "Michelin = gourmet guide" became established, but it is worth noting that accommodation was also included in the original set.

Now, after a long time, Michelin has relaunched its hotel selection. While there are already well-known hotel rankings that have gained widespread acceptance, the company is introducing a completely new set of evaluation criteria and values. In addition to service, everything is evaluated, including architecture, interior design, and history, as the unique character of the accommodation that can only be experienced there. Because the rankings value unique features and originality and emphasize experiences that are commensurate with the price, there is a wide variety of hotels and inns, even though they have the same number of keys.

This is a very interesting point.6Leaving aside the restaurants with 2 Michelin keys or less, I found the selection so surprising that I couldn't take my eyes off the list when I first saw it.

2 Michelin Key (Excellent Stay) Awarded Accommodation

ENOWA YUFUIN(Oita)
Kamenoi Villa (Oita)
Yusandi (Okinawa)
Halekulani Okinawa (Okinawa)
Benesse House (Kagawa)
Aman Kyoto (Kyoto)
THE SHINMONZEN(Kyoto)
Asaba (Shizuoka)
Aman Tokyo (Tokyo)
The Capitol Hotel Tokyu (Tokyo)
Janu Tokyo (Tokyo)
The Ritz-Carlton Nikko (Tochigi)
Fufu Nikko (Tochigi)
Garden Inn Sekitei (Hiroshima)
Zaborin (Hokkaido)
Nishimuraya Main Building (Hyogo)
Fufu Lake Kawaguchi (Yamanashi)

A diverse range of "good hotels" in an age of diversity

Perhaps because the evaluation criteria were far more unique than we could have imagined, this time the restaurant received three, two, and one Michelin key.108Looking at the list of hotels, a number of questions come to mind. I'm sure readers have some thoughts, such as why there are no super-famous foreign hotel groups, or why most of the leading domestic hotel groups that are regulars on other ranking lists are not on the list. However, upon further consideration, some interesting ideas emerge.

In other words, for better or worse, Michelin Key has just begun.5This has been progressing steadily for the past few years, and the anonymous judges, who are full-time employees of Michelin and who undergo several years of rigorous training before taking on the role, always visit the accommodations themselves to stay there and tour the place. Although this is the Japanese version, the list is targeted at travelers from all over the world, and the judges are a single team made up of people of all nationalities from all over the world. Looking at the place names of the accommodations on the list, Tokyo, Kyoto, Hokkaido, and Okinawa are by far the most popular, as you would expect from popular destinations that are popular with inbound tourists. As Japan's hotel and inn industry grows, there is no doubt that this list will become more extensive in the future.

This time, "Michelin Key," "Conde Nast Traveler," and "Forbes Travel Guide"3The team that ranked in the top group on all the strong lists was Kyoto's "HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO'1On the other hand, there are also cases where famous luxury hotels are ranked low or not ranked depending on the list. Nowadays, it is a must for travel lovers to find a hotel ranking that gives them the rating they like.

The next stage of the hotel competition begins here

This is also true for restaurant rankings, but when looking at guidebooks that will be released internationally in the future, one thing to keep in mind is that they are not just for Japanese people. For example, the Michelin Key Japan Edition is only available in digital format and is free for anyone to view. It is currently available in two languages, Japanese and English, but the area settings are50The senders of information are clearly looking out to the world, and Japan's hospitality industry is competing with people who are visiting Japan from such places.

Speaking of Japanese inns, the enjoyment of ryokans is now popular among inbound tourists, but if they stick to the traditional service style just because it is traditional, it is likely to make overseas guests feel uncomfortable. There is a limit to how much "inconvenience is fun," and many high-end ryokans these days are trying to make their living space more hotel-like. For example, "Fufu," which has seven Michelin-ranked facilities nationwide this time, is an inn, but instead of the sophisticated Wabi-Sabi style of praise for shadows, it has grown significantly by emphasizing modern, bright service and comfort that is popular with inbound tourists.

The emergence of Michelin Key will change travel and food

At the presentation, I was able to meet many of my hotel acquaintances. When I congratulated the manager of a certain hotel that had won the key, he said, "I'm very happy and it's a great honor. However, until now, I was worried about whether the restaurant in the hotel would win a star, but from now on, the hotel itself must keep the key. I also have to think about the balance between the two.……"There's no time to relax," he said, his smile mixed with a look of determination on his face.

It has already been announced that Michelin Key will be available in other parts of North America, Canada, Thailand, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Mexico, and the UK this year alone. It will be expanded further from next year onwards.250The number of hotels listed in the Michelin Key Hotel Selection Japan Edition is increasing daily. This means that it is clear that competition will intensify with each passing year. However, there are also hopes for benefits. Not only will it revitalize the industry, but by creating more diversity in the evaluation of hotels and inns, travelers will be able to choose accommodations based on a variety of value standards. If hotels with unique and young sensibilities also come to be evaluated, it may give rise to the next generation and a new class of workers entering the industry.

It is expected that tourism will be the savior of the Japanese economy in the future, and it will be exciting to see how Michelin Key's contribution will spread from now on. As travelers, we are witnessing the first scene.