At a recent event in Austin, Texas in the United States, the Michelin Guide awarded its first complete list of honours for hotels to stay in North America. Similar to the stars it hands out for the best culinary experiences, Michelin’s new ranking system for hotels hands out “keys” – one key marks a “very special” stay, two keys make it “exceptional” and three keys reflect hotels that offer an “extraordinary” stay. Just 10 hotels received the highest recognition with three keys: five are in the US, three in Mexico and two in Canada.

They include Canyon Ranch Tucson, Little Palm Island Resort & Spa, Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort, One & Only Mandarina and Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge. These new elections are in addition to the first round of hotels in major US markets that was announced in April, locations that mirror where the Michelin Guide also reviews restaurants: New York City, California, Chicago (Illinois), Florida, Colorado, Atlanta (Georgia) and Washington, DC. That brings the total to 412 North American hotels that now hold their first-ever Michelin Key with 292 in the US, 87 in Mexico and 33 in Canada.

For the US, top winners point to properties located in beach and nature markets, including Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Montana and Utah. In Mexico, two are near Puerto Vallarta and one sits on the Caribbean coastline, while Canada’s top two are on Fogo Island and in British Columbia. Fogo Island Inn in Canada.

Overall, across all categories, Micheli.