The Couvent des Minimes and the Château de la Chèvre d’Or win the third Michelin key

The Couvent des Minimes, in Mane-en-Provence and the Château de la Chèvre d'Or, in Èze, have won the prestigious third Michelin key this year, in a global hotel ranking where France is among the most distinguished countries, alongside the United States and Italy. For this second edition, the famous guide has distinguished 470 additional hotels for a ranking now comprising a total of 2,832 establishments spread across 79 countries. Among these 2,832 hotels, only 155 display three Michelin keys, the highest distinction.

“This year, we notice that there are a lot of new projects and openings, proving the dynamism of the sector,” notes Gwendal Poullennec, director of the Michelin guide. Another trend he observes: “if in recent years innovations were driven by independent hoteliers, we see that large groups are now also investing in experiential hotels,” he tells AFP.

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1. United States, 2. Italy, 3. France

In the United States, 359 hotels appear in the ranking, 224 in Italy and 220 in France. In this country, 25 hotels display three keys, making it the destination with the most hotels in this category, the last two promoted being Le Couvent des Minimes, in Mane-en-Provence (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) and Château de la Chèvre d'Or, in Èze (Alpes-Maritimes). Michelin relies on the notoriety of its restaurant rankings to publicize its hotel rankings and uses the same methodology, by hiring hospitality professionals who carry out mystery visits.

The group then takes a commission on reservations made via its site in selected establishments. Without wanting to give a figure, Gwendal Poullenec affirms that the guide is “completely in line with its road plan”, “in strong growth for reservations as well as for consultations”. In addition to the hotel industry, the guide has also started to award distinctions in the wine sector.

Two Michelin competitors in gastronomy have also been interested in the hotel sector since 2023, La Liste and The 50 (formerly 50 Best). The 50, owned by British media group William Reed, this week released its annual rankings which crowned the Rosewood Hong Kong hotel for the second year in a row. France has six hotels in this ranking, the first, the Hôtel de Crillon, ranking 14th out of 50.