Michelin Guide Names Top Canadian and U.S. Hotels; World’s 50 Best Hotels Also Revealed

Two Canadian hotels and 16 in the U.S. have attained the highest rating by Michelin Guide by earning “three key” status.

U.S. THREE-KEY WINNERS

Canyon Ranch, Tucson, Arizona (new to the list)

Little Palm Island Resort and Spa, Florida (new)

Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort, Hawai’i Island, Hawai’i (new)

Sage Lodge, Montana (new)

Amangiri, Utah (new)

The Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills, California

Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur, California

Single Thread Inn, Healdsburg, California

Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California

Auberge du Soleil, Rutherford, California

Meadowood Napa Valley, St. Helena, California

Canyon Ranch Woodside, Woodside, California

Aman New York, New York City

Casa Cipriani, New York City

Crosby Street Hotel, New York City

The Whitby Hotel, New York City

That’s four for the state of New York and seven in California. New York City takes home four three-key awards, while Northern California nabs five.

Michelin awarded dozens of US hotels with two-key status and even more with one-key. There are too many to list, but a few of my faves are listed below:

Jim’s Fave Two-Key Hotels, U.S.

Cavallo Point Lodge, Sausalito, California

Four Seasons Hualalai, Hawai’i Island, Hawai’i

The Jefferson, Washington D.C.

Hotel Emma, San Antonio, Texas

Jim’s Fave One-Key Hotels, U.S.

Mountain Shadows, Scottsdale, Arizona

Casa del Mar, Santa Monica, California

Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, Santa Monica, California

The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Florida

The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida

Four Seasons Resort at Wailea, Maui, Hawai’i

Four Seasons Resort, Lana’i, Hawai’i

THREE-KEY CANADIAN HOTELS

The Canadian hotels that won three keys are about as far apart as you can get in Canada: Fogo Island Inn in Joe Batt’s Arm, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. (I looked it up, and it’s a 5,200 mile driving trip from the west coast of Vancouver Island to St. John’s, or 8,300 km’s). I haven’t stayed at Clayoquot, but Fogo Island Inn is perhaps the most unique and stunning hotel in Canada; remote but welcoming at the same time.

TWO-KEY CANADIAN HOTELS

North Hatley: Manoir Hovey
Quebec City: Auberge Saint-Antoine
Tofino: Wickaninnish Inn
Toronto: Four Seasons Hotel Toronto at Yorkville
Toronto: The Hazelton Hotel Toronto
Whistler: Fairmont Chateau Whistler
Whistler: Four Seasons Resort Whistler
Vancouver: Rosewood Hotel Georgia

I’ve stayed at several and highly recommend them. The Rosewood Hotel Georgia is stylish and elegant, as is the Hazelton Hotel Toronto. The Wickaninnish Inn has an amazing sense of place and outstanding food, while Auberge Saint-Antoine has lovely rooms and public spaces and also tremendous food.

ONE-KEY CANADIAN HOTELS

WORLD’S 50 BEST HOTELS

The group that does the world’s 50 best restaurants has named the World’s 50 Best Hotels, and it’s a nice list. Coming in at the top was Capella Bangkok, followed by Passalacqua on Lake Como in Italy and Rosewood Hong Kong.

Only a handful of U.S. properties made the list. The Carlyle in New York was 3oth, The Four Seasons at the Surf Club in Surfside, Florida was 34th, the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles (amazing place) 35th, and the Aman New York (see Michelin list above) 37th.

I find it hard to believe that no hotel in the U.S. is in the top 20, but there you go. I was pleased to see The Tasman in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia on the list. My wife and I stayed there last year and thought it was tremendous. A friend of mine raves about The Calile in Brisbane, Australia, which was ranked 25th worldwide.