It’s crowded out there in the world of global luxury. Crowded and cutthroat, with a fine line between being the next big thing and yesterday’s news. Any competitive edge is welcome when you’re trying to claim your share of the market.
Which is why some SA hotels and lodges were overjoyed this month with the global expansion of the Michelin Keys rating.
While the Michelin Keys concept first launched in 2024, it covered just a handful of destinations. That changed dramatically in October with the 2025 edition of the Michelin Keys system expanding to more than 100 countries across the globe. That includes SA, where 27 hotels and safari lodges earned a Michelin Key ranking.
“Just as Michelin Stars celebrate the world’s most exceptional restaurants, Michelin Keys now honour hotels that offer truly remarkable stays, where design, service and location come together to create unforgettable moments,” said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of The Michelin Guide.
As with the stars for restaurants, hotels are ranked on a three-tier system: one key for “A very special stay”, two keys for “An exceptional stay”, or three keys for “An extraordinary stay”.
In South Africa, 17 hotels and lodges were awarded one key, eight scored two keys and only two properties — Royal Malewane and Londolozi — bagged three keys. That puts them among just 143 establishments worldwide to achieve the highest rating, with only four other three-key properties in Africa: Giraffe Manor in Kenya, Kasbah Tamadot and La Mamounia in Morocco, and Zannier Sonop in Namibia.
Unlike many other awards in the travel space, the cachet of Michelin carries enormous weight, say local insiders. “
The Michelin Key carries immense prestige. It’s globally recognised for its rigorous, independent standards and trusted by high-end travellers and travel advisers alike,” explains Simon Mandy, managing director of The Royal Portfolio. “The Michelin platform reaches a discerning global audience actively seeking extraordinary stays, driving both awareness and qualified enquiries.”
“The Michelin brand is not only recognised worldwide but also highly respected,” adds Jacolien de Villiers, CEO at Delaire Graff Estate, which was awarded two Michelin Keys, while Cape Grace GM Leon Meyer says the “Michelin Guide has an almost unparalleled global reputation for rigorous, expert evaluation, built over decades of assessing restaurants. When they extend that same discerning eye to hotels, it instantly commands attention.”
“It’s huge for us,” adds Joe Cloete, CEO of Shamwari Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape, where Long Lee Manor was awarded one key. “Receiving recognition from Michelin places a restaurant or hotel amongst the world’s elite.”
But looking through the list of key winners, some properties were notable by their absence. Where is Singita in all of this? Long acclaimed as one of Africa’s leading luxury safari products, none of their African properties made the Michelin list.
The same goes for andBeyond, whose island boltholes and bush escapes surely deserve a key? The charming, but understated, Akademie Street Boutique Hotel and Guesthouse in Franschhoek was awarded a key, but the likes of Mnemba or Tengile River are unworthy? Park Hyatt Joburg earns a key, but the jaw-dropping Cheetah Plains is ignored?
And where is Botswana in all of this? Despite the Okavango Delta playing host to some of Africa’s most remarkable lodges, not a single key was awarded anywhere in the country. That Jack’s Camp doesn’t count as “special”, “extraordinary” or “exceptional” makes me wonder what’s at play.
One industry source suggested to me that key-winning hotels had to be part of the Tablet Hotels curatorial and booking system, acquired by Michelin in 2018, but this was denied by Michelin.
“The inspectors of the Michelin Guide work with complete independence and without any bias,” a spokesperson told me. “This independence has been a core value of the guide since its creation, and it remains central to our approach today. As with restaurants, we do not use quotas based on numbers or types of establishments. Whether your hotel is urban or rural, high-end or budget-friendly, it can be part of our selection.”
While the awarding of Keys has indeed added new lustre to some of Africa’s most impressive hotels and lodges, perhaps they will also encourage high-end travel a little further off the beaten track.
Shipwreck Lodge on Namibia’s Skeleton Coast was awarded one key, no doubt thanks to its striking driftwood-inspired architecture and fantastically remote location, while South Africa’s Wild Coast enjoys much-needed exposure.
“The Michelin Key award is a major boost,” says Colin Bell, founder of GweGwe Beach Lodge in the Eastern Cape’s Mkambati Nature Reserve.
GweGwe has been structured to create community development through tourism and pays both annual rental and a percentage of gross turnover — the last cheque was for upwards of R400,000 — to the community-owned Mkambati Land Trust.
“This Michelin Key is a phenomenal accolade for the lodge and will certainly help both the lodge and the Mkambati Reserve get into the international markets so much faster, and thus in turn help it on its way to true sustainability. “
The Wild Coast has been off the radar for high-end travellers, and GweGwe is the game-changer, but building a new destination takes time and needs help. Michelin does that.”
