Travel 4 minutes 12 September 2024

The First MICHELIN Key Hotels: All the Keys in Mexico

The MICHELIN Guide announces top honors for Mexican hotels in 2024.

On September 12, 2024, the MICHELIN Guide revealed the brand new One, Two, and Three Key distinctions for the most outstanding hotels in Mexico.

This announcement comes four years into a comprehensive refresh of our hotel selection. The MICHELIN Guide now includes over 5,000 hotels across the world, and not a single one is simply a room for the night. These are places that significantly add to your experience as a traveler, each vetted and judged excellent in five categories: architecture and interior design, quality and consistency of service, overall personality and character, value for the price, and a significant contribution to the guest experience in a particular setting.

Which brings us back to the Keys. The culmination of countless hours of evaluation by our Inspectors, the Key hotels below represent the highlights of our broader selection. Like the MICHELIN Stars for restaurants, the MICHELIN Keys are our most outstanding hotels.

In total, the 2024 MICHELIN Guide hotel selection in Mexico includes a total of 3 Three Key hotels, 21 Two Key hotels, and 63 One Key hotels. Want to know more about the MICHELIN Key? Here’s everything you need to know. Or, head below to look at all the Keys.

Xinalani — Puerto Vallarta

Highlights of the 2024 Mexico Key Hotel List

Jump straight to the list or take a deeper dive into select Key hotels.

On this page, you’ll find every single one of our Key distinctions, sorted by number of Keys and location in Mexico. Click on any hotel to go straight to the hotel page to learn more about the nuts and bolts of each property. Alternatively, you can read any number of in-depth pieces about the aspects of the special craft that make up a Key hotel over on our magazine. While our anonymous selection team spends every day scouring the earth to vet favorite hotels and unearth hidden gems, our editorial team delves into the hotel craft by speaking directly to hoteliers. Scroll down for more insights into the Mexico Key hotels in 2024.

Also read: The First MICHELIN Key Hotels in the United States
Also read: The First MICHELIN Key Hotels in Mexico

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One&Only Mandarina — Lo de Marcos

The Three Key Club Mexico

Three hotels earned our top honor in Mexico: One&Only Mandarina, Hotel Esencia, and Xinalani. Each represents stunning beachside luxury, with architecture that takes full advantage of the Mexican landscape and accommodations placed among the trees. Head here to see each of these Three Key masterpieces in photos.

Read More: At Two Key Rosewood Mayakoba, Room #317 Lives Up To Its $5,000 Price Tag

Playa Viva — Zihuatanejo

Hot Spots: The Pacific Coast and Yucatan Peninsula

Of the tiny club of Three Key hotels in Mexico, two of them — Xinalani and One&Only Mandarina — make their homes along the Pacific. They’re joined by other Key hotels up and down the coastline, from Bellview Boutique Hotel, Casa Kimberly, and Hacienda San Angel in Puerta Vallarta, to Playa Viva in Zihuatanejo and Zoa Hotel in Oaxaca. Find a fuller selection of our Pacific Coast hotels, here.

On the country’s other coast, the Yucatan Peninsula is blessed with the thriving mini-resorts of Tulum (see: Be Tulum and Casa Chablé) and favorites like the Waldorf Astoria Cancun. In nearby Playa del Carmen, find Mexico’s other Three Key hotel: Esencia.

Read more: Where To Stay Along Mexico’s Pacific Coast
Inspector Visits: Be Tulum Earns Its Key on the Busy Shores of the Caribbean

Pug Seal Allan Poe — Mexico City

The Beauty of a Mexican Mansion

Throughout the country, Mexico sports a unique abundance of residential-style accommodations, beautiful houses filled with the kind of character that can only come from a lifetime of personal care and passion. For decades, these spaces were used as private family homes and, as a result, they retain a particular sense of warmth and intimacy.

A handful of these mansion hotels gained Keys in Mexico, from Grana B&B in Oaxaca City, to Pug Seal Allan Poe in Mexico City, to Casa de Sierra Nevada in San Miguel de Allende. See more in this collection of hauntingly beautiful mansion hotels.

Read More: From Mezcal to Maison at Two Key Casa Silencio