SEE: Michelin new exceptional French hotels ranking - is one near you?

Prestigious hospitality guide Michelin has unveiled its first list of exceptional hotels in France, using ‘keys’ instead of its famous restaurant ‘stars’ to rate their quality.

The new scale is:

• One key: A singularly good stay

• Two keys: An exceptional stay

• Three keys: An extraordinary stay

France the first

The guide for France - the first in the new series - was released on Monday, April 8. It seeks to highlight the best, “away from all labels, tourism ratings, or existing quotas”, it said.

In France, it awarded: 

• One key: 127 hotels

• Two keys: 38 hotels

• Three keys: 24 hotels.

Just as they do for restaurants, Michelin inspectors for the new hotel guide made several anonymous bookings and stayed at some of the best hotels across around 50 countries.

Read also: 52 new Michelin star restaurants in France - is there one near you?
Read also: MAP: Michelin lists 56 places in France where you eat well for €40 

Three keys in France

Three-key establishments in France include - perhaps unsurprisingly - most of the ‘grand palaces’ in Paris, including the Meurice, the Plaza Athénée, the Saint-James, and the Ritz. The high-end ski resort Courchevel also has two: the Cheval Blanc and the K2 Palace.

Also with three keys are:

• Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc (Antibes)

• Les Sources de Caudalie (Bordeaux)

• Villa La Coste (Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade)

• Domaine Les Crayères (Reims)

• La Réserve (Ramatuelle) 

• Airelles-Le Grand Contrôle (Versailles)

The Hôtel de Paris Monte Carlo in Monaco (pictured, below) - which is included in the French guide - was also awarded three keys.

Two keys in France

The hotels awarded two keys are a little more spread across the country, and include: 

• Hôtel du Palais (Biarritz, pictured, above)

• La Mirande (Avignon)

• Chais Monnet (Cognac)

• Castelbrac (Dinard)

• Les Prés d'Eugénie (Eugénie-les-Bains)

• Château de la Chèvre d'or (Èze)

• La Ferme Saint-Siméon (Honfleur)

• Casadelmar (Porto-Vecchio) 

• Château de Montcaud (Sabran). 

Major Paris hotels in this category include the Royal Monceau, The Peninsula, and the Shangri-La.

One key in France

One-key hotels include: 

• Les Haras (Strasbourg)

• Les Hortensias du Lac (Soorts-Hossegor)

• Clarance (Lille)

• Château de Berne (Lorgues)

• Hôtel des Berges (Illhaeusern)

• La Maison des têtes (Colmar)

• Chez Laurence du Tilly (Caen)

• Loire Valley Lodges (Esvres-sur-Indres)

• Au Cœur du village (La Clusaz)

• Château de Maubreuil (Carquefou) 

• Manoir de Lan-Kerellec (Trébeurden). 

Around 20 hotels in Paris also come under this category.

International editions

After France, new hotel guides are set to be announced for: 

• United States: April 24 

• Spain: April 29 

• Italy: May 7 

• Japan: July 4

Other destinations will follow throughout the year.