44 hotels in the GCC awarded Michelin Keys

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Banyan Tree Resort AlUla Canyon Pool in Saudi Arabia

A total of 44 hotels across the Gulf countries have been awarded Michelin Keys in the brand’s first-ever global hotel ranking, unveiled on 8 October at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

Each of the six GCC states was represented, with Dubai’s Atlantis The Royal securing the region’s only Three Key distinction, one of just four across the Middle East.

Described as the hotel world’s equivalent of the Michelin Star for restaurants, the Michelin Key awards recognise the world’s most outstanding hotels in either One, Two or Three Keys, following a rigorous independent evaluation by Michelin’s inspectors on five criteria, including service excellence, architectural distinction and guest experience.

The debut global list spans more than 2,457 properties – 143 Three-Key, 572 Two-Key and 1,742 One-Key hotels – selected from more than 7,000 establishments across North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, and the Middle East.

Atlantis The Royal is the Gulf's only Michelin Three-Key hotel

GCC leads Middle East recognition

The GCC dominates the inaugural Middle East list, with 44 awardees spanning the UAE (20), Qatar (10), Saudi Arabia (7), Oman (3), Kuwait (2) and Bahrain (1).

Michelin inspectors praised the region not just for its “outrageous luxury” but offering also “secluded escapes amidst some of the world’s most staggering scenery”.

Dubai’s Atlantis The Royal was the stand-out, securing both the only Three Key distinction in the Gulf and Michelin’s first global Architecture and Design Award for its “stacked geometry redefining Dubai’s skyline”.

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This positions the resort among the world’s top-tier hotels alongside Three-Key honourees such as Aman New York, The Savoy in London and Rosewood Hong Kong.

Thirteen hotels in the Gulf received Two Key status, celebrated for being “truly unique and exceptional”.

The selection features four Red Sea Global projects in Saudi Arabia — including Shebara Resort, also shortlisted for the global Architecture Award — alongside four winners from the UAE, two from Qatar, and one each from Oman and Bahrain, with standout properties such as Jumeirah Burj Al Arab and Raffles Doha among the honourees.

Shebara Resort has been awarded Two Keys

In the One Key category, 30 hotels in the Gulf were recognised for their “distinctive spirit, a warm welcome and consistently excellent standards,” with the UAE leading the tally with 15 properties, including nine in Dubai and six in Abu Dhabi.

The list also features seven standouts in Qatar’s capital Doha, three landmark resorts in Saudi Arabia, two in Oman, and two luxury addresses in Kuwait.

Three Key hotels in the GCC

Atlantis The Royal, Dubai, UAE

Two Key hotels in the GCC

Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental Abu Dhabi

Bulgari Resort Dubai

Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, Dubai

One&Only The Palm Dubai

Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Saudi Arabia

Shebara Resort, Saudi Arabia

Desert Rock Resort, Saudi Arabia,

Six Senses Southern Dunes, Saudi Arabia

Four Seasons Resort and Residences at The Pearl – Qatar

Raffles Doha

The Chedi Katara Hotel & Resort, Doha

Raffles Al Areen Palace Bahrain

Alila Jabal Akhdar, Oman

One Key hotels in the GCC

ERTH Hotel, Abu Dhabi

Jumeirah Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers

Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island

Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island; Rosewood Abu Dhabi

Rosewood Abu Dhabi

Anantara Qasr al Sarab Desert Resort, Abu Dhabi

Address Beach Resort, Dubai

Armani Hotel Dubai

Mandarin Oriental Jumeirah, Dubai

ME Dubai by Melia

The Lana, Dorchester Collection, Dubai

The St Regis Downtown Dubai

Al Maha, A Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa

Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa

The St. Regis Dubai, The Palm

Banyan Tree AlUla, Saudi Arabia

The St Regis Red Sea Resort, Saudi Arabia

Waldorf Astoria Jeddah – Qasr Al-Sharq, Saudi Arabia

Fairmont, Doha

Four Seasons, Doha

Mandarin Oriental, Doha

Marsa Malaz Kempinski, The Pearl in Doha

Rosewood Doha

Sharq Village & Spa, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Doha

The Ned Doha

Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at Burj Alshaya

The St. Regis, Kuwait

The Chedi, Muscat

Six Senses Zighy Bay, Oman

Beyond the Gulf, a further 49 hotel properties from Morocco, Turkey and Egypt were recognised with One Key status, along with five Key-awarded hotels in Jordan and two in Cyprus.

Completing the region’s elite, La Mamounia and Kasbah Tamadot in Morocco, and the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet, joined Atlantis The Royal as Three Key properties in the Middle East.

For more information, visit guide.michelin.com