The Mandarin Oriental, Desaru Coast resort wins its first MICHELIN Key, one of 9 in Malaysia for 2026

Malaysia goes from four to nine MICHELIN Key hotels in 2026, in the selection the MICHELIN Guide announced on 18 September, the third edition of its hotel awards. Among the five newcomers, the Mandarin Oriental, Desaru Coast resort celebrates its first Key, hailed in its press release of 14 October, while the Four Seasons Resort Langkawi remains the only hotel in the country with two Keys. Here is the full list, hotel by hotel.

☰Contents

1. 44 pool suites facing the South China Sea
2. Lumare, the beach club due on 21 November
3. What does a night at the Mandarin Oriental cost?
4. Langkawi, beach home of the only two-Key hotel
5. Penang wins its first two Keys
6. Kuala Lumpur, from the 75th floor to Chinatown
7. Newcomers and holders: the 9 hotels at a glance

44 pool suites facing the South China Sea

On the south-east coast of the state of Johor, close to Singapore, the resort covers 52 hectares of tropical forest (128 acres) on the shores of the South China Sea. Formerly One&Only Desaru Coast, then The Sirēya Desaru Coast, it came under the Mandarin Oriental flag on 30 January 2026: the Key arrived a little under eight months later. It belongs to Destination Resorts & Hotels, a subsidiary of the sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional.

It is one of the last works by the architect Kerry Hill, who died in 2018. The 44 suites, each at least 105 m², all have a shaded veranda, a courtyard and a private pool; a four-bedroom villa with pool completes the picture. Guests dine at Ambara, the main restaurant, at Essential, at the Dusky Monkey Bar or at OFYR grill dinners, and the spa is set around a pool in the forest. In the MICHELIN Guide’s vocabulary, one Key signals ‘a special stay’.

Since May 2026 the resort has been run by Australian Fiona Hagan, who has thirty years of luxury hospitality in Asia-Pacific behind her and previously ran the Shangri-La Rasa Ria in Kota Kinabalu. ‘We are deeply honoured to receive our first MICHELIN Key,’ she says in the hotel’s press release.

Lumare, the beach club due on 21 November

On 21 November 2026 the resort will open the Lumare Beach House & Sports Club, Mandarin Oriental’s first beach club in South-East Asia. On the programme: fire-cooked cuisine inspired by the coasts of the northern Mediterranean, a sea-facing pool, a children’s pool, padel, tennis, water sports and guest DJs.

What does a night at the Mandarin Oriental cost?

Checked on 18 October 2026 on the official mandarinoriental.com booking engine, for the night of Wednesday 11 to Thursday 12 November 2026 and two adults: the Rainforest Junior Suite (105 m², private pool) costs RM2,480 a night before tax (RM: Malaysian ringgit), or RM2,678 including tax, with breakfast for two. This ‘Malaysia & Singapore’ rate, reserved for residents of Malaysia and Singapore, was the only one shown that day; the public rate was not displayed. On the same day, the Ocean Junior Suite was RM2,880, the Ocean Front Junior Suite RM3,440 and the Ocean Grand Suite (210 m²) RM10,000.

Langkawi, beach home of the only two-Key hotel

Four Seasons Resort Langkawi · two Keys, retained

The only Malaysian hotel with two Keys for the second year running, the Four Seasons Resort Langkawi lines up 92 rooms in villas and pavilions along Tanjung Rhu beach, on the island of Langkawi, in the state of Kedah.

The Datai Langkawi · one Key, new

A newcomer, The Datai Langkawi (121 rooms, Jalan Teluk Datai) becomes the island’s second recognised hotel, with its pool villas in the tropical forest.

Penang wins its first two Keys

Soori Penang · one Key, new

Opened in January 2026 in George Town, Soori Penang houses 15 suites in restored shophouses within the Khoo Kongsi compound, a Chinese clan temple. Its architect, Soo K. Chan (of the SCDA practice), grew up in this compound. The hotel is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World.

Cheong Fatt Tze The Qing Suites · one Key, new

An annexe of the Blue Mansion, the Cheong Fatt Tze residence, The Qing Suites has 13 suites set in five servants’ houses built in 1904. Opened in late 2025, it has its own traditional Chinese medicine spa, Virtue TCM. Together with Soori Penang, these are the first hotels in the state of Penang to receive a Key.

Kuala Lumpur, from the 75th floor to Chinatown

Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur · one Key, new

Malaysia’s first Park Hyatt, opened in August 2025, the Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur occupies levels 75 to 114 of the Merdeka 118 tower and has 252 rooms. The capital will also welcome a Waldorf Astoria on 30 October: see our article on its opening.

Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur · one Key, retained

With 236 rooms at 145 Jalan Ampang, the Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur keeps the Key it won in 2025.

The RuMa Hotel and Residences · one Key, retained

The RuMa Hotel and Residences, with 253 rooms at 7 Jalan Kia Peng and part of the Urban Resort Concepts group, also keeps its Key.

Else Kuala Lumpur · one Key, retained

More intimate, Else Kuala Lumpur gathers 49 rooms in the Lee Rubber Building, a 1930s Art Deco block in Chinatown.

Newcomers and holders: the 9 hotels at a glance

Five new entries, four distinctions retained and no three-Key hotel: Malaysia’s 2026 line-up at a glance. Compare it with the 2026 MICHELIN Keys in Vietnam and Brazil’s 22 Key hotels.