- 🔑 The news · two French hotels upgraded from two to three Michelin Keys in the 2026 selection unveiled on 18 September
- ⛪ Le Couvent des Minimes · Mane, Haute-Provence: a 17th-century convent, 49 rooms and suites, a 2,500 m² L’Occitane spa, the Michelin-starred Le Feuillée restaurant
- 🏰 Le Château de la Chèvre d’Or · Èze: 45 cliffside rooms and suites overlooking the Mediterranean, two-star restaurant, Relais & Châteaux
- 🇫🇷 France · 22 hotels distinguished this year, 26 three-Key addresses in the French selection, including Monaco
- 🌍 The world · 2,832 hotels in 79 destinations, 470 new addresses, 155 three-Key properties, including 18 new ones
- 🏆 2026 Special awards · Desert Rock Resort (architecture), Schloss Elmau (wellness), Londolozi (local integration), Airelles Palladio Venice (opening of the year)
The red guide has delivered its hotel verdict. On 18 September 2026, the Michelin Guide unveiled its global 2026 Key selection, with two houses in the South of France climbing to the very top: Le Couvent des Minimes in Mane and Château de la Chèvre d’Or in Èze have been promoted from two to three Keys, the distinction reserved for “extraordinary stays”. They join an elite French circle of 26 addresses, from Cap-Eden-Roc to the Ritz, while the world counts only 155.
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La Chèvre d’Or, a hotel disguised as a village
Perched in the medieval village of Èze, between Nice and Monaco, Château de la Chèvre d’Or is not a single building, but a cluster of stone houses connected by staircases, hanging gardens, and terraces. All 45 of its rooms and suites overlook the Mediterranean 400 metres below, and its gourmet restaurant, helmed by chef Arnaud Faye, holds two Michelin stars. A member of Relais & Châteaux, the property now adds a third Key to its already extensive list of accolades.
The guide praises “an experience that has become a destination in its own right”: cliff-hanging infinity pools, olive groves, and suites with bay windows opening onto the open sea. Above all, this promotion consecrates a location that cannot be copied, as it is the rock of Èze itself that creates the hotel.
Le Couvent des Minimes, majestic Haute-Provence
In Mane, near Forcalquier, Le Couvent des Minimes occupies a 17th-century monastery transformed into a hotel by the L’Occitane group, serving as its global flagship for spa experiences. Reopened in June 2023 following a renovation and extension led by the De Planta architectural agency, it features 49 rooms and suites, including 15 new suites, a 2,500 m² L’Occitane spa, and Le Feuillée, a Michelin-starred restaurant entrusted to Meilleur Ouvrier de France Louis Gachet.
The guide describes “ancient stones, Mediterranean gardens, and Provençal landscapes”, as well as a sanctuary “imbued with the spirit of the Luberon”. The third Key comes two and a half years after reopening, a remarkably short timeframe that rewards a multi-million-euro gamble in a village of 1,400 inhabitants. A member of Relais & Châteaux, the property joins the exclusive ranks of three-Key addresses in the Provençal hinterland, alongside Airelles Gordes, Villa La Coste, and Baumanière.
The 26 three-Key hotels in the French selection
With these two promotions, the French selection now features 26 three-Key hotels, including Monaco. Paris concentrates nine of them: Cheval Blanc Paris, Four Seasons George V, La Réserve, Le Bristol, Le Meurice, Maison Villeroy, Plaza Athénée, Ritz, and Saint James. The South holds a strong presence, from Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc and La Réserve Ramatuelle to Grand Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, Baumanière, Villa La Coste, Hôtel & Spa du Castellet, and Airelles Gordes.
| Paris | 9 |
| Côte d’Azur and Monaco | 5 (Cap-Eden-Roc, Chèvre d’Or, Cap-Ferrat, Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, La Réserve Ramatuelle) |
| Provence | 5 (Airelles Gordes, Baumanière, Castellet, Villa La Coste, Couvent des Minimes) |
| Alps | 3 (Cheval Blanc Courchevel, Le K2 Palace, Four Seasons Megève) |
| Champagne and Bordeaux | 3 (Royal Champagne, Domaine Les Crayères, Les Sources de Caudalie) |
| Versailles | 1 (Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle) |
A rapidly expanding global selection
Created in 2024 and expanded globally in autumn 2025, the Michelin Keys are scaling up. The 2026 selection brings together 2,832 hotels across 79 destinations, representing 470 more addresses than a year ago, with 155 three-Key hotels, including 18 new ones such as Borgo Santandrea on the Amalfi Coast, Soneva Secret in the Maldives, and Southern Ocean Lodge in Australia. Ten new countries have entered the map, ranging from Mongolia to Rwanda.
Four special awards complete the list: architecture and design for Desert Rock Resort in Umluj, Saudi Arabia; wellness for Schloss Elmau in Bavaria; local integration for the Londolozi reserve in South Africa; and opening of the year for Airelles Palladio Venice. For France, the message is twofold: 22 new Keys and two promotions to the top tier, both located in Provence and on the Côte d’Azur.
Our perspective
The Keys are three years old and are already establishing themselves as the benchmark the hotel industry was missing: anonymous, independently funded, and readable at a glance. The two French promotions for 2026 convey something precise: the guide rewards places that are impossible to duplicate, a cliffside rock over the sea or a convent amidst the lavender fields, rather than interchangeable urban palaces. This is also the guiding line of our own ranking of the 50 best hotels in the world.
We have tested several of the houses on this list and will continue to do so. Le Couvent des Minimes and Chèvre d’Or feature in our autumn notebook, evaluated against our six criteria and standard rating grid.
Practical information
- Le Couvent des Minimes Hôtel & Spa L’Occitane, chemin des Jeux de Maï, 04300 Mane · annual closure of Le Feuillée from 1 January to 2 March 2027
- Château de la Chèvre d’Or, rue du Barri, 06360 Èze Village · two-star gourmet restaurant, reservations essential
- Complete selection of the 2026 Michelin Keys available on the guide’s website
Photo credit Château de la Chèvre d'Or · Le Couvent des Minimes
