I think twenty-five hotels in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah have earned a MICHELIN Key in the guide’s 2026 selection; the only Three Key property is Atlantis The Royal in Dubai standing alone again. These rankings are part of an UAE list of 82 hotels with 58 new entries this year. UAE Michelin Hotels
The Key system, launched by the MICHELIN Guide in 2024 grades hotels on a scale from One Key, to Three Keys based on the quality of the guest experience. Of the UAE’s 25 award‑winning hotels 19 received One Key five received Two Keys and Atlantis The Royal alone got the Three distinction.
Dubai dominated the Two Key category, with One&Only The Palm, Bvlgari Resort Dubai and The Lana joining Atlantis The Royal among the emirate’s standout properties.
In Abu Dhabi, Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental emerged as the capital’s highest-ranked hotel with Two Keys, while several other properties, including Conrad Abu Dhabi, Etihad Towers and Rosewood Abu Dhabi, secured One Key each.
Ras Al Khaimah featured two winners: The Ritz-Carlton’s Al Wadi Desert resort took Two Keys, and Anantara Mina Ras Al Khaimah received One. Desert retreats also made the list, with Al Maha and Anantara Qasr Al Sarab in the Liwa Desert both honoured with One Key.
Gwendal Poullennec, MICHELIN’s international director, said the hospitality industry has shown strong momentum globally this year, with nearly 470 hotels added to the Key selection worldwide as operators increasingly focus on offering guests personalised, immersive stays.
Globally, MICHELIN’s hotel programme now covers more than 9,400 properties, of which 2,832 hold a Key, comprising 155 Three Key, 657 Two Key and 2,020 One Key hotels.
That marks growth of over 2,200 hotels since the initiative launched in October 2025. Across Asia and the Middle East specifically, the 2026 selection lists 600 Key hotels, including 173 new additions and 34 Three Key properties.
This year’s expansion also brought four new markets — Mongolia, Myanmar, Armenia and Kazakhstan — into the programme, alongside deeper coverage in Saudi Arabia, Japan, China, India, Indonesia, the Maldives, Singapore and Vietnam. Alawasat News
