How Michelin keys change the hotel world

Since 2024, the prestigious Michelin Guide evaluates the best hotels in the world with a new “key” system — and one of the first to be awarded is an Alpine resort with pools from the Czech Imaginox. The Swiss Bergwelt Grindelwald, a four-star design hotel overlooking the famous three-thousanders Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, received a Michelin key in October 2025. Its wellness heart is the Fire & Ice Spa with a stainless steel pool and outdoor hot tub, designed and manufactured by IMAGINOX. This fact shows that the quality of wellness facilities directly affects whether a hotel achieves the most prestigious award in the industry.

What are Michelin keys and why were they created

Most people know Michelin stars as the highest restaurant award. However, as of April 2024, there is their hotel equivalent — Michelin Keys. While the stars rate the cuisine, the keys rate the overall experience of the stay. A hotel can receive one, two or three keys, with three keys representing a “special stay” — an experience that the guest remembers for a lifetime.

The project took four years to create. The first keys were awarded  on April 8, 2024 in France, where they were received by 189 hotels. This was followed by the United States (124 hotels), Spain, Italy (146 hotels), Japan and nine other countries. A major turning point came on October 8, 2025, when Michelin presented the first global selection — 2,457 hotels in about 125 countries around the world — at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Of these, only 143 hotels received three keys, 572 hotels received two keys and 1,742 hotels received one key. The hotels have been selected from over 7,000 properties recommended by the Michelin Guide.

The key to the star is distinguished mainly by the fact that architecture, interior design and atmosphere are key when evaluating hotels — for restaurants, the décor does not matter. And this is where wellness comes into play.

Five criteria that decide the key

Michelin evaluates hotels according to five universal criteria. Each award-winning hotel must excel in all five, not just one.

• Excellent architecture and interior design — how a hotel translates the aesthetics of its surroundings into the sensory language of space
• Quality and consistency of service — system excellence from booking to check-out
• Personality and character — authentic identity that the guest feels in every detail
• Value for money — it’s not about the low price, it’s about whether the hotel exceeds expectations
• Benefits for the neighborhood and location — how the hotel connects guests with the local culture and environment

Unlike the Forbes Travel Guide system, which uses over 900 micro-criteria, Michelin emphasizes  a holistic experience and “genius loci” — the evaluators assess the continuity of the entire stay. Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of Michelin Guides, summed it up: “Just as a Michelin star honors restaurants at the pinnacle of their art, the Michelin Key honors the world’s most spectacular hotels.”

The evaluation is carried out  by anonymous inspectors — former professionals in the catering and hotel industry, employed and paid directly by Michelin. They do not maintain social networks, they visit the hotel repeatedly and pay for their stay themselves. This independence distinguishes Michelin keys from most rankings that are created by readers’ votes or paid partnerships.

Only 143 hotels around the world hold the three keys

Let’s look at specific examples. Among  the 143 three-key hotels, we find legendary names: Four Seasons George V in Paris, Le Bristol Paris and La Réserve Paris. In the USA, these are Aman New York, Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles or Amangiri in the canyons of Utah. The Italian top is represented by Passalacqua on the shores of Lago di Como or the Four Seasons Firenze. In Switzerland, for example, Badrutt’s Palace Hotel in St. Moritz, and Atlantis The Royal in Dubai hold three keys.

Interestingly, the keys are not exclusive to palaces — Canada’s Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge is the only glamping location in the world with three keys, and  Croatia’s Villa Nai 3.3 has only eight rooms. Michelin thus appreciates excellence regardless of size or category.

Bergwelt Grindelwald: Alpine design with a Czech heart

In the middle of Grindelwald, Switzerland, right under the north face of the Eiger, stands the Bergwelt Grindelwald — Alpine Design Resort since 2021. The four-star superior hotel with 90 rooms and suites is a member of the prestigious Small Luxury Hotels of the World network and is also available via the Hilton platform. In October 2025, it received one Michelin key — as one of only 87 Swiss hotels in the inaugural selection for the DACH region.

The Michelin Guide describes the hotel as follows: “Right in the middle of the action, the Bergwelt Resort enjoys breathtaking views of the iconic Alpine peaks and offers a charming après-ski scene in a range of beautifully equipped bars, lounges, spa areas and terraces.” In addition to the Michelin key, the hotel won the title  of Hotel of the Year 2025/26 in the ranking of the 150 best Swiss hotels and  the DACH Spa Award in the category of four-star hotels.

The hotel’s wellness area is called Fire & Ice Spa — eight hundred square meters inspired by the contrast of heat and ice of the Grindelwald glaciers. Its backbone is two water features from IMAGINOX:

The Séracs stainless steel overflow pool with dimensions of 10.2 × 3.5 meters dominates the interior of the spa. It is equipped with a generous staircase with stainless steel railings, a tubular bench, a massage wall and an RGB LED lighting system that optically warms the entire space and underlines the Fire & Ice concept. The dim light combined with the deep blue hue of the water creates an atmosphere of privacy and comfort.

The Ogiven outdoor stainless steel hot tub with dimensions of 5.23 × 3.92 meters is located on a terrace protected by high walls that ensure intimacy and at the same time frame a panoramic view of the Alpine peaks. The wide tubular bench with massage jets allows relaxation even in the winter months, when the bright blue water surface “reflects the power of the surrounding glaciers and alpine nature.”

They are complemented by four saunas (Finnish, hay, sanarium and textile steam bath), a salt wall, an ice fountain, a relaxation room with a fireplace and a private garden terrace. The hotel also offers a special Fire & Ice Night Spa Deluxe — private evening access with champagne.

Guest reviews confirm the quality: on Booking.com, the hotel has a score of 9.0 out of 10 (2,443 reviews), with a location score of 9.4 and a comfort score of 9.3. He holds the Travelers’ Choice award on TripAdvisor.

Why wellness decides on prestigious awards

The year 2025 has brought a crucial signal: Michelin has introduced  a special award for wellness (Michelin Wellness Award), which was first won by the Swiss Bürgenstock Resort with a ten-thousand-meter Alpine Spa. Michelin has thus formally confirmed that wellness is not just an accessory, but a key differentiator of hotel excellence.

Data from the field clearly document this trend. According to industry statistics, 80% of hotel guests choose a hotel based on whether it offers wellness. Wellness tourists spend an average of 130% more than regular travelers. And hotels with certified spas are seeing  a 15% increase in bookings and a 20% increase in spa revenue.

Wellness is not a separate criterion in the Michelin key rating — but it is intertwined  with all five pillars at the same time. A well-designed pool and spa contribute to the architecture and design. A unique concept (such as Fire & Ice) defines the individuality of the hotel. Professional wellness operations increase the consistency of services. And the connection of the spa with the surrounding landscape — the Alpine panoramic view from the Imaginox outdoor hot tub in the Bergwelt is a perfect example of this — fulfils the criterion of contribution to the location.

The Forbes Travel Guide goes even further and evaluates spas as a separate category with its own five-star rating. In its LQA (Leading Quality Assurance) standards, there are 53 dedicated standards for wellness, spa and fitness. The trend is clear: without exceptional wellness, the hotel will not reach the top today.

Stainless steel quality as the basis for long-term excellence

The choice of material for a hotel pool is not just a technical issue — it is a strategic decision that affects operating costs, aesthetics and the ability to maintain the standards required for prestigious certifications.

For a hotel striving for the Michelin key, this means a major advantage: consistent visual and functional quality with each anonymous inspection, year after year. In addition, the stainless steel surface meets the strictest hygiene standards and fits into sustainability trends — Bergwelt Grindelwald holds the Swisstainable Level 3 “Leading” certification and ibex fairstay gold, which are the highest Swiss standards for sustainable tourism.

Today, IMAGINOX supplies swimming pools and wellness equipment to more than ten countries and has over a thousand completed projects. In addition to the Bergwelt Grindelwald, references include alpine hotels in Livigno, Italy (Al Nin Hotel & Spa, Damelis Hotel), mountain resorts in Romania and luxury projects in the Czech Republic. The group brings together four specialized companies — IMAGINOX Pools (pools), TAO (saunas), Aquafloors (movable floors) and Aquamarine Spa (design) — thus being able to realize complete wellness from design to installation.

The key to the future of hotel luxury

The story of the Bergwelt Grindelwald shows how the definition of hotel luxury is changing. It’s no longer just about the marble in the lobby and the number of stars on the façade. Michelin Keys value authentic experience, thoughtful design and internal consistency — and wellness is exactly where these qualities intersect most strongly.

When a guest enters the Séracs overflow pool and looks through the steam curtain at the snow-capped Alpine peaks, he doesn’t care what material it is made of. But it is the material — its glare, its smoothness, its quiet reliability — that co-creates the feeling that determines whether a guest returns. And whether an anonymous Michelin inspector writes the word “exceptional” in his rating.

With 2,457 award-winning hotels and the ambition to cover the world, Michelin keys are just beginning. Hotels that invest in quality wellness today build on foundations that will open the door to tomorrow’s awards. And the Czech stainless steel pools in an Alpine resort with a Michelin key prove that the way to the world’s top can also lead from the Czech Republic.