Five local hotels received coveted Michelin Keys as part of the international brand’s latest selection of properties around the world. 

Hotel Daphne in the Heights is the latest local property to receive a Key from Michelin. The boutique property joins four other Houston hotels that maintained their single Key designation from last year: Hotel Saint Augustine (Montrose), Hotel ZaZa Memorial City, Hotel ZaZa Museum District, and The Post Oak Hotel (Uptown). 

Hotel Daphne, which opened last year on 20th Street, is the city’s newest boutique property. The 49-room hotel brought a much-needed lodging option to the historic area of the Heights, along with a well-received restaurant in the Italian concept Hypsi. 
Michelin awards one, two or three Keys to exceptional hotels around the world based on anonymous visits by their inspectors. This year’s list bestowed Keys on 2,832 hotels globally, including 470 newly awarded properties. This is the second year that the company has released an entirely global list; previous iterations were based on select regions. 

Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guide, said this year’s expansive list reflects the momentum that continues to drive the hotel sector. “With 470 newly distinguished establishments, we are witnessing a continuous upscaling of the offering, driven by even more creative and ambitious projects,” Poullennec said. “All around the world, hoteliers are reinventing the stay experience through more immersive, personalized, and experiential concepts.”

Poullennec added that this evolution in concept that’s often being driven by independent properties is now inspiring the industry as a whole. The 2026 list, he said, “celebrates the diversity, vitality, and excellence of an ever-evolving sector, one that continues to push the boundaries of the hospitality experience and invite travelers to discover new destinations.

Written by A.J. Mistretta

Pictured: Hotel Daphne