The Michelin Guide has released its list of hotels that have earned Michelin Keys across North America, with three Houston properties making the cut.

The Post Oak Hotel and both the Museum District and Memorial City locations of Hotel Zaza scored one key each in the new guide. They are among the 17 hotels in Texas included in this year’s selection—the first time the Lone Star State has been reviewed.

Earning one key in the guide means the hotel offered a “very special stay,” according to Michelin reviewers.

“The arrival of Michelin in Texas means there’s a new standard that our hospitality community is being measured against,” said Michael Heckman, President and CEO of Houston First Corporation. Our market offers so many fantastic properties and it’s exciting that Houston has three excellent hotels on this first list covering the state.”

At Hotel Zaza Museum District, the guide's reviewers were impressed by the hotel's "overtly hedonistic" Magnificent Seven luxury suites as well as the smaller "concept" suites, each around a defined theme. 

When it comes to Post Oak Hotel from hospitality magnate Tilman Fertitta, Michelin's reviewers suggest it may just be "the swankiest hotel in town," touting the enormous Swarovski crystal chandelier and Frank Stella originals in the lobby, among other features.

Just down the Katy Freeway in Memorial City, Michelin determined that Zaza property provided "luxury-hotel plushness with boutique-hotel personality." Reviewers enjoyed the in-room comforts as well as other property features such as ZaSpa and the Tipping Point Restaurant & Terrace. 

Altogether, 288 hotels among more than 1,000 Michelin Guide-recommended properties in North America have been awarded keys.

Michelin is slated to release its inaugural Michelin Guide Texas later this year, recognizing and potentially awarding its coveted stars to restaurants in Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and Fort Worth.

Written by A.J. Mistretta 

Image: Pool area at Post Oak Hotel