The MICHELIN Keys are in: Australia & New Zealand’s remarkable stays recognised for 2026
What makes a journey memorable is rarely just one thing. It is the landscape, the experiences, the people you meet, and very often, the places you choose to stay.
The 2026 MICHELIN Keys have been announced, recognising 82 remarkable hotels across Australia and New Zealand: 54 in Australia and 28 in New Zealand.
It is an impressive endorsement of the calibre of hospitality in our part of the world.
From private island resorts and remote wilderness lodges to vineyard retreats, alpine hideaways and landmark city hotels, Australia and New Zealand offer an extraordinary depth and diversity of places to stay. For those of us who know these destinations intimately, this recognition reinforces something we have long known: some of the world’s most exceptional stays can be found right here.
For Southern Crossings, there is another reason to celebrate. Many of the properties recognised by MICHELIN are longstanding partners of ours. They are places our teams know intimately, regularly recommend to our clients and have built close relationships with over many years.
And some of our closest partners can be found right at the top of the list.
What is a MICHELIN Key?
Much like the MICHELIN Stars awarded to restaurants, MICHELIN Keys distinguish outstanding hotel experiences.
Properties are independently assessed by MICHELIN Guide inspectors across five universal criteria, including architecture and interior design, quality and consistency of service, personality and character, value, and the property’s contribution to its setting.
Hotels can receive one, two or three Keys:
One MICHELIN Key – A very special stay
Two MICHELIN Keys – An exceptional stay
Three MICHELIN Keys – An extraordinary stay
Australia: 54 MICHELIN Key hotels
Australia’s 2026 selection is particularly significant, with 54 properties recognised across the country and 22 joining the MICHELIN Key collection this year.
At its pinnacle are just three Three MICHELIN Key properties (MICHELIN’s highest level of hotel recognition): Lizard Island Resort, Saffire Freycinet and Southern Ocean Lodge; all longstanding Southern Crossings partners.
It is an extraordinary trio, and one that beautifully demonstrates the diversity of Australia’s accommodation offering: a private island on the Great Barrier Reef, an architectural retreat overlooking Tasmania’s Freycinet Peninsula, and a celebrated wilderness lodge perched above Kangaroo Island’s dramatic coast.
The strength continues through the Two-Key collection. Southern Crossings partners Capella Lodge, Capella Sydney, Longitude 131, Silky Oaks Lodge, Sequoia Lodge, Jackalope Hotel and Spicers Peak Lodge are among the properties recognised.
From Australia’s Red Centre and tropical north to its wine regions, cities, islands and wilderness, the collection illustrates just how broad the country’s exceptional accommodation offering has become.
The full list of Australian properties recognised with MICHELIN Keys 2026 is provided below.
New Zealand: 28 MICHELIN Key hotels
Across the Tasman, New Zealand’s 28 MICHELIN Key properties tell an equally compelling story.
Here, perhaps more than anywhere, accommodation has the ability to become part of the destination itself. Small-scale lodges, remarkable architecture, deeply personal hosting and extraordinary settings have long been hallmarks of the New Zealand experience.
Ten properties have been awarded Two MICHELIN Keys in 2026, and Southern Crossings is proud to work closely with many of them.
Our longstanding partners Otahuna Lodge, Wharekauhau Country Estate, Blanket Bay, The Lindis and Huka Lodge all hold Two Keys, alongside Rosewood Cape Kidnappers, Rosewood Kauri Cliffs and the newly promoted Rosewood Matakauri.
From the Bay of Islands and Hawke’s Bay to Taupō, the Wairarapa and the landscapes of the South Island, our travellers can experience MICHELIN-recognised properties throughout New Zealand.
The One-Key selection adds even greater depth. Among the Southern Crossings partners recognised are Park Hyatt Auckland, The Hotel Britomart, Craggy Range Luxury Vineyard Retreat, Hapuku Lodge & Tree Houses, Eichardt’s Private Hotel and the newly opened ROKI Collection Queenstown, alongside many more properties our teams regularly work with.
The result is not simply a collection of exceptional hotels. It is a network that stretches across the country and allows extraordinary accommodation to become part of the journey itself.
The full list of 2026 MICHELIN Key properties across Australia and New Zealand
AUSTRALIA
Three MICHELIN Keys
- Lizard Island Resort, Lizard Island, Queensland
- Saffire Freycinet, Coles Bay, Tasmania [Promoted]
- Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island, South Australia [Promoted]
Two MICHELIN Keys
- Capella Lodge, Lord Howe Island, New South Wales
- Capella Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales [Promoted]
- Jackalope Hotel, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
- Longitude 131, Yulara, Northern Territory
- Silky Oaks Lodge, Daintree Rainforest, Queensland
- Sequoia Lodge, Adelaide Hills, South Australia [New]
- Spicers Peak Lodge, Maryvale, Queensland
- Spicers Sangoma Retreat, Blue Mountains, New South Wales
- Thorngrove Manor, Adelaide, South Australia
One MICHELIN Key
- 1 Hotel Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria
- Ardour Milton Park, Bowral, New South Wales [New]
- Basq House, Byron Bay, New South Wales
- Blackbird Byron Bay, New South Wales [New]
- Chalets at Blackheath, New South Wales [New]
- COMO The Treasury, Perth, Western Australia
- Crystalbrook Albion, Surry Hills, New South Wales
- Drift House, Port Fairy, Victoria
- El Questro – The Homestead, Kununurra, Western Australia [New]
- Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales
- Gaia Retreat & Spa, Brooklet, New South Wales [New]
- Halcyon House, Cabarita Beach, New South Wales [New]
- Il Delfino Seaside Inn, Yamba, New South Wales
- InterContinental Sorrento Mornington Peninsula, Victoria [New]
- InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach by IHG, New South Wales [New]
- Lanson Place Parliament Gardens, Melbourne, Victoria [New]
- Le Mas Barossa, Tanunda, South Australia [New]
- Lon Retreat & Spa, Point Lonsdale, Victoria [New]
- MACq 01 Hotel, Hobart, Tasmania
- Maleny Lodge, Queensland [New]
- Mount Lofty House, Adelaide Hills, South Australia [New]
- Mt Mulligan Lodge, Queensland [New]
- Osborn House, Bundanoon, New South Wales
- Park Hyatt Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales
- Pretty Beach House, New South Wales [New]
- QT Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales
- Qualia, Hamilton Island, Queensland
- Sticky Rice Villas, Adelaide, South Australia [New]
- The Calile Hotel, Brisbane, Queensland
- The Corinda Collection, Hobart, Tasmania [New]
- The Eve Hotel, Redfern, New South Wales
- The Henry Jones Art Hotel, Hobart, Tasmania
- The Islington Hotel, Hobart, Tasmania
- The Langham Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria [New]
- The Langham, Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales
- The Porter House Hotel Sydney – MGallery, Sydney, New South Wales [New]
- The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria
- The Sanctuary at Alba Thermal Springs & Spa, Fingal, Victoria [New]
- The Sundays, Hamilton Island, Queensland [New]
- The Tasman, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Hobart, Tasmania
- Wildlife Retreat at Taronga, Mosman, New South Wales
- Yala Yallingup Retreat and Spa, Western Australia
NEW ZEALAND
Two MICHELIN Keys
- Otahuna Lodge, Christchurch
- Wharekauhau Country Estate, Featherston
- Blanket Bay, Glenorchy, Otago
- Rosewood Cape Kidnappers, Hawke’s Bay
- Rosewood Kauri Cliffs, Northland
- The Lindis, Omarama
- Rosewood Matakauri, Queenstown [Promoted]
- Huka Lodge, Taupō
- Delamore Lodge, Waiheke Island [Promoted]
- Wallingford Homestead, Wallingford [New]
One MICHELIN Key
- Annandale Coastal Farm Escape & Luxury Villa Collection, Akaroa [New]
- Hotel Fitzroy Curated by Fable, Auckland
- Park Hyatt Auckland, Auckland
- The Hotel Britomart, Auckland
- Craggy Range Luxury Vineyard Retreat, Havelock North [New]
- Hapuku Lodge & Tree Houses, Kaikōura [New]
- Mt Cook Lakeside Retreat, Lake Pukaki [New]
- The Manse, Maraekakaho [New]
- Bay of Many Coves, Marlborough
- Azur Lodge, Queenstown
- Eichardt’s Private Hotel, Queenstown
- Gibbston Valley Lodge and Spa, Queenstown
- Hulbert House Luxury Boutique Lodge Queenstown, Queenstown [New]
- ROKI Collection Queenstown, Queenstown [New]
- Stoneridge Estate, Queenstown
- Solitaire Lodge, Rotorua
- Eagles Nest, Russell
- The Clements Hotel, Waikato
Recognition on a global stage
There is plenty to celebrate in the individual awards, new additions and promotions. But step back from the list and there is an even bigger story.
Eighty-two MICHELIN Key properties across Australia and New Zealand is a powerful endorsement of this part of the world as a destination for exceptional hospitality.
And importantly, there is no single version of what an outstanding stay here looks like.
It can be a private island on the Great Barrier Reef, a lodge overlooking Uluru, a retreat among ancient rainforest, a vineyard stay, an alpine lodge or a sophisticated hotel in the heart of Sydney, Melbourne or Auckland.
That diversity gives us enormous freedom when designing journeys. We can pair remarkable accommodation with the landscapes, people and experiences around it, choosing properties because they genuinely add something to the story of a trip.
After 40 years creating journeys across this part of the world, Southern Crossings is fortunate to have longstanding relationships with many of the properties now recognised by MICHELIN.
It is wonderful to see places our teams know so well, and people we have worked alongside for many years, receive this international recognition.
To all 82 properties recognised across Australia and New Zealand, congratulations!
Read on for more information about the recently revealed MICHELIN Starred Restaurants in New Zealand
Header image: Saffire Freycinet – Three MICHELIN Keys on Tasmania’s East Coast