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8 Austin hotels earn first-ever Michelin Keys for exceptional stays

Commodore Perry Estate was the one of three total Texas resorts to earn a coveted Two Michelin Key rating.

Photo courtesy of Commodore Perry Estate

Austin's esteemed Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resorts Collection and seven other local resorts and hotels have earned very special distinctions for offering the most outstanding guest experiences in the world.

The hotels were recognized in the world-renowned Michelin Guide's first-ever North American "Michelin Key" selection, which highlighted 288 total hotels across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The classifications are awarded based on anonymous stays or visits by the Michelin Guide's inspection team, regardless of previous "labels, tourism stars, and pre-established quotas."

The hotel awards come as Michelin inspectors also are scouting restaurants around the state for their inaugural Texas guide.

Similar to the coveted Michelin Star designations for restaurants, the new Michelin Keys are broken down into three categories:

One Michelin Key for hotels that offer "very special" stays with service that "provides significantly more than similarly priced establishments."
Two Michelin Keys for "exceptional stays" where memorable guest experiences are "always guaranteed" with a special emphasis on the hotel's design or architecture.
Three Michelin Keys for hotels that provide "extraordinary stays" for "the ultimate in comfort and service, style and elegance."

Though there were no Texas resorts that were granted Three Michelin Keys, Austin came home with the highest number of awards statewide, totaling eight hotels. Commodore Perry Estate was the sole Austin resort bestowed with an esteemed Two Michelin Key rating.

Located on an expansive 10-acre property, this private retreat offers sumptuous amenities like wellness activities or indulgent sensory experiences — like chef-prepared dinners, personal tequila tastings, vinyl happy hours, or estate tours — and much more.

Earlier in 2024, the estate landed the No. 5 spot among Travel + Leisure's "Readers’ 5 Favorite Resorts in Texas of 2024."

Commodore Perry Estate is the ultimate private retreat. Photo courtesy of Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resorts Collection

"[Commodore Perry Estate is] a Twenties mansion and satellite buildings in Italianate and Spanish Revival styles, and it’s all been brought entirely up to date by the expert hospitality designer Ken Fulk," the Michelin Guide's profile says. "The result sacrifices none of the estate’s throwback atmosphere, but brings it up to a 21st-century standard; like everything Auberge touches, it’s the very picture of modern boutique luxury."

The seven Austin resorts that earned One Michelin Key are:

Arrive Austin
Austin Proper Hotel
Fairmont Austin Gold Experience
Hotel Saint Cecilia
Hotel ZaZa Austin
Soho House Austin
The Heywood Hotel

Top-rated hotels and resorts elsewhere in Texas
Only two other Texas resorts — Bowie House, Auberge Resorts Collection in Fort Worth and Hotel Emma in San Antonio — also earned Two Michelin Keys.

In a statement, Bowie House said the new accolade reflects the resort's dedication to offering guests "a unique blend of Western heritage and modern luxury."

"From its thoughtfully designed interiors to its curated guest experiences, the hotel offers an unparalleled stay in the heart of Fort Worth’s cultural district," the statement said.

In addition to Bowie House, five other Dallas-Fort Worth resorts earned One Michelin Key, including:

Casa Duro, Dallas
Hôtel Swexan, Dallas
Hotel ZaZa Dallas
Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Dallas
Hotel Drover, Autograph Collection, Fort Worth

Meanwhile, the four Houston-area hotels that earned One Michelin Key are:

Hotel ZaZa Houston
Hotel ZaZa Memorial City
The Post Oak Hotel
Carr Mansion, Galveston

The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park in El Paso also earned One Michelin Key.

"From retreats in the wildest U.S. canyons, Canadian forests, or Mexican coasts, to splendid architectural wonders; from flagship urban hotels to tiny properties nestled within former factories, campsites or isolated islands: every hotel awarded One, Two or Three Michelin Keys is a gem sculpted by talented professionals," said Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guide, in a press release. "Using the Michelin Guide digital platforms, travelers can now filter their search and book hotels for stays that we hope will be unforgettable."

The full list of Michelin Key hotels in the United States can be found on guide.michelin.com.

hotels resorts travel vacations awards austin

Airline News

American Airlines employs new tech in Austin to catch early boarders

American Airlines

American Airlines cabin

In what feels like an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, American Airlines is expanding a new system to catch passengers who try to sneak ahead in line.

According to a release, the airline is deploying a program it previously tested in which technology is used to deter passengers who try to board before their official group has been called.

Passengers who try to board early will not only hear a beep when they scan their boarding pass, but a tattletale message will pop up on the scanner, alerting the American Airlines employee of the passenger's correct group.

If a customer boards before their assigned group is called, the new software will not accept the boarding pass. In these instances, the American team member will invite the customer to rejoin the line when their boarding group is called.

The airline trialed this modern technology over the past month at Albuquerque International Sunport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and Tucson International Airport. It will now be deployed at more than 100 airports across the U.S., including Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

According to a story in the NY Post, airline employees have a name for these people: “gate lice."

A statement from American Airlines says that those passengers who are paying for early access should get their just desserts. People who are paying extra are mad when others get the same benefits.

"The new technology is designed to ensure customers receive the benefits of priority boarding with ease," it says.

Surely a factor is the way American Airlines' current boarding system has become an exercise in the haves vs. the have-nots, with nine levels of boarding groups, from elite status members and credit card holders all the way down to the Basic Economy nobodies. It's gotten worse since the pandemic, with extra charges applied to every element of flying, including a charge if you want to choose your own seat.

As an explanation of why people might do it, the NY Post cites a theory that travelers try to get ahead "out of a tendency of conformity and a sense of competition."

Public shaming is a powerful motivator, and Larry David fans would surely agree that line-cutters should always be called out — but in this case, there is an actual valid reason for trying to get a jump in line, and that can be summed up in two words: overhead bins.

Too many travelers place their luggage in overhead bins that are not located over their seats. Who has not seen the guy breezily stash his suitcase in whatever bin is closest? And this is an inequity that is not addressed by flight attendants, who admittedly have enough on their hands.

But the fact remains that if you get on the plane when your boarding group boards, the odds are slimmer that your designated overhead bin is going to have room for your suitcase.

If the airline is not going to enforce the overhead bin situation, then it's hardly fair to blame gate lice for worrying about where their suitcase is going to end up — or worse, whether they'll face the horror of having to get their bag checked at the last minute because some other passenger stole their overhead space.

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Airline News

American Airlines employs new tech in Austin to catch early boarders