Here are the first ever Michelin Key hotels in Toronto

Michelin Keys for hotels are a brand new tradition that the Michelin Guide just started up this year. And now, this month, they’ve just awarded the first ever Keys in Canada, with quite a few located in Toronto.

Keys work just like Stars do for restaurants, with One, Two and Three Key distinctions. One Key is “very special,” Two Keys is “exceptional” and Three Keys are awarded for “an extraordinary stay” that’s “one of the most outstanding experiences in the world.”

There were only a couple Three Key hotels recognized across the whole of Canada: Fogo Island Inn at Joe Batt’s Arm and the Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge in Tofino.

There are more Two Key hotels, and a couple of them can be found in Toronto. The Four Seasons Hotel Toronto at Yorkville and The Hazelton Hotel in Toronto both received this distinction. The other hotels in Canada that received Two Keys are North Hatley’s Manoir Hovey, Quebec City’s Auberge Saint-Antoine, Tofino’s Wickaninnish Inn, Vancouver’s Rosewood Hotel Georgia and both the The Fairmont Chateau and Four Seasons Resort in Whistler.

Twenty-three One Key hotels in total can be found in Canada, with many of them located in Toronto. Toronto’s 1 Hotel, Ace Hotel, Bisha Hotel, Park Hyatt and Shangri-La Hotel all got this distinction. The Royal Hotel in Picton just outside Toronto also received One Key.

Montreal hotels Hotel Le Germain, Le Mount Stephen, Le Petit Hotel and Le Place d’Armes Hotel & Suites were awarded One Key as well. There was also lots of British Columbia representation, with One Key distinction for Victoria’s Fairmont Empress Hotel and Magnolia Hotel & Spa, Whistler’s Nita Lake Lodge, and Vancouver’s Wedgewood Hotel, Shangri-La Hotel and Loden Hotel.

The other Canadian hotels to get One Key are Banff’s Fairmont Banff Springs, Calgary’s The Dorian, Halifax’s Muir, Mont Tremblant’s Hotel Quintessence, Baie-St-Paul’s Le Germain Charlevoix Hotel & Spa and Lake Louise’s Fairmont Chateau and Post Hotel & Spa.

The announcement of this year’s Michelin Guide recommendations for restaurants is also coming out this week.