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Only 3 Houston luxury hotels rated 'exceptional' by new Michelin guide

Houston's historic Post Oak Hotel earned One Michelin Key.

Photo courtesy of The Post Oak Hotel

Houston's esteemed Post Oak Hotel and two other local 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. Those results are expected to be announced later this year.

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."

The three Houston hotels that earned One Michelin Key are:

Hotel ZaZa Houston
Hotel ZaZa Memorial City
The Post Oak Hotel

The Carr Mansion hotel in nearby Galveston also earned One Michelin Key.

No Texas resorts were granted Three Michelin Keys, and surprisingly, Houston and Dallas were the only major Texas cities not to have a single hotel recognized with a Two Key designation. In fact, in the profile of Hotel ZaZa Memorial City, an anonymous author makes a sneaky diss at Houston's hospitality scene.

"Given Houston’s status as America’s fourth-largest city, it’s perhaps a bit surprising that there isn’t a boutique-hotel scene quite on the scale of those in places like New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago," the profile says. "But it’s certainly not for lack of effort on the part of Texas’s small but faithful contingent of boutique hoteliers."

Some of the locals Michelin could have considered for recognition include staples such as The Houstonian Hotel & Spa, The Four Seasons Hotel Houston, and La Colombe d’Or, the Montrose hotel that earned the No. 1 spot on Texas Monthly's 2023 "Where to Stay Now" list of the state's top hotels.

On the bright side, the guide does paint a pretty picture of Hotel ZaZa Memorial City's high-end design.

"Where the Museum District edition is ornate and almost Baroque, the Memorial City version is clean-lined and bright, inspired in part by the mid-century modernism of Palm Springs," the profile says. "There’s art everywhere, including David Hockney prints in the corridors, and the suites stop at nothing to establish a memorable visual identity — the Magnificent Seven suites are all wildly different, as are the four Concept Suites."

Houston news, Hotel ZaZa Memorial City, November 2017 Hotel ZaZa Memorial City has 159 hotel rooms. Courtesy photo

Other notable amenities include the ZaSpa's wide array of rejuvenating treatments, the Tipping Point Restaurant and Terrace's deluxe culinary offerings, the hotel's generously sized meeting spaces, and its proximity to "some of Houston's best shopping."

Turning to the Post Oak, the guide notes the luxurious atmosphere created by its Swarovski crystal chandelier and paintings by artist Frank Stella originals. It also praises the expansive rooms with "lavish marble bathrooms" and an "impressive spa."

Top-rated hotels and resorts elsewhere in Texas

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

"[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

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

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.

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LATE CHECKOUT

These 2 haunted Texas hotels promise a spirited overnight stay

The Emily Morgan Hotel/ Facebook

The Emily Morgan is steps away from the Alamo.

If you hear something knocking during a vacation in San Antonio, it might not be housekeeping. Two of the city's downtown landmark hotels — the Gunter and the Emily Morgan — have been named among the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 25 most haunted hotels in the U.S.

Each year, the nonprofit’s Historic Hotels of America program recognizes iconic properties where things are said to go bump in the night. It’s a playful way to highlight the organization’s work to preserve the nation’s diverse historic buildings and neighborhoods, whether one believes in the supernatural or not. The San Antonio pair were the only Texas properties to earn the hair-raising honors.

“The list invites heritage and cultural travelers to discover historic hotels where lore and legends make for memorable stays,” explained the trust in a release. “For believers and skeptics alike, these one-of-a-kind hotels preserve tales of guests who never want to leave and staff who never stopped helping.”

The Emily Morgan returned to the list after a year’s reprieve (maybe someone forgot this year’s blessing). The trust noted that the 102-year-old building is considered one of North America’s most active paranormal sites, owing to its original use as a medical building. Carved grotesques on the facade writhe from tooth pain and stomachaches. Inside, spectral nurses are said to be still providing care.

“On the fourteenth floor, guests have reported a hospital-like smell and, on rare occasions, visions of a hospital scene rather than their guestroom when they open the door from the hallway,” wrote Historic Hotels. “On the twelfth floor, guests have reported bathroom doors opening and closing on their own, lights flashing, and apparitions of nurses pushing rickety gurneys down the corridor before vanishing.”

Gunter Hotel Not pictured: Gunter's resident shadowy figure.Photo by Daniel Kelleghan Photography

Although medical manifestations are unsettling enough, the other San Antonio hotel on the list has a more gruesome claim to fame. Built in 1909, the Gunter Hotel boasts a room that is only slightly less notorious than The Shining’s Room 237. Room 636 was the site of one of Alamo City’s most famous murders.

In 1965, a housekeeper found ex-con Walter Emerick standing beside a blood-soaked bed. Police found empty wine bottles, bloody footprints, strands of blonde hair, and women’s clothing, but never found the body. Emerick left a psychic stain all over downtown, booking it to the St. Anthony’s room 536 (he reportedly asked to stay in 636 again), where he offed himself before arrest. The Gunter never quite recovered from his brief stay.

“Since the 1960s, guests and staff have reported unsettling phenomena, including unexplained cold spots, flickering lights, and faint whispers or footsteps when no one is present,” said Historic Hotels. “Some claim to have seen a shadowy figure lingering near the doorway or caught the faint scent of cigar smoke despite the hotel’s smoking prohibition.”

Still, the dark specters have not kept the Gunter from receiving another honor this year. Historic Hotels recently named it the Best City Center Historic Hotel, given to the property that “best celebrates its history in the guest experience and provides exceptional customer hospitality and service.”

Both of San Antonio’s haunted hotels have largely embraced their eerie reputations. The Emily Morgan proudly touts its mysterious occurrences on one of its webpages. The Gunter glosses over some of the more grisly details of room 636 on its own page, and assures guests the room has since been remodeled.

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