The Michelin Guide has unveiled its annual Key hotel selections around the world – with five hotels in Scotland gaining Keys this year.
The Michelin Key is the hotel equivalent of the Michelin Star, recognising outstanding places to stay around the world.
Introduced by the Michelin Guide in 2024, the award highlights hotels that offer exceptional experiences.
The Old Course Hotel in St Andrews, one of the oldest and most famous golf courses in the world, has been awarded its first Key. The success comes just after the iconic Fife hotel was named the only Scottish finalist in the 2026 Spa Hotel of the Year category.
The Cromlix in Dunblane
Stuart Ralston’s Edinburgh restaurant with rooms, LYLA, was also awarded one Key – in the very first year of opening the rooms upstairs. With just four rooms available, it’s the smallest hotel of this year’s additions. And downstairs guests can eat in the one Michelin-starred restaurant.
The Torridon in the Scottish Highlands was also awarded one Key. Set within the dramatic landscape of the Highlands, the hotel stands in 60 acres of parkland and also features a Michelin-starred restaurant, 1887.
The Gleneagles Townhouse in Edinburgh and Andy Murray’s Cromlix in Dunblane were both awarded a second Key.
Gleneagles Townhouse in Edinburgh.
As of the 2026 Michelin Key selection, Scotland has 18 Michelin Key hotels: one three Key hotel, four two Key hotels and 13 one Key hotels.
One Michelin Key is awarded to hotels considered to offer a very special stay, while two Keys recognise hotels that deliver an exceptional experience.
At the top level, three Keys are reserved for hotels offering an extraordinary stay, described by Michelin as destinations that are among the most remarkable in the world.
The full list:
Three Michelin keys
- The Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder
Two Michelin keys
- The Balmoral, Edinburgh
- The Fife Arms, Braemar
- Gleneagles Townhouse, Edinburgh
- Cromlix, Dunblane
One Michelin key
- Glenapp Castle, Ballantrae
- Dumfries House Lodge, Cumnock
- Links House at Royal Dornoch, Dornoch
- LYLA Restaurant & Rooms, Edinburgh
- 100 Princes Street, Edinburgh
- Prestonfield Edinburgh, Edinburgh
- Foyers Lodge, Foyers
- The Grandtully Hotel by Ballintaggart, Grandtully
- Kinloch Lodge, Isle of Skye, Sleat
- Newhall Mains, Resolis
- Old Course Hotel Golf Resort & Spa, St Andrews
- Glenmorangie House, Tain
- The Torridon, Torridon
Read more News stories here.
Subscribe to read the latest issue of Scottish Field.
TAGS