Michelin’s latest hotel selection is putting a wider range of Philippine destinations on its hospitality map, with properties in Metro Manila and several major island destinations receiving Keys in 2026.
Nine hotels and resorts in the country now carry Michelin Keys, compared with five in the previous selection.
The new roster stretches from Makati and Pasay to Cebu, Palawan, Siargao and Negros Occidental.
It also includes a Philippine first.
Raffles Makati and El Nido Resorts Lagen Island received Two Michelin Keys, becoming the country’s first properties to reach the second tier of Michelin’s hotel distinction.
For Raffles Makati, the result is an upgrade. The hotel held One Key in the previous selection.
Lagen Island, meanwhile, enters the Philippine Key roster with Two Keys.
Palawan has the largest representation in the 2026 Philippine selection.
Along with Lagen Island, Amanpulo on Pamalican Island and El Nido Resorts Pangulasian Island received One Key.
Metro Manila accounts for three recipients.
Raffles Makati leads the capital’s group with Two Keys, while Fairmont Makati and Hotel Okura Manila received One Key each.
Elsewhere in the country, NUSTAR Hotel Cebu earned One Key in Cebu City, Nay Palad Hideaway received One Key in Siargao, and Manami Resort earned One Key in Sipalay, Negros Occidental.
The nine properties are:
- Two Michelin Keys: Raffles Makati; El Nido Resorts Lagen Island
- One Michelin Key: Amanpulo; Fairmont Makati; Nay Palad Hideaway; NUSTAR Hotel Cebu; El Nido Resorts Pangulasian Island; Hotel Okura Manila; Manami Resort
The new selection also shows considerable movement from the Philippines’ first Michelin Key roster.
Five Philippine hotels received Keys in 2025: Amanpulo, Fairmont Makati, Nay Palad Hideaway, Raffles Makati and Dusit Thani Mactan Cebu Resort. All five were One-Key properties.
A year later, Amanpulo, Fairmont Makati and Nay Palad Hideaway remain at One Key.
Raffles Makati has moved from One to Two.
Four properties—NUSTAR Hotel Cebu, Pangulasian Island, Hotel Okura Manila and Manami Resort—have joined the One-Key group, while Lagen Island has entered at Two Keys.
Dusit Thani Mactan Cebu Resort, which held One Key in 2025, is not included among the country’s 2026 Key recipients.
Michelin Keys evaluate hotels rather than restaurants and operate separately from the Michelin Star system.
Properties are assessed using five criteria covering architecture and interior design, service, character, value and how effectively a hotel contributes to the experience of its location.
Michelin assigns qualifying hotels one of three distinctions.
One Key recognizes what Michelin calls “a very special stay,” while Two Keys signify “an exceptional stay.” Three Keys, the highest distinction, denote “an extraordinary stay.”
The Philippines does not have a Three-Key hotel in the 2026 selection.
Globally, Michelin’s hotel program has expanded to 2,832 Key properties.
The latest selection includes 2,020 One-Key hotels, 657 Two-Key properties and 155 hotels carrying the highest Three-Key distinction.
A total of 470 hotels across 79 destinations newly joined the Key selection in 2026.
Asia and the Middle East collectively account for 600 Key hotels, according to Michelin, including properties newly recognized or promoted in the latest selection.
For the Philippines, the numbers show a substantially different hotel roster from just one year ago.
The country has added four locations to its Michelin Key footprint—Pasay, Cebu City, El Nido and Sipalay—while maintaining recognized properties in Makati, Pamalican Island and Siargao.
Palawan now accounts for three of the country’s nine recipients, while Metro Manila accounts for another three.
And unlike the inaugural Philippine selection, which consisted exclusively of One-Key hotels, the 2026 roster now reaches Michelin’s second-highest hotel category.