Australia received 54 hotel distinctions in the 2026 Michelin Keys: three hotels earned Three Keys, nine earned Two Keys and 42 earned One Key. In 2025, one Australian hotel held Three Keys, nine held Two Keys and 20 held One Key. The top-tier promotions deserve attention, though the broader expansion is just as striking.
The Michelin Guide announced the results on 18 September 2026.
Three Keys
- Lizard Island Resort retained Three Keys, matching its 2025 result.
- Saffire Freycinet earned Three Keys, a promotion from its Two-Key result in 2025.
- Southern Ocean Lodge also advanced to Three Keys after receiving Two Keys in 2025.
Saffire Freycinet overlooks Great Oyster Bay and the Hazards Mountains on Tasmania’s east coast. Southern Ocean Lodge occupies a clifftop on Kangaroo Island, with 25 ocean-facing suites and dining included. Small coastal lodges have made the clearest gains at the top. For Saffire Freycinet and Southern Ocean Lodge, retaining Three Keys is the next test.
Saffire Freycinet
East Coast, TASTasmania's wild coast, distilled into twenty suites
View hotelTwo Keys
- Capella Lodge retained Two Keys from the previous edition.
- Capella Sydney advanced to Two Keys after earning One Key in 2025.
- Jackalope Hotel held its Two-Key distinction.
- Longitude 131 received Two Keys again.
- Sequoia Lodge earned Two Keys in this edition.
- Silky Oaks Lodge retained its Two-Key award.
- Spicers Peak Lodge kept Two Keys following its 2025 recognition.
- Spicers Sangoma Retreat matched its 2025 Two-Key result.
- Thorngrove Manor also held its Two-Key distinction.
Capella Sydney’s promotion is the city-hotel result worth watching.
One Key
The One-Key recipients include 1 Hotel Melbourne, Ardour Milton Park Bowral, Basq House, Blackbird Byron, Chalets at Blackheath, COMO The Treasury, Crystalbrook Albion, Drift House, El Questro Homestead, Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, Gaia Retreat & Spa, Halcyon House, Il Delfino Seaside Inn, InterContinental Sorrento Mornington Peninsula, InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach, Islington Hotel, Lanson Place Parliament Gardens, Le Mas Barossa, Lon Retreat & Spa, MACq 01 and Maleny Lodge.
Also awarded One Key were Mount Lofty House Estate, Mt Mulligan Lodge, Osborn House, Park Hyatt Sydney, Pretty Beach House, QT Sydney, qualia, Sticky Rice Villas, The Calile Hotel, The Corinda Collection, The EVE Hotel Sydney, The Henry Jones Art Hotel, The Langham Melbourne, The Langham Sydney, The Porter House Hotel Sydney, The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne, The Sanctuary at Alba Thermal Springs & Spa, The Sundays, The Tasman, Wildlife Retreat at Taronga and Yala Yallingup Retreat and Spa. The One-Key recipients deserve more attention than a footnote beneath the promotions.
Ardour Milton Park Bowral’s recognition follows its 2026 transformation and relaunch within a historic estate in the Southern Highlands. For the opening-year context, see our roundup of Australia’s 2026 hotel openings.
