Introduction to Michelin Keys
Texas has 21 of the best hotels in the world, and six of those are in Dallas-Fort Worth, according to Michelin, the French company that announced its Michelin Key winners on Oct. 8, 2025. The most exceptional North Texas hotel on the Michelin Keys list is Bowie House in Fort Worth, an Auberge Resorts Collection property. It received two Michelin Keys, which the company describes as “an exceptional stay” from a property that has “character, personality and charm.”
Hotels can receive a 1-, 2- or 3-Key rating. Bowie House was one of three Texas hotels with two Michelin Keys in 2025, alongside the Commodore Perry Estate in Austin and Hotel Emma in San Antonio. No hotel in Texas received the highest honor, three Keys.
Texas Hotels on the Michelin Keys List
Texas’ 21 hotels total one more than in September 2024, when Michelin named 20 hotels in the Lone Star State among its Key recipients in the United States, Mexico and Canada. One new Texas hotel was added in 2025: Hotel Saint Augustine in Houston, the 71-room property that opened in late 2024, making it ineligible for the fall 2024 Michelin Keys list. It received one Key.
Michelin is best known for giving stars to restaurants, as it has for nearly 100 years. The Michelin Keys list — which spans a whopping 2,457 hotels globally — is the company’s way to get deeper into critiquing travel destinations. It sends critics all over the world to find “the finest properties from across the globe,” said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, in a statement about the Keys.
Its hotel list includes “iconic resorts, historic city hotels, or hidden gems off the beaten path.”
Dallas-Fort Worth Hotels on the List
The same list of North Texas hotels honored in 2024 retained their Michelin Key status in 2025. That’s great news for travelers and staycationers looking to revisit these top-ranked hotels. As noted, the top-rated hotel in D-FW is Bowie House in Fort Worth, with two-Key status. “It just might be the most stylish building in Fort Worth,” Michelin said.
Five other hotels in Dallas-Fort Worth received one Michelin Key. Casa Duro in East Dallas is the tiny property overlooking Greenville Avenue — certainly, the smallest on the list of D-FW Key recipients. Inspectors loved the “painstakingly collected” antiques and vintage decor. If you like what you’re hearing, visit any of the owners’ Dallas restaurants and you’ll find similar obsession with decor at Sister (which is downstairs from Casa Duro) as well as Mister Charles, The Charles and El Carlos Elegante.
Hotel Drover in Fort Worth is decidedly Texan, but upscale. Hotel Drover in Fort Worth is the Fort Worth Stockyards spot that’s “unmistakably Texan but without crossing too far into kitsch.” It was lauded for its backyard, pool and hot tub. Missing — but hopefully noted — is its close proximity to more cowboy fun, like the cattle drive out front and Billy Bob’s concert venue nearby.
Up, up, up is the Hotel Swexan’s pool. Hotel Swexan in Dallas’ Harwood District is the hotel many Dallasites are talking about right now. The hotel has “larger than life Texan swagger,” which is a compliment to the Swexan’s “commanding views” and “up-for-anything energy in the decor.” Michelin points guests to the top floor, where new restaurant Léonie is serving Italian food al fresco. It’s near the pool, also a stunner.
