MICHELIN Guide

What MICHELIN Guide does

MICHELIN Guide is the restaurant and hotel rating division of Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin (the publicly-listed Michelin Group, Euronext Paris ticker: ML). Founded in 1900 by André and Édouard Michelin as a free motorists' road companion, the guide began formal restaurant symbolization in 1926 and now rates 19,313 restaurants globally across 40+ countries and territories — including 161 three-star, 544 two-star, 3,162 one-star, 3,673 Bib Gourmand, and 11,772 Selected venues. The core technology is a proprietary, anonymous-inspector evaluation methodology that has been deliberately opaque for over a century to preserve editorial integrity. The platform has progressively extended beyond restaurants via the MICHELIN Keys hotel rating system (launched 2025, 1,500+ hotels), wine reviews, curated Best-Of and destination travel guides (Paris, New York, London, Florence, Kyoto, Rome, Tokyo), the MICHELIN Guide Magazine editorial property, and the Mindful Voices sustainable-dining platform (replacing the Green Star end-2026).

The business operates a multi-stream revenue model rather than a simple subscription or listing-fee structure. Restaurant and hotel inclusion in the guide is free for establishments to maintain editorial independence; instead, the company monetizes through (a) territory expansion fees paid by tourism boards and city governments (e.g., Minneapolis at $250,000/year for three years), (b) the MICHELIN Guide Plus consumer membership at $99/year with hotel privileges, (c) corporate sponsorships and ceremony partnerships across tiers (Premier: Capital One, Wuliangye; Global: Lafont; Official: Reserva de la Familia, evian US; plus Sysco for ceremonies), and (d) booking referral arrangements with 10+ global reservation platforms including OpenTable (952+ venues), Resy, TheFork (2,910+ venues), and regional partners (Tock, Chope, SevenRooms, TableCheck, Naver, Omakase). Distribution combines a self-serve consumer website (guide.michelin.com), iOS/Android mobile applications, social channels, email newsletters, and high-profile annual star-revelation ceremonies hosted in rotation across global cities.

Name

MICHELIN Guide

Legal name

Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin

Website

https://guide.michelin.com/en

Company type

Public

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Short description

MICHELIN Guide is the restaurant and hotel rating division of the Michelin Group, operating the world's most recognized culinary evaluation system across 40+ countries with 19,313 restaurants and 1,500+ Key hotels, monetizing via territory fees from tourism boards, sponsorships, and the Plus subscription.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant and Hotel Rating Services

akta.pro primary industry

Review-Led Travel Discovery & Booking Platforms (THAKAAAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fine Dining Restaurants (THAFACAA), Hotel & Resort Restaurants (THAFACAH), Private Guided Tours & Personal Tour Guides (THAJALAA)

Keywords

• Restaurant ratings
• Hotel ratings
• Culinary guides
• Fine dining
• Hospitality awards

Headquarters

HQ city

Clermont-ferrand

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Restaurant and Hotel Listings: Restaurants and hotels pay to be listed and potentially receive stars/keys that significantly boost their business. The guide evaluates establishments for free to maintain editorial integrity.
2. MICHELIN Guide Plus Subscription: Premium membership program offering $99 USD annual subscription with 30-day trial. Members receive handpicked privileges at MICHELIN Guide hotels including daily breakfast, late check-out, spending credit, room upgrades, spa treatments, welcome gifts, and expert travel assistance.
3. Corporate Sponsorships and Partnerships: Partnerships with brands like Sysco (ceremony sponsorships), Lafont (Global Partner), Wuliangye (Premier Partner), Capital One (Premier Partner), Reserva de la Familia (Official Partner), evian US (Official Partner). Booking partnerships with OpenTable, Resy, TheFork, Chope, and others drive referral revenue.
4. Territory Expansion Fees: Cities and tourism boards pay for MICHELIN Guide coverage. Minneapolis committed $250,000/year for 3 years. Latvia plans to renew its 3-year contract. These fees fund inspector visits and local guide operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The MICHELIN Guide rates and recommends restaurants and hotels worldwide through its proprietary anonymous inspector methodology, awarding 1-3 Michelin Stars for culinary excellence, Bib Gourmand distinctions for good value, and 1-3 MICHELIN Keys for hotels. The guide distributes recommendations through its website, iOS/Android mobile apps, and integrated booking partners, supported by city/tourism board partnership fees, corporate sponsorships, the MICHELIN Guide Plus membership program, and editorial platforms including travel guides, magazine content, and the Mindful Voices sustainable dining platform.

Product overview

The MICHELIN Guide is a comprehensive gastronomic and hospitality platform that rates and recommends restaurants (with 1-3 Michelin stars and Bib Gourmand for good value) and hotels (with MICHELIN Keys 1-3) worldwide. The core offering includes restaurant and hotel listings with online booking integration through partners like OpenTable, Resy, TheFork, Tock, Chope, SevenRooms, TableCheck, Naver, Omakase, and Mozrest. Supporting products include Travel Guides for major destinations (Paris, New York, London, Florence, Kyoto, Rome, Tokyo), the Magazine editorial platform with Dining Out, Features, Wine, Travel, and People content, MICHELIN Guide Plus premium membership ($99/year) with hotel privileges and travel assistance, annual Ceremony events for star announcements, Best-Of guides for curated recommendations, and the Mindful Voices platform for sustainable dining stories. The guide covers over 40 countries/regions globally with selections spanning restaurants and hotels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MICHELIN Star: The iconic star rating symbol awarded to restaurants for culinary excellence
• Bib Gourmand
• MICHELIN Key
• Green Star
• Mindful Voices
• MICHELIN Guide Plus

Products and services

• MICHELIN Star Restaurant rating distinction awarded on a 1-3 star scale (1 star: high quality cooking; 2 stars: excellent cooking worth a detour; 3 stars: exceptional cuisine worth a special journey), based on anonymous inspector evaluations of food quality. Recognized restaurants span all cuisines and price points globally.
• Bib Gourmand Award for restaurants serving exceptional food at good value, recognizing quality dining at moderate prices, denoted by the Bibendum (Bib) symbol.
• MICHELIN Keys Hotel rating distinction on a 1-3 key scale recognizing exceptional hotels worldwide, evaluating architecture, service, authenticity, price-quality ratio, and local contribution.
• Green Star Award highlighting restaurants at the forefront of sustainable gastronomy and eco-friendly practices. Currently held by 37 restaurants and being retired end of 2026 in favor of the Mindful Voices platform.
• MICHELIN Guide Plus Membership Premium membership program at $99 USD/year with a 30-day free trial, offering handpicked privileges at 1,500+ MICHELIN Key hotels worldwide, including daily breakfast, late check-out, spending credit, room upgrades, spa treatments, welcome gifts, and expert travel assistance.
• MICHELIN Guide Travel Guides Curated destination guides for cities including Paris, New York, London, Florence, Kyoto, Rome, and Tokyo, offering expert editorial insights on dining, accommodation, and exploration for culinary travelers.
• MICHELIN Guide Magazine Editorial content platform featuring articles on Dining Out, Features, Wine, Dining In, Travel, People, News & Views, Green Star Community, Wellness, and Michelin CSA.
• MICHELIN Guide Mobile App Mobile applications available on iOS App Store and Google Play providing on-the-go access to restaurant and hotel recommendations, with integrated booking through partner platforms.
• MICHELIN Guide Best-Of Guides Curated lists of top restaurants by category and destination, including best steakhouses, pizzas, affordable restaurants, romantic spots, and neighborhood guides.
• MICHELIN Guide Ceremony Annual award ceremony events held in different cities globally (e.g., Dublin, San Diego, Guadalajara, Riyadh) to reveal new starred restaurants and present special awards including Young Chef, Sommelier, Service, and Cocktail of the Year.
• Mindful Voices Editorial platform about sustainable dining replacing the Green Star program to amplify inspirational chefs, hoteliers, and wine producers committed to sustainable gastronomy practices.
• MICHELIN Guide Newsletter Email newsletter subscription providing updates on new restaurants and hotels, annual MICHELIN Star awards highlights, Best Of guides by destination, recipes, features, and chef interviews.

Quantifiable outcome

• 82% of chefs reported increased sales after receiving a Michelin award
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, regional, core, minor, global, premier and official.

• Sysco CorporationstrategicGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 November 2025Sysco partnered as sponsor for the 2025 Northeast Cities Ceremony in Philadelphia, highlighting local culinary talent and presenting the Young Chef Award. Also partnered for Texas and American South ceremonies.
• New Zealand TourismregionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 November 2025MICHELIN Guide expanding into Aotearoa New Zealand with inspectors preparing selections for Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown for unveiling mid-2026.
• OpenTablecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStrategic booking partnership enabling online reservations at MICHELIN Guide restaurants. OpenTable provides restaurant partners access to the world's largest diner network with higher per-person spend and lower no-show rates. Special pricing on OpenTable Core and Pro plans for MICHELIN Guide partner restaurants.
• ResycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFirst reservation service partner of the MICHELIN Guide, providing enhanced visibility and easy booking capabilities for MICHELIN-selected restaurants through Resy's platform.
• TheForkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEuropean booking partner with 2,910+ MICHELIN Guide restaurants on platform, offering restaurant management tools and diner discovery.
• ChopeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAsian booking partner with 61 MICHELIN Guide restaurants available through platform.
• TableCheckminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBooking and restaurant management platform with 325 MICHELIN Guide restaurants on platform.
• TockminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReservation platform with 197 MICHELIN Guide restaurants, specializing in fine dining experiences.
• LafontglobalGTM or Marketing PartnerGlobal Partner - premier sponsorship and marketing collaboration.
• WuliangyepremierGTM or Marketing PartnerPremier Partner - major sponsorship and marketing collaboration.
• Capital OnepremierGTM or Marketing PartnerPremier Partner - credit card and financial services marketing partnership.
• Reserva de la FamiliaofficialGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Partner - spirits/liquor brand partnership.
• evian USofficialGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Partner - bottled water brand partnership.
• Latvia TourismregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerLatvia plans to renew its three-year contract with the MICHELIN Guide, with discussions underway. The guide has boosted the country's restaurant industry with increased revenue and foreign guests.
• Tātaki Auckland UnlimitedregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership driving New Zealand's first Michelin Guide restaurant awards ceremony at New Zealand International Convention Centre on June 30, marking the guide's first entry into Oceania.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Yelp: Yelp is the dominant crowd-sourced local business review platform in North America, covering restaurants, hotels and services. It overlaps with the MICHELIN Guide on restaurant discovery at the consumer level, though Yelp's breadth and review-volume model contrasts with Michelin's curated, expert-inspector approach.
• TripAdvisor: TripAdvisor is the world's largest user-generated travel, restaurant, and hotel review platform with hundreds of millions of reviews. It is a broad incumbent in the same discovery and review category, with overlapping content (restaurants, hotels) but a fundamentally different crowd-sourced rather than expert-driven methodology.

Direct peers

• Tablet Hotels: Tablet Hotels is a curated luxury hotel selection and booking platform featuring editorially reviewed boutique and luxury hotels. It directly parallels the MICHELIN Keys proposition of expert-curated hotel recommendations targeted at high-spend travelers.
• Resy: Resy is a reservation and restaurant-discovery platform focused on premium dining experiences and is the first reservation partner of the MICHELIN Guide. It mirrors the MICHELIN Guide's high-spend diner focus and competes on curated restaurant selection in the same fine-dining discovery category.
• Zagat: Zagat is a historically iconic curated restaurant rating brand, now operated by Google. It is the closest legacy analogue to Michelin as a curated, editor-reviewed restaurant rating guide and represents direct category competition in expert-driven restaurant ratings.
• OpenTable: OpenTable is a global online restaurant reservation platform with 952+ MICHELIN Guide restaurants networked, offering diner reviews, ratings, and special pricing plans for MICHELIN partner restaurants. It competes with the MICHELIN Guide for restaurant-discovery mindshare while partnering for booking referral.
• TheFork (by Tripadvisor): TheFork is a leading restaurant discovery, booking, and review platform in Europe with 2,910+ MICHELIN Guide restaurants on its platform. It directly competes with the MICHELIN Guide's discovery and reservation business while also being a partner, making it the closest functional peer in restaurant curation and booking.
• Gault & Millau: Gault & Millau is a French-founded gourmet guide that rates restaurants on a points-and-toque system across Europe. It is the most direct legacy competitor to Michelin in continental Europe and competes for both chef recognition and fine-dining consumer mindshare.

Emerging players

• Relais & Châteaux: Relais & Châteaux is an association of independently owned luxury hotels and restaurants offering curated hospitality experiences. It overlaps with the MICHELIN Guide in luxury hotels and high-end dining curation, though it operates more as an association/marketing brand than a publication.
• World's 50 Best Restaurants: The World's 50 Best Restaurants is an annual ranking and awards brand focused on global fine-dining restaurants. It competes directly with Michelin for premium restaurant prestige, chef recognition, and culinary-tourist influence, while using a peer-voted rather than inspector-based methodology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/MichelinGuideNA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TheMICHELINGuide
• Facebookfacebook.com/MichelinGuideNorthAmerica
• Instagraminstagram.com/michelinguide
• TikToktiktok.com/@michelinguide

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MICHELIN Guide