Desert Rock Becomes First Saudi Resort to Earn Three Michelin Keys

Desert Rock has become the first resort in Saudi Arabia to receive Three Michelin Keys, the highest rating in the Michelin Guide’s hotel classification system.

The resort was also named the winner of Michelin’s 2026 Architecture and Design Award, selected from five nominated hotels.

Michelin Keys are the hotel equivalent of the guide’s restaurant stars, with inspectors assessing architecture and interior design, service quality and consistency, character, value for money and how strongly a property reflects its location. Three Keys are reserved for what Michelin describes as an “extraordinary stay”.

Desert Rock is one of 155 hotels worldwide to receive Three Keys in 2026 and one of two properties in the Gulf Cooperation Council to hold the rating. Michelin’s latest selection includes 17 Key hotels in Saudi Arabia.

Designed by Oppenheim Architecture, with interiors by Studio Paolo Ferrari, Desert Rock is built into the rock formations of its surrounding landscape near Umluj. The resort has 64 villas and suites and sits around 20 minutes by road from Red Sea International Airport.

Michelin also recognised the resort’s use of the existing terrain as a defining part of its design when awarding it the Architecture and Design prize.

Meanwhile, Shebara retained its Two Michelin Keys. Located on an island in Al-Wajh Lagoon, the resort has 73 villas with private pools, including overwater units.

The wider Red Sea destination began receiving visitors in 2023 and currently has 11 resorts in operation, with six more scheduled to open on Shura Island.