Who chooses the MICHELIN Guide hotels: the inspectors

Behind every hotel that enters the MICHELIN Guide there is quiet, rigorous work: that of its inspectors. They are hospitality experts and, at the same time, passionate travellers who roam the world in search of places that inspire. Today their eye has selected more than 9,400 hotels across the planet — and, since 2026, Contemplación Resort & Spa, in Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California, is one of them.

1. Full independence. No commercial relationship influences the decisions. Inspectors act with total independence and the selection is published free on the Guide's website and app.

2. Collegial decision. No inspector decides alone: a hotel's inclusion is debated and decided as a team, with several expert eyes.

3. Anonymous stays. The evaluation is based on anonymous stays: inspectors experience the hotel like any guest, pay their bill and observe the real, everyday service.

4. Universal criteria. The five selection criteria apply the same in every country, with no quotas and no imposed hotel style. Authenticity is what is rewarded.

That the evaluation is anonymous and everyday is, perhaps, what we value most. It means that what they saw at Contemplación was not a performance, but our day to day in Valle de Guadalupe: the way we welcome, care for every space and live this land.