Michelin Guide lands on Apple Maps: Tap, dine, repeat

It was about time – the famous Michelin Guide that helps diners find the best restaurants and hotels has just arrived on Apple Maps, allowing users in the US to see the locations with distinctions from Michelin directly in their apps.

Specifically, Apple Maps will now show Michelin-starred restaurants rewarded for their culinary quality, Green Star establishments with sustainable practices, Bib Gourmand selections with superior food at low costs, and exceptional Michelin Key hotels, according to a press release from May 15.

What the Michelin Guide implementation entails

Notably, the place cards in Apple Maps will from now on display Michelin distinctions, descriptions, and images, whereas users will be able to book select hotels directly from Apple Maps via an app clip from Michelin, and the company said it will soon add the option to schedule restaurant reservations.

Per the Michelin Guide, the option to reserve a hotel or restaurant straight from their cards in Apple Maps is part of its mission to establish itself as the world’s leading independent booking platform.

Commenting on the development, Michelin Guide’s International Director Gwendal Poullennec shared his company’s excitement with the integration, which he said “reflects our commitment to combining expertise with a top-tier navigation experience.” As he added:

“By combining Michelin Guide’s restaurant and hotel distinctions into the Maps app, we are bringing the enthusiastic fieldwork of our anonymous expert inspectors to Apple Maps users so that they may discover the world’s best gastronomic and hospitality destinations.”

Meanwhile, Apple’s plans to introduce ads to its maps app, allowing businesses to boost visibility by paying for it, have encountered resistance from iOS users, many of whom have responded by stating they would switch (back) to Android if Apple goes through with it.

However, Apple Maps’ competitor – Google Maps – isn’t without controversy either, receiving backlash for renaming the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America in the app, following US President Donald Trump’s promise to change the name of the location, with all official documents now referring to the location as the Gulf of America.