The Inns of Aurora has been named a One Key hotel in the MICHELIN Guide's 2025 selection. The announcement makes the Inns the first hotel in the Finger Lakes region to receive the designation.
The MICHELIN Key is the hotel equivalent of the MICHELIN Star for restaurants. MICHELIN inspectors evaluate hotels on five criteria: excellence in architecture and interior design, quality and consistency of service, overall personality and character, value for the price, and a significant contribution to the neighborhood or setting. A One Key rating signifies what MICHELIN calls "a very special stay."
The Inns of Aurora occupies five restored historic buildings in the village of Aurora on the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake, and a modern spa facility a few miles up the road.
Photo courtesy of Inns of Aurora
A 19th Century Crossroads
Aurora flourished in the mid 1800s as a stop on the Erie Canal and the village became home to some of the era's most prominent businesspeople.
Edwin Barber Morgan built the Aurora Inn in 1833 to serve travelers arriving by coach, canal boat and rail. Morgan was a native of Aurora who made his fortune in lake trade and went on to become an early investor in the New York Times and a director of Wells Fargo.
Henry Wells arrived in Aurora in 1852 and founded Wells College for the education of women in 1868. Wells had already made his fortune as the founder of American Express and co-founder of Wells Fargo.
Photo courtesy of Inns of Aurora
Decline and Restoration
By the mid 20th century the properties had passed through various hands. The Aurora Inn was deeded to Wells College in 1943 and later served as a makeshift residence hall when enrollment surged in the 1960s.
Pleasant T. Rowland changed the trajectory of the village. A 1962 graduate of Wells College, Rowland had founded the American Girl doll company in 1986, eventually selling the business to Mattel for $700 million in 1998. Returning to her beloved Aurora in 2001, she began restoring properties.
The Aurora Foundation, a partnership between Wells College and the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, completed an extensive renovation of the Aurora Inn which reopened in 2003. Rowland went on to restore more than a dozen historic buildings in the village.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Five Inns with Distinct Personalities
Today the Inns of Aurora comprises 55 rooms across five properties. Each has a different character.
The Aurora Inn is the flagship. Its ten rooms feature what MICHELIN describes as a contemporary recreation of early 20th century decoration. E.B. Morgan House offers seven rooms in an Italianate limestone mansion. Rowland House has ten rooms with an eclectic style and includes third floor "Whimsy Rooms" decorated with MacKenzie Childs designs.
Wallcourt Hall provides 16 rooms in what MICHELIN calls "vibrant, colorful, almost whimsical" modern design. Zabriskie House, which joined the collection in 2019, offers 11 rooms in what the guide describes as "soothingly minimalist."
The property also includes a 21,000 square foot spa that opened in 2020. Vogue named it one of the 100 best spas in the world in2024. The spa features indoor and outdoor hydrotherapy circuits, treatment rooms and more than 50 pieces from Rowland's personal art collection.
Dining options include 1833 Kitchen and Bar in the Aurora Inn, which features locally sourced ingredients, and Fargo Bar and Grill for casual fare. Aurora Cooks offers cooking demonstrations and workshops.
Photo courtesy of Inns of Aurora
What the Award Means
The resort said it was "deeply grateful" for the recognition in a statement posted to social media after the October 2025 announcement.
The Inns of Aurora is one of approximately 300 Key hotels in the United States. New York state has 41 Key hotels in the 2025 selection, ranking second only to California. Other upstate New York properties with Keys include Troutbeck in Amenia, Mirror Lake Inn and Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid, and The Menhaden in Greenport.
The designation adds to a growing list of recognition for the Inns. Travel and Leisure named it one of the Top 15 Resorts in the United States in 2019 and included it on its World's Best List in 2024. Condé Nast Traveler recognized it in the 2024 Readers Choice Awards for both Best Resorts in the Mid Atlantic and Best Destination Spa Resorts.