The new distinction for the boutique hotel, one of only two such awards in San Diego, comes as Orli prepares its second La Jolla site.
Marked in the Michelin Guide as a “very special stay,” Orli La Jolla on Draper Avenue in The Village has earned a Michelin Key, a designation akin to Michelin’s rating for restaurants.
Orli La Jolla, listed in the Guide as “a unique homestay-meets-hotel concept in a restored 1910s historic landmark that marries modernism with old-school charm,” is one of 37 new Keys this year and one of only two San Diego hotels recognized, along with the Lafayette Hotel in North Park.
Michelin Keys are awarded to “the best of the best of The Guide’s hotel selection,” according to Michelin.
Earning the rare distinction is “an incredible honor and a meaningful validation of what we’ve been building over the past five years,” Orli co-founder Maxwell Waitt told lajolla.ca. “It reflects the collective effort to craft a boutique experience where high design meets genuine warmth.”
The recognition “also celebrates our deep connection to La Jolla,” Waitt said, noting local partnerships, community engagement and a commitment to preserving the architectural legacy are the core of Orli’s existence.
The distinction comes as Orli La Jolla is planning expansion to a second site fewer than two blocks away, in a soon-to-be-converted 16,683 square-foot, single-family home on Prospect and Cuvier streets.
“We’re only just beginning,” Waitt said.
