Apple Maps is getting a significant upgrade aimed at helping users discover high-quality dining and lodging, leveraging insights from respected industry authorities. In a move that enhances its utility beyond standard navigation, Apple is integrating expert recommendations from sources like the MICHELIN Guide, The Infatuation, and Golf Digest directly into the Maps experience, starting with users in the United States.
This update makes it substantially easier for individuals seeking top-tier establishments to find them directly within the navigation app they already use daily.
Beginning immediately, Apple Maps now allows users in the U.S. to search for and view restaurants holding prestigious distinctions from the MICHELIN Guide, including coveted MICHELIN Stars, environmentally focused Green Stars, and value-driven Bib Gourmand ratings. The integration also extends to accommodation, with details on MICHELIN Key hotels now visible.
These expert ratings and distinctions appear directly on place cards within the app, often accompanied by descriptions, images, and insights provided by the experts themselves, offering users a richer understanding of the location before they visit.
Beyond merely providing information, the update also builds in functionality for planning trips and outings. For select hotels, users can now complete bookings directly from within the Apple Maps interface. Further enhancing convenience, Apple has announced that options for scheduling restaurant reservations via MICHELIN and booking tee times through Supreme Golf will be integrated into the app shortly.
The initial rollout focuses on the MICHELIN Guide integration, but Apple confirms that insights and rankings from The Infatuation, known for its restaurant recommendations, and Golf Digest, specializing in golf course rankings, will be added “soon,” with plans to incorporate even more expert sources over time.
David Dorn, Apple’s senior director of Internet Software and Services Product, emphasized the value these leading industry experts bring, stating excitement to provide their insights and accolades to Apple Maps users for discovering great new places, whether at home or traveling.
These new integrations make Maps an even more useful and seamless resource for users to discover great new places whether in their hometown or traveling somewhere new.
While the initial launch is exclusive to the United States, Apple has confirmed plans to expand this feature to additional regions in the future, bringing expert-driven discovery to a wider global audience. This update arrives coincidentally as Apple TV+ prepares to debut “Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars,” a documentary series exploring the world of chefs pursuing these very same prestigious ratings.
