Carlton Cannes

Cannes

Once a peaceful little fishing port, Cannes began to welcome the rich and famous during the 19^th century. In 1834, Lord Brougham, the Grand Chancellor of England, made an unexpected stop here, and that was how it all began. He immediately fell in love with the site and started to spend all his winters here, until he finally settled here permanently in a villa he had built in honor of his daughter, the “Villa Eleanora.” As he was very influential in royal circles, Lord Brougham’s presence in Cannes attracted aristocrats from all over Europe, who built palaces and mansions here. In 1946, when the first Cannes Film Festival was held, the city was already very well known. Its magnificent bay bordered by palm trees and superb villas, its Mediterranean climate and the uninterrupted view of the mysterious Lérins Islands have made Cannes one of the world’s favorite tourist destinations for the world’s elite. In addition to being the cinema capital of the world, Cannes is also a provincial, authentic village and proud of it. The old mansions on the Suquet hill bear witness to this latter aspect of the city.

The palace of the stars

The Carlton, ideally located on the legendary Croisette, is a mythical palace hotel overlooking the Mediterranean, where the rich and famous have been coming since 1912. Its Art Nouveau style, its U shape, its two-tone facades in false stone and its domes dominating the Croisette give the building a very definite sense of architectural nobility. Opened by the future Alexander I of Yugoslavia, it was the holiday destination of European aristocracy.

Almost all of its 343 rooms have splendid salons and a magnificent view of the sea. Closely linked to the cinema, it has become the favorite palace hotel of movie stars during the Cannes Film Festival. Ten suites have been redecorated to reinforce this association with the seventh lively art, and each one now bears the name of a film star. In each suite, architect Nicolas Papamiltiades has tried to recreate the pure style of the French Riviera of the 1950s using precious wood for the parquet floors, classic furniture, marble for the bathrooms and light colored silk or satin curtains. After a walk through the old city or a visit to the Lérins Islands, a cocktail like the famous Lady Carlton is in order at the Bar des Célébrités, or for a greater sense of intimacy at the Petit Bar.

And when the weather permits, which is very often, guests might want to try their hand at the parachute ascension or water skiing, or just spend a day relaxing on the hotel’s private beach. The Carlton has been providing luxury service for more than a century, and in 2009, was the first large hotel in Cannes to have been awarded a fifth star, thus confirming its already established status as a palace.

Many films have been shot at the Carlton including Alfred Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief” in 1954, “I’m Still Standing”, interpreted by Elton John in 1984, “Four Stars” with Isabelle Carré, José Garcia and François Cluzet in 2005 and “Anthony Zimmer” with Sophie Marceau and Yvan Attal.