Carlton Cannes

Carlton Cannes is a historic luxury hotel at 58 La Croisette in Cannes, on the French Riviera. The property opened on 30 January 1911 after being designed by architects Charles Dalmas and Marcellin Mayère for Swiss hotelier Henry Ruhl. Its construction was financed in part by Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia. The hotel was conceived during the period when Cannes was developing into an international resort for aristocratic, artistic, and affluent travelers, and its Belle Époque architecture helped establish the visual identity of the Croisette. The original building was expanded soon after opening. The adjoining Hotel de la Plage was acquired and demolished, allowing a new wing to be constructed between 1912 and 1913. This expansion approximately doubled the hotel's capacity and produced the broad, symmetrical form associated with the property. Its two seaward domes have long been popularly linked to Caroline Otero, the celebrated performer and courtesan known as La Belle Otero, although the association is generally presented as a piece of hotel lore rather than a documented design commission. A former seventh-floor dining room named La Belle Otero later became a VIP floor with seven luxury suites. Carlton Cannes became particularly prominent during the annual Cannes Film Festival, when actors, directors, producers, and international media gather in the city. The hotel has hosted movie stars and other high-profile visitors and has become one of the best-known hospitality landmarks connected with the festival. It has also appeared in films and music videos, including Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief, which featured Grace Kelly and Cary Grant, and the 1995 romantic comedy French Kiss. Its association with film culture is reinforced by the hotel's setting directly on the Croisette and beside its private beach. The property's corporate history reflects several changes in the international hotel industry. It entered the Inter-Continental system after Grand Metropolitan acquired Inter-Continental Hotels from Pan Am in 1981 and merged its hotel operations with the chain in 1982. The property subsequently operated under the InterContinental name. In 2003, the wider chain was reorganized under InterContinental Hotels Group. IHG sold the ownership of the Carlton and six other InterContinental properties to Morgan Stanley in 2006 while retaining management. The portfolio was sold again in 2011 to Toufic Aboukhater, and Katara Hospitality, owned by the government of Qatar, acquired the Carlton in 2014. The hotel closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. It reopened briefly in August of that year before closing again on 10 September 2020 for an extensive renovation. The renovated property reopened on 13 March 2023 as Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel, placing it within IHG's Regent luxury brand while preserving the Carlton name and its historic identity. A formal reopening celebration took place on 17 May 2023 during the Cannes Film Festival and drew numerous internationally known guests. The renewed hotel continues to combine guestrooms and suites, restaurants, a lounge bar, event facilities, and a private beach with its role as a landmark of Cannes' luxury-tourism economy.

Carlton Cannes was built during the transformation of Cannes into a premier resort on the French Riviera. Swiss hotelier Henry Ruhl commissioned architects Charles Dalmas and Marcellin Mayère to design the property, with financial support from Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia. The hotel opened on 30 January 1911 at 58 La Croisette. Its scale, seafront location, and elaborate Belle Époque design made it an immediate landmark in the resort city. The first building was enlarged within two years. The hotel acquired the neighboring Hotel de la Plage and removed it to make room for a new wing, built between 1912 and 1913. The extension doubled the size of the operation and created the recognizable composition that remains associated with Carlton Cannes. The building's corner domes have traditionally been said to evoke the breasts of Caroline Otero, known as La Belle Otero, a famous figure of the Riviera's early twentieth-century social scene. The hotel later named a formal dining room after her; that space was eventually converted into a VIP floor containing seven luxury suites. The hotel developed a strong relationship with international entertainment and political society. Its proximity to the Palais des Festivals and its position on the Croisette made it a natural base for visitors to the Cannes Film Festival. The property also became a recurring location in popular culture. Alfred Hitchcock used the hotel as a central setting in To Catch a Thief, starring Grace Kelly and Cary Grant. Grace Kelly stayed at the Carlton during the 1955 festival, where she met Monaco's Prince Rainier III; the pair married the following year. The hotel later appeared in connection with There's a Girl in My Soup, Elton John's 1983 music video for I'm Still Standing, New Order's 1993 video for World (The Price of Love), Steps' 1999 video for Love's Got a Hold on My Heart, and the film French Kiss. Ownership and brand affiliation changed as the international hotel sector consolidated. In the late 1960s, the property was acquired by the Grand Metropolitan hotel group, led by Maxwell Joseph. Grand Metropolitan bought Inter-Continental Hotels from Pan Am in September 1981. On 1 April 1982, the two hotel operations were combined, bringing the Carlton into the Inter-Continental network and leading to the name Carlton Inter-Continental Cannes. After the 2003 reorganization that created the modern InterContinental Hotels Group structure, the property was known as InterContinental Carlton Cannes. IHG sold the Carlton and six other InterContinental properties to Morgan Stanley in June 2006 for a reported portfolio price of €634 million, while continuing to manage the hotels. Morgan Stanley sold the portfolio in April 2011 to Lebanese businessman Toufic Aboukhater for a reported €450 million. In 2014, Katara Hospitality, an investment company owned by the government of Qatar, purchased the Carlton along with four other hotels from the portfolio. These transactions separated real-estate ownership from hotel-brand management, with IHG continuing to operate the property under its luxury hotel system. The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the hotel's operations in 2020. It closed in March, reopened for a short period in August, and then closed again on 10 September for extensive renovation. The work led to a repositioning within IHG's Regent Hotels & Resorts portfolio. The property reopened on 13 March 2023 as Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel. Its grand reopening was held on 17 May 2023 during the Cannes Film Festival, emphasizing the hotel's historic role in the festival and international luxury-travel circuit. The renovated property retains the Carlton name, its Croisette setting, restaurants, lounge, beach facilities, and suites while presenting the hotel as a contemporary Regent destination.

• 2023

  Reopens as Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel

  [1]Carlton Cannes Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The renovated hotel reopened on 13 March and held its grand reopening during the Cannes Film Festival on 17 May.

• 2020

  Pandemic closure and renovation

  [1]Carlton Cannes Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and later shut again for extensive renovation.

• 2014

  Katara Hospitality acquires the Carlton

  [1]Carlton Cannes Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Katara Hospitality acquired the Carlton along with four other hotels from the portfolio.

• 2011

  Portfolio sold to Toufic Aboukhater

  [1]Carlton Cannes Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Morgan Stanley sold the portfolio containing the Carlton to Lebanese businessman Toufic Aboukhater.

• 2006

  IHG sells hotel ownership to Morgan Stanley

  [1]Carlton Cannes Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Morgan Stanley acquired the Carlton and six other InterContinental properties while IHG retained management.

• 2003

  Hotel chain reorganized under IHG

  [1]Carlton Cannes Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The wider Inter-Continental hotel business was reorganized as InterContinental Hotels Group.

• 1982

  Carlton joins the Inter-Continental network

  [1]Carlton Cannes Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Grand Metropolitan's hotel operations were combined with Inter-Continental Hotels, and the property became Carlton Inter-Continental Cannes.

• 1913

  Expanded building reaches its present form

  [1]Carlton Cannes Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The new wing was completed, approximately doubling the hotel's size.

• 1912

  Expansion of the hotel begins

  [1]Carlton Cannes Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The adjoining Hotel de la Plage was acquired and demolished to permit construction of a new wing.

• 1911

  Carlton Hotel opens

  [1]Carlton Cannes Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel opened on 30 January at 58 La Croisette in Cannes after being developed by Henry Ruhl.

Historic Riviera luxury hospitality with a strong connection to Cannes Film Festival culture, Belle Époque architecture, celebrity clientele, and beachfront resort service.

• Luxury hotel accommodation · 1911

  Guestrooms and suites

  Carlton Cannes provides luxury guestrooms and suites in its historic Croisette building. The property has been described as a 332-room hotel and includes higher-tier suites and VIP accommodation. Its renovated offering combines historic architectural character with contemporary Regent hospitality.

• Restaurant

  Riviera

  Riviera is the hotel's ground-floor restaurant, complemented by a large outdoor terrace. It forms part of the property's food-and-beverage offering and serves guests and visitors in the prominent seafront setting of La Croisette.

• Beach restaurant

  Carlton Beach Restaurant

  The Carlton Beach Restaurant extends the hotel's hospitality offer onto its private beach. It combines resort dining with direct access to the Mediterranean waterfront and is a distinctive component of the property's Cannes experience.

• Bar and lounge

  Carlton Bar

  The Carlton Bar is the hotel's lounge and social meeting space. It contributes to the property's traditional luxury-hotel identity and provides an indoor setting alongside the restaurants, terrace, and beach facilities.

• Premium accommodation · 2004

  VIP floor and luxury suites

  The former La Belle Otero dining level was converted into a VIP floor in 2004, containing seven luxury suites. The floor reflects the hotel's longstanding focus on high-profile guests and premium festival-period accommodation.

• 2013

  Carlton InterContinental jewelry heist

  On 28 July, a thief stole jewelry valued at approximately $136 million from a temporary Leviev Diamond House exhibition at the hotel in a daylight robbery. The cited account states that no suspects were charged.

  Source

• 1994

  Armed jewelry-store robbery

  Three men carrying automatic weapons robbed a jewelry store inside the hotel and escaped with jewelry and precious stones valued at more than $60 million. The weapons were later found to have fired blanks, and the thieves were not apprehended.

  Source

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• 2023Grand reopening during the Cannes Film Festival

  France · International luxury travel

  Carlton Cannes used the 2023 Cannes Film Festival as the setting for its formal reopening after renovation. The event connected the property's renewed Regent positioning with its established role as a meeting place for international film, fashion, and entertainment audiences.

  Outcome. The hotel returned to operation as Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel, with substantial international celebrity visibility.

  Source

• 2023

  Reopening under the Regent brandStrategy

  Background

  After the renovation, the historic Carlton name was retained while the property moved from its former InterContinental identity into the Regent portfolio.

  Action taken

  The hotel reopened as Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel, on 13 March 2023.

  Aftermath

  The repositioning preserved the property's heritage identity while aligning it with IHG's contemporary luxury-hospitality offering.

  Source

• 2020

  Extensive renovation and repositioningStrategy

  Background

  The hotel closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, briefly reopened, and then closed again for a major renovation beginning in September.

  Action taken

  The property underwent extensive renovation and was prepared for operation under IHG's Regent luxury brand.

  Aftermath

  It reopened in March 2023 as Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel.

  Source

• 1982

  Adoption of the Inter-Continental affiliationStrategy

  Background

  Grand Metropolitan combined its hotel operations with Inter-Continental Hotels after acquiring the chain from Pan Am.

  Action taken

  The Carlton entered the Inter-Continental network and operated as Carlton Inter-Continental Cannes.

  Aftermath

  The property became part of the international hotel system later reorganized as InterContinental Hotels Group.

  Source

• 2023

  Carlton Cannes reopens as a Regent hotel[1]Carlton Cannes Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Following its renovation, the property reopened on 13 March 2023 under the name Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel.

• 2023

  Carlton Cannes holds grand reopening during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival[1]Carlton Cannes Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Campaign · Other

  The hotel celebrated its renewed operation with a grand reopening on 17 May 2023 during the Cannes Film Festival, attended by numerous film and fashion personalities.

• 2020

  Carlton Cannes closes for extensive renovation after pandemic disruption[1]Carlton Cannes Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  After closing during the COVID-19 pandemic and briefly reopening in August, the hotel closed again on 10 September 2020 for a major renovation.

1. 1Carlton Cannes Hotelen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Carlton Cannes official hotel pageihg.com