Hotels of the month

The Carlton Hotel, the rebirth of a Cannes legend

The Carlton has a new look. After a 2-year renovation, Cannes’ legendary hotel celebrates its 110th anniversary with two new wings, a sumptuous interior garden and the largest infinity pool on the Croisette. We slept there.

The Pitch | The Carlton Cannes, rebirth of the emblematic Croisette address

Behind its monumental Art Deco façade overlooking the Bay of Cannes, the Carlton has a new face. The legendary hotel, whose life is intimately linked to the Cannes Film Festival, has increased its surface area by 20,000 m², from 32,000 to 52,000 m², with the addition of two new wings. During the two-year renovation, architect Richard Lavette - endorsed by the Bâtiments de France architects - and designer Tristan Auer freed up space with an architecture in continuity with the existing one.

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What's the hotel like?

Beyond the revolving door of the listed façade, the luminous lobby is arranged around marble columns and new arches once hidden beneath the walls. Magnificent onyx pilasters were uncovered beneath layers of paint during a meticulous stratigraphic study. At the end of the lobby, the staircase serving all the rooms houses an Art Deco-inspired cascade chandelier by Tristan Auer. The concierge's office features a period-style key box and highlights a cupola once hidden in an administrative office. A little further on, in the VIP lounge adjoining the reception area, a second majestic cupola crowns the clay-coloured space. The color of the surface, invented in Cannes by the English, pays homage to French tennis player Suzanne Rachel Flore Lenglen, who won the Carlton Cannes tennis tournament in 1926.

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In the Grand Salon, listed as a Monument Historique, the chandeliers and capitals have been restored. Back in the lobby, guests can enjoy 60 varieties of tea from around the world in the Camélia Tea Lounge (named after the botanical name for the tea tree, Camellia Sinensis). The salon's color palette oscillates between whites, pinks, eucalyptus greens and terracotta, light hues that reflect the transverse light emanating from the Mediterranean Sea and the interior garden. At the 58° bar, a reference to the hotel's address, Venini chandeliers and a wooden counter base modelled on eucalyptus leaf veins blend with a more oriental-inspired moucharabieh screen.

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The transformations are remarkable inside this Côte d'Azur hotel, but it's on the outside of the 5-star hotel that the bulk of the renovation resides. The creation of a peristyle at the junction of the old and new buildings, and the transformation of the courtyard into a walled garden planted with 22,000 Mediterranean plants, bring an unprecedented dimension to the establishment. The extension seems to have been there forever. To get to the infinity pool and relaxation cabanas, you cross the garden with its many species: laurel, jasmine, lemon... Looking up, you realize that the walkway has allowed the creation of a terrace covering the entire second floor.

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What are the rooms like?

"La Grande Dame" has a total of 332 rooms and suites - including 72 with sea views - and 37 exclusive residences ranging in size from 85 to 500 m². Divided between sea and garden, the rooms facing the Bay of Cannes feature a love site, a curved bench designed by Tristan Auer, where guests can lose themselves in the marine hues of the horizon. Room 532, tested and approved by the editorial team, offers all the comforts required for a successful stay on the Croisette, and brings serenity to life: ultra-soft bedding, king-size bed, built-in USB port on bedside tables, Dyson hairdryer, steamer, leather towel rack, rain shower and Acqua Di Parma courtesy products. Elegance meets luxury.

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On the 7th floor, the Carlton unveils its new Iconic Signature Suites, named in reference to the property's history: the Katara Suite pays tribute to the hotel's attentive janitors, the Grace Kelly Suite, the Cary Grant Suite and the Kirk Douglas Suite echo the hotel's cinematic past. On the sixth floor is the Alfred Hitchcock Suite, the exact room where the famous kissing scene between Grace Kelly and Cary Grant in the legendary film "The Snare" was filmed.

Gastronomy?

Three restaurants. The French-style Riviera features a new chef's table facing chef Laurent Bunel's open kitchen, which can seat up to 15 guests. With 70 covers, it serves excellent meats (Black Angus beef picanha, rack of lamb from Alpilles...) and fish from the Mediterranean basin. Along the Croisette, the Carlton Beach Club draws its inspiration from the 50s, with its marble, wood and dapper lemon yellow. Guests come here to soak up the sun and enjoy Homer Lobster's famous brioches/sandwiches. In May 2023, just before the start of the Cannes Film Festival, the Anatolian restaurant Rüya opened its doors, becoming the first Turkish restaurant on the Côte d'Azur.

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What makes the difference?

The hotel boasts a brand-new 900 m² Fitness & Spa complex, Le C Club, featuring a boxing ring, state-of-the-art gym, 4 treatment rooms, yoga and Pilates studio. Another major addition: the hotel now houses a 1,800 m² underground conference center, dug beneath the garden. The Salon de la Croisette, adorned with a plant wall and bathed in natural light, is the largest reception room in Cannes without pillars.

Good to know?

A total of 360 craftsmen were involved in the renovation of the hotel.

The room to book?

Suite 530, bright and airy, with a large bathtub.

Where is it?

58 Boulevard de la Croisette, Cannes. An iconic address.

 

Highlights

The Carlton has been completely aired out and redesigned, blending its heritage with a noble contemporaneity. Between the hustle and bustle of the Croisette and the serenity of the garden, this legendary hotel retains its cinematic aura.

5 things we loved about the Carlton Cannes

  • The new enclosed garden, a veritable Eden
  • The in-room love site, where you can indulge in a meditative reverie
  • The Camélia tea lounge with its cane furniture
  • The emotional commitment of the staff
  • The infinity pool, heated to 28 degrees all year round.

How much does it cost?

From €1,200 per night for a sea-view room.

Practical

Carlton Cannes

369 keys, from €1,200 per night

58 Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes

All locations are independently selected by our specialist journalists. If you make a reservation, we may receive an affiliate commission.

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