The hotel has a new name now – Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel. It is over a 100 years old.
Hotel Carlton has reopened after five years of renovations and two years of closure, in time for the Cannes Film Festival, which begins on May 16.
Some years ago, as I used to walk past Cannes’ most iconic Hotel Carlton, I used to be overwhelmed by a feeling of intense nostalgia. It presented a sad sight of closed gates and shutters. I had, in fact, interviewed some famous celebrities there like Nicole Kidman, Denzel Washington, Lars Von Trier, and so on.
But this year, March 13 to be very precise, Carlton reopened after five years of renovations and two years of closure. This is in time for the Cannes Film Festival, which begins on May 16.
The hotel has a new name now: Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel, part of the Qatari-owned IHG Hotels and Resorts. It is over a 100 years old, and is now open for booking.
The property was renovated by French interior designer Tristan Auer, and designed and supervised by restoration specialist and architect Richard Lavelle. The famous ‘Carlton Hotel’ inscription on the skyline pinnacle of the facade has been restored to exactly as it was when the hotel opened more than a century ago.
And Carlton has been the hub of excitement throughout. Alfred Hitchcock shot To Catch A Thief in 1954 with Grace Kelly and Cary Grant, and what a movie it was. Interestingly, Hitchcock went back to the hotel in 1963 after screening his yet another thriller, Birds, to host a grand dinner. It was a ball, I would think. The hotel was also seen in films like the 1970 There’s A Girl In My Soup (with Peter Sellers and Goldie Hawn in a delightful comedy) and the 1995 romance, French Kiss. I am sure Carlton must have featured in many French movies.
The hotel has also hosted Cannes’ jury presidents, but this year, there is yet no word on this. Where would president Ruben Ostlund and his team stay? The Festival is keeping this under wraps.
Although Carlton has been closely associated with Cannes and movies, it had also dabbled in political activity: the first League of Nations conference in 1922 chose Carlton; G20 summit in 2011 when no less a political head than President Barack Obama stayed…
What is more, Carlton has been the favourite haunt of robbers, who escaped with the jewels of actresses attending the Festival. Imagine, you get back to your hotel room and find that all your jewels are gone, and you have nothing to wear for the evening gala.
Well, let us hope that this will not happen again, and Carlton will add sparkle to the Festival this year.
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