Carlton Cannes Hotel
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA landmark luxury hotel on Cannes's La Croisette, celebrated for Riviera architecture, film-festival hospitality, celebrity history, and its 2023 reopening as a Regent hotel.
Last updated August 22, 2026
Overview
The Carlton Cannes is a historic luxury hotel at 58 La Croisette in Cannes, on the French Riviera. Opened in 1911, it became one of the resort city's defining landmarks and remains closely associated with the Cannes Film Festival, international cinema, and high-end tourism. Its seafront setting, distinctive corner domes, Belle Époque-era architecture, private beach, and long record of welcoming public figures have made it a globally recognizable hotel brand rather than simply an accommodation property. The hotel was developed by Swiss hotelier Henry Ruhl and designed by architects Charles Dalmas and Marcellin Mayère. Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia helped finance the project. Construction took place from 1909 to 1910, and the hotel opened on 30 January 1911. Its initial success led to the acquisition and demolition of the neighboring Hotel de la Plage. A second wing was built between 1912 and 1913, creating the expanded building form associated with the Carlton today. The property has passed through several ownership and management structures. In the late 1960s it was acquired by Maxwell Joseph's Grand Metropolitan hotel group. After Grand Metropolitan acquired Inter-Continental Hotels from Pan Am in 1981, the two hotel operations were combined in 1982, bringing the Carlton into the Inter-Continental system. It subsequently became known as the Carlton Inter-Continental Cannes and later the InterContinental Carlton Cannes. In 2006, InterContinental Hotels Group sold the property to Morgan Stanley while retaining management. Morgan Stanley sold the hotel and other portfolio properties in 2011 to Lebanese businessman Toufic Aboukhater, and Katara Hospitality acquired the Carlton in 2014. The hotel closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Although it briefly reopened in August of that year, it closed again on 10 September 2020 for an extensive renovation. The property reopened on 13 March 2023 under the name Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel, and held a larger reopening celebration during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. The renovated hotel has 332 rooms and suites, dining and lounge venues, event facilities, and access to a private beach. Its hospitality offer is aimed at affluent leisure travelers, film and entertainment guests, business events, and international luxury-tourism clientele. The Carlton's cultural profile extends beyond hotel operations. It was a major filming location for Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief, which starred Grace Kelly and Cary Grant. Kelly also stayed at the hotel during the 1955 Cannes Film Festival, where she met Monaco's Prince Rainier III. The property later appeared in or around films and music videos including There's a Girl in My Soup, French Kiss, Elton John's I'm Still Standing, New Order's World (The Price of Love), and Steps' Love's Got a Hold on My Heart. The building has also attracted notoriety because of major jewelry robberies in 1994 and 2013.
History
The Carlton Hotel was conceived during the expansion of Cannes as a fashionable Riviera resort. Swiss hotelier Henry Ruhl commissioned architects Charles Dalmas and Marcellin Mayère to design a large luxury property on La Croisette. Construction ran from 1909 to 1910, with financing assistance from Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia. The hotel opened on 30 January 1911 and quickly became a prominent address for wealthy visitors and international society. Demand was strong enough that the property acquired the neighboring Hotel de la Plage. That building was demolished, and a new western wing was constructed from 1912 to 1913. The enlargement doubled the hotel's size and produced the principal architectural configuration that defines the Carlton. Its two seaward domes became especially recognizable features. A long-running popular story links their shape to Caroline Otero, known as La Belle Otero, a celebrated Belle Époque courtesan of the Riviera; the hotel later used her name for a formal dining room on the seventh floor. The Carlton developed a reputation as a meeting place for aristocrats, entertainers, political figures, and film stars. Its role intensified after the establishment of the Cannes Film Festival, when the hotel became a favored base for guests and a recurring setting for festival-related social life. In 1955, Grace Kelly stayed at the Carlton during the festival and met Prince Rainier III of Monaco there. The hotel's cinematic associations were reinforced by Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief, which used the property as a central location and starred Kelly alongside Cary Grant. Ownership and management changed during the second half of the twentieth century. Grand Metropolitan acquired the hotel in the late 1960s. After Grand Metropolitan bought Inter-Continental Hotels from Pan Am in September 1981, the group's hotel operations were merged on 1 April 1982. The Carlton became part of the Inter-Continental network and was subsequently identified as the Carlton Inter-Continental Cannes. When the hotel group was reorganized as InterContinental Hotels Group in 2003, the property became the InterContinental Carlton Cannes. In June 2006, InterContinental Hotels Group sold the Carlton and six other InterContinental properties to Morgan Stanley for a reported portfolio price of 634 million euros, while continuing to manage the hotels. Morgan Stanley resold the portfolio in April 2011 to Lebanese businessman Toufic Aboukhater for a reported 450 million euros. Katara Hospitality, owned by the government of Qatar, acquired the Carlton in 2014 together with four other properties from the portfolio. The hotel continued to operate under the InterContinental identity before its later transition to the Regent brand. The property was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and closed in March 2020. It reopened briefly in August but closed again on 10 September 2020 for a substantial renovation. The renovated hotel reopened on 13 March 2023 as Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel. Its facilities include 332 rooms and suites, restaurants, a bar, event areas, and a private beach. A multi-day grand reopening celebration was held on 17 May 2023 during the Cannes Film Festival, reinforcing the hotel's long-standing connection with international cinema and luxury hospitality. The Carlton has also appeared in popular culture. Besides To Catch a Thief, its exterior or surrounding areas featured in There's a Girl in My Soup, French Kiss, Elton John's I'm Still Standing video, New Order's World (The Price of Love), and Steps' Love's Got a Hold on My Heart. The property became associated with high-profile crime after jewelry robberies in 1994 and 2013, including the theft of jewelry displayed by Leviev Diamond House in 2013.
- 2023
Reopens as a Regent hotel
[1]The renovated property reopens on 13 March as Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel, and celebrates its grand reopening during the Cannes Film Festival in May.
- 2020
Closes for renovation during the pandemic
[1]After a short reopening in August, the hotel closes on 10 September for extensive renovation.
- 2014
Acquired by Katara Hospitality
[1]Katara Hospitality acquires the Carlton as part of a portfolio transaction involving several former InterContinental properties.
- 2006
Sold to Morgan Stanley
[1]InterContinental Hotels Group sells the Carlton and six other properties to Morgan Stanley while retaining hotel management.
- 2003
Becomes part of the reorganized IHG system
[1]The property is identified as the InterContinental Carlton Cannes after the hotel group's reorganization as InterContinental Hotels Group.
- 1982
Joins the Inter-Continental hotel system
[1]Following Grand Metropolitan's integration of its hotel operations with Inter-Continental Hotels, the Carlton becomes Carlton Inter-Continental Cannes.
- 1913
Expansion completed
[1]A new wing built after the acquisition and demolition of the neighboring Hotel de la Plage is completed, doubling the property's size.
- 1911
Hotel opens
[1]The Carlton opens to guests on 30 January 1911.
- 1909
Construction begins
[1]Construction of the Carlton Hotel begins on La Croisette under hotelier Henry Ruhl, with designs by Charles Dalmas and Marcellin Mayère.
Products and positioning
Ultra-luxury Riviera hotel combining Belle Époque heritage, beachfront access, film-festival prestige, celebrity culture, and contemporary Regent hospitality.
Accommodation · 1911
Guest rooms and suites
The hotel provides 332 rooms and suites in a landmark seafront building on La Croisette. The accommodation proposition combines historic architectural character with contemporary luxury service, and includes rooms and larger suites intended for leisure travelers, festival guests, and high-profile visitors.
Restaurant
Riviera
Riviera is the Carlton's principal ground-floor restaurant, with an outdoor terrace facing the hotel surroundings. It forms part of the property's all-day luxury hospitality offer and complements the beach and bar venues.
Beach hospitality
Carlton Beach Restaurant and private beach
The Carlton's private beach and associated restaurant extend the hotel experience onto the Mediterranean waterfront. They serve resort guests and provide a recognizable Riviera leisure setting for dining, relaxation, and seasonal events.
Bar and lounge
Carlton Bar
The Carlton Bar is the hotel's lounge venue, supporting the property's social and evening positioning. It is part of the public-facing hospitality offer alongside the restaurants, beach, and event facilities.
Meetings and events · 1911
Events and banqueting
The hotel offers spaces and services for receptions, celebrations, conferences, weddings, and festival-related gatherings. Its location, historic interiors, and international profile make events a core part of the Carlton's luxury business model.
Controversies
2013
Carlton InterContinental jewelry heist
On 28 July 2013, a daylight thief stole jewelry from a temporary Leviev Diamond House exhibition at the hotel. The reported value was 136 million dollars, and the referenced account states that no suspects had been charged.
1994
Armed jewelry-store robbery
Three men entered the jewelry store in the hotel on 11 August 1994 and escaped with jewelry and precious stones reported at more than 60 million dollars. The referenced account says the weapons fired blanks and that the thieves were not apprehended.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023Carlton Cannes grand reopening
France · International luxury travel
The hotel used a multi-day celebration during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival to present its renovated facilities and its new Regent identity to the international film, entertainment, and luxury-travel audience.
Outcome. The reopening re-established the property as a prominent Cannes Film Festival hospitality venue after its renovation closure.
Brand decisions
2020
Extensive renovation and brand transitionStrategyBackground
The hotel closed during the COVID-19 disruption and required a substantial modernization program.
Action taken
After a brief August reopening, the hotel closed on 10 September 2020 for renovation and later prepared to reopen under the Regent brand.
Aftermath
The property reopened in March 2023 as Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel, with a 332-room offer and refreshed facilities.
2014
Acquisition by Katara HospitalityM&ABackground
Katara Hospitality expanded its ownership of landmark European hotels.
Action taken
The company acquired the Carlton together with four other properties from the portfolio previously sold by Morgan Stanley.
Aftermath
Katara became the hotel's owner while the property continued its luxury-hotel operations and later transitioned from the InterContinental identity to Regent.
2006
Sale to Morgan StanleyM&ABackground
InterContinental Hotels Group sold a portfolio of seven InterContinental properties.
Action taken
Morgan Stanley acquired the Carlton and six other hotels, while IHG retained management.
Aftermath
The property was later resold to Toufic Aboukhater in 2011 and acquired by Katara Hospitality in 2014.
Portfolio transaction value. 634 million euros (June 2006)
1982
Integration into Inter-Continental HotelsM&ABackground
Grand Metropolitan combined its hotel operations with Inter-Continental Hotels after acquiring the latter from Pan Am.
Action taken
The Carlton was placed within the Inter-Continental system and became Carlton Inter-Continental Cannes.
Aftermath
The property later operated as the InterContinental Carlton Cannes and remained managed within the group through subsequent ownership changes.
Recent events
- 2023
Carlton Cannes reopens after extensive renovation[1]
Product launch
The hotel reopened on 13 March 2023 as Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel, following a closure that began in September 2020 after a short pandemic-era reopening.
- 2023
Carlton Cannes holds grand reopening during the Cannes Film Festival[1]
Campaign · Product launch
The hotel's formal reopening celebration took place on 17 May 2023 during the Cannes Film Festival and drew international film and entertainment personalities.
Sources2 sources
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