Cannes’ Carlton Hotel’s New Approach to Luxury
Space, time, serenity and cultural sensitivity are the hotel's philosophy, said hotel general manager Giuseppe Vincelli.
The Carlton, the grande dame of Cannes hotels, is ready for her closeup.
Following seven years of behind-the-scenes renovations and three years of complete closure, the iconic Belle Epoque beauty has reopened to reveal a reimagined interior, sprawling garden, spa, swimming pool and brand new bar.
Interior designer Tristan Auer knows the famous hotel plays to an audience, and thus set the stage for glamour by opening up spaces and considering how guests would move through the rooms, taking inspiration from the big screen.
“This is to keep the coherency of a story. It’s exactly like doing a movie,” Auer told WWD of designing the floor plan flow. “You have the opening scene, then you have scenes which are more energetic, dramatic or slow, and it has to come together to tell a strong story because when people come here it is like a dream. They may spend just three days of their life here, so it has to be perfect.”
The Carlton is one of the most iconic addresses in the world. It was founded by a grand duke in 1913, hosted the first meeting of the United Nations precursor in 1922, and welcomed the first Cannes Film Festival in 1946. The hotel was the backdrop of Cary Grant and Grace Kelly’s classic film “To Catch a Thief,” not to mention the set of the “meet cute” between Kelly and the real-life Prince Rainier III of Monaco.
The hotel is now owned by Qatari group Katara Hospitality, which also possesses the Royal Monceau and the Peninsula in Paris, under its Regent banner. During the closure the Carlton not only underwent a revamp, rumored to have cost upward of 350 million euros, but a complete reimagining of its concept of luxury.
Revolving doors spin guests into an expansive space with marble columns and soaring ceilings. Gone are the claustrophobic check-in and concierge desks that narrowed the entrance; instead guests are greeted by the lobby ambassador, a new position created to add engagement and ease.
“We wanted to create serenity, which is one of the best elements of luxury today,” hotel general manager Giuseppe Vincelli told WWD. It led to a deeper inquiry and series of philosophical questions. “What is luxury today? Space, time, and the fact that you have people understanding your needs. It’s no longer the material things that make luxury,” he said.
With that comes a new understanding of cultural sensitivity. Americans, Italians and guests from the Middle East, for example, will all have very different expectations. To that end, the staff was trained to decipher different unwritten behavioral codes and to be sensitive to cultural norms — even down to how specific gestures might be interpreted.
“We want our staff to feel comfortable no matter who they are interacting with, and to be able to perform excellent service through anticipation. You can’t do that without talking about culture. That’s what I believe tomorrow’s luxury is all about — emotional engagement,” said Vincelli.
During the film festival, chief concierge Maxime Nerkowski coordinates services such as invitation pickup and dress delivery for guests, including the jury president, who stay in the hotel. He’s open to any request — such as sourcing an ice cream from a café in Saint-Tropez from just a description of the awning.
“We don’t even want to know how to say no,” he joked of aiming to fulfill every wish and whim.
If guests play their cards right, they can get on the most exclusive list in Cannes — Nerkowski’s private WhatsApp chat. Certain unnamed celebrity guests who have become friends over the years have him at their fingertips even if they are staying at a different hotel, he said.
The new concierge desk has been moved to the side and sits beneath a restored fresco that was hidden for decades, while the check-in area has migrated through an archway in the back, next to the garden.
That design decision was made to add an air of discretion. Instead of asking guests for a passport and credit card upon arrival, the lobby ambassador asks if you’d like to sit for a drink or even head to the beach club. “It’s a little thing, but it’s very important because you eliminate the transaction from the first and last moment,” Vincelli said.
The hotel invested in new systems which can also facilitate checkout from anywhere. “Through technology, we can come wherever you’d like, maybe while you are enjoying a lovely tea in the garden,” he said.
They removed the retail boutiques that encircled the lobby. “It was not what we wanted. We wanted a hotel experience, not to become a souk or a marketplace. We celebrate art and culture, not for commercial purposes,” said Vincelli.
Missing too is the heavy wood bar that dominated the seating area, which has been turned into the Camelia Tea Lounge featuring 30 different types of tea and has its own tea sommelier. The hotel is not just serving up cream scones, but created a gastronomic small plates menu to complement the selection.
Staff are trained in teas, just as they are in wine, and are dressed in safari-style outfits, complete with khakis and cravats.
Vincelli doubled his budget for blooms from floral designer Djordje Varda, while removing the overpowering displays that once dominated the common areas. “I want to use them differently, more gently,” he said.
The newly installed garden is meant to look as if it has been there for a century. It’s flanked by stately colonnades, but cleverly hides an underground business and event center that will be the hub of activity for companies such as Disney during the film festival.
Construction has also added a new wing with 37 residences, as well as a 5,400-square-foot penthouse that boasts a rooftop terrace of equal measure. It overlooks the newly added infinity pool, heated to a bathwater 82.5 degrees year round, and deep blue bar.
Columns in the lobby have been restored to their original marble, after a painstaking process of removing eight layers of paint. The hotel is also a protected historical monument so Ateliers Gohard, the specialist workshop that has tended to the Statue of Liberty and the Palace of Versailles, worked on the restoration.
In other areas, workers had to break through false ceilings to uncover the original architecture, and found hidden marble, onyx and stucco elements.
Unfortunately, there was a dearth of photos when Auer dug through the city’s historical archives. He also watched old films including “To Catch a Thief” for references, only to discover many scenes of the Hitchcock classic were filmed in the hotel’s grand salon, with sets swapped out to appear as different rooms or areas of the hotel.
Initially, Auer didn’t have much to go on. “The approach was to be patient, to be open to what the hotel wanted to tell me,” he said.
Auer ended up looking to the local landscape for inspiration. He had picked up piles of eucalyptus leaves in light pink, soft gray and sage green, playing with the idea of pastels. When artisans finally arrived at the colors from 1913, he realized the leaves were the same shades as the original finishes. It felt like fate.
“I’m at the service of the Carlton, to enhance it and to give it back its splendor and its beauty,” he said.
Auer recalled the rich history of great artists being inspired by the South of France spirit. “That’s certainly the reason why Picasso came, why Matisse came to the area. People coming from all over the world arrive and understand where they are, they have a sense of place,” Auer said.
He was also influenced by the region’s richly colored land. France’s trademark clay tennis courts — now made famous by the French Open — originated at the Carlton. Inspired by the work of contemporary artist Bich Nguyen, ribbons of the local clay are threaded through acrylic coffee tables in the tea lounge, and under glass etched with leaf designs in the check-in area.
This subtle detail is designed to pique guests’ curiosity. “When the staff welcomes guests, they have the possibility to tell the story, which is better than ‘give me your passport,’ or ‘where is your credit card.’ It’s for people to tell the story of the Carlton, to take the time to understand the power of it and recognize the references,” Auer said.
The staff uniforms recall the blue of one of Kelly’s “To Catch a Thief” gowns, with pleated skirts for women and seersucker blazers for men. “Doing interior design is very much like doing a painting. At a certain point, we needed to have some cool colors,” he said.
Bar 58 is brand new, named after its number on the Croisette, but designed to feel as if it has been part of the hotel forever. Auer wanted a more mysterious, masculine feel for the space, and the sense that it’s from a bygone era. Guests pass through a hallway with a fireplace before setting foot in the room filled with Art Deco references.
“I like the transition between tea time and whiskey time,” he said. “It’s very interesting to pass from one ambiance to another. You stay captive in the hotel, but are able to live different lives. You can have your friends for meetings, then you go into a different space and suddenly you meet your lover.”
A Venetian glass chandelier dominates the room, while the bar was created by local ceramic artist Fabienne L’Hostis. The eucalyptus idea found a home here, interpreted in the bar as a stack of leaves in gradients of sage green and gray.
Mixologists create seasonal infusions from herbs and flowers grown in the garden, as well as flavors from the local region. Lavender, rosemary and lemon are mixed into alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails crafted to create an olfactory experience. An olive oil infusion is used not only in drinks, but also in an unconventional ice cream.
All the sea-facing rooms have been expanded. Auer used a light touch in shades of white and neutrals, with natural wicker headboards. The focus is on the unique position of the hotel in this legendary corner of the world.
“I wanted to capture the different shades of the light during the day. The hotel is oriented towards sunset, which is a great chance to be as minimalist as possible in order not to disturb the star feature of this place, which is the view.”
Auer, who also worked on the revamp of Paris’ Hôtel de Crillon, said “there is no truth” to the idea of good taste when it comes to décor, and that elegance is more about creating an aura.
“This place should push people to have a different attitude. We try to make them feel more beautiful and respectful to this place and to other people, to act with the elegance of the French Riviera.”
The film festival will open with a gala ball at the Carlton. “This is like a gift for me to see people using this space for themselves,” said Auer. “It doesn’t belong to me now. It is forever for everybody else.”