Carlton

How the Stage was Set HISTORY IN BRIEF 1912: The Carlton opened its doors. World War II: Shut during the German occupation. HISTORY IN DETAIL 1912: The Carlton opened its doors on the side of the old Hôtel de la Plage. It was designed by Charles Dalmas – legend had it that the hotel’s two cupolas were inspired by the breasts of La Belle Otéro, the Spanish dancer and one of the most desired women of the Belle Epoque. 1922: The hotel was chosen to host the first ever meeting Supreme Council of the United Nations. An Italian journalist named Benito Mussolini, reporting for Avanti, was expelled for being too noisy from a meeting between Lloyd George from the UK, Harvey from the US, Briand from France and representatives from Belgium, Italy, Japan and Germany. 1931: The main hotel directors of Cannes decided not to shut for summer. The Carlton would compete with The Martinez and The Miramar for the new summer clientele along the Croisette. World War II: The hotel was closed during the Nazi occupation of France. 1945: The hotel opened its doors again. Two whole floors were reserved for US officers. Entertainment started again. A monthly show with Maurice Chevalier and Line Renaud was a real highlight. Mistinguett, queen of the French music hall, performed at the hotel to collect money for the orphans of the French Resistance. 1946: That year marked the birth of the International Film Festival, a real boon for Cannes hotels. 1948: Important negotiations between Robert Schuman and the Count of Sforza about the European Union took place in the salons of The Carlton. 1949: Newlyweds Ali Khan and Rita Hayworth could be spotted on the terrace of The Carlton. 1950: Liz Taylor, in the arms of husband Conrad Hilton, enjoyed the hotel’s private beach.

A bevy of famous guests have graced the hotel over the years, among them these celebrated couples: Liz Taylor & Conrad Hilton Ali Khan & Rita Hayworth Grace Kelly & Princess Rainier (who met at the hotel - see 'Legendary Stories')

While staying at the Hotel Carlton during the 1955 Cannes Film Festival, Academy Award winning movie star Grace Kelly had an arranged meeting and photo shoot with His Serene Highness (HSH) Prince Rainier III of Monaco which eventually resulted in their 1956 marriage and in her becoming Her Serene Highness Princess Grace. ------ The Carlton's distinctive domes on both seaward corners were reputedly designed to resemble the breasts of Caroline Otero, "La Belle Otero" the most famous (or infamous) courtesan of the French Riviera during the years surrounding World War I. The Carlton's elegant seventh floor formal dining room is named La Belle Otero in her "honor," although there are a couple of less formal restaurants, La Côte and La Brasserie, on the ground floor. Only the last-named can be considered the least bit "affordable," with a €49 lobster and champagne menu offered on Fridays only.

The hotel was featured in Elton John’s well-known 1983 music video for the single, “I’m Still Standin’”, and the exterior and interior features in New Order’s 1993 music video for the single, “World (The Price of Love)”. More famously, the hotel was a central location for the Alfred Hitchcock film “To Catch a Thief” starring Grace Kelly and Cary Grant.