Work was completed in a hurry in Cannes, with the opening of the film festival scheduled for Tuesday 14 May. These works are part of the increasingly upmarket positioning of the Mediterranean destination, which sees three million visitors flock to the Croisette every year, with the events sector playing a large part in this appeal. " One billion euros have been invested on the Croisette in recent years, if we add up the investments made in the Martinez, Carlton, Mondrian, Marriott and Hilton hotels, as well as by the Palm Beach and the City of Cannes." explains Bruno Desloques, General Manager of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès.
While the municipality is committed to redeveloping the Old Port by the end of 2026 and the 2.5 km of the Croisette by 2028, one of the major projects this year has been the redevelopment of the Croisette. the renaissance of Palm BeachThe casino opened in April 1929 and was immortalised in 1963 in the film Melody in the basementstarring Alain Delon and Jean Gabin. Five years in the making, for a private investment of €250m: the emblematic Pointe Croisette building has been restored to its former glory, including its Art Deco and Hispano-Moorish architectural features. Enhanced by the recreation of its legendary swimming pool and a new private beach, the Palm Beach, which now boasts a surface area of 23,000 m², aims to become Cannes' flagship events venue. The highlight of the year will be the Grand Hall, which will be inaugurated on the opening night of the Cannes Film Festival.
Overlooking the Lérins Islands and the Bay of Cannes, this 1,000 m² space, extended by a 600 m² terrace, can accommodate 1,000 people for conferences or cocktails, or dinners for up to 650 guests. The Palm Beach offer will be completed by the Medusa cabaret - with a capacity of 130 people for dinners indoors and cocktails for 230 guests on its terrace - as well as a Partouche casino and several themed restaurants from internationally renowned brands, offering business groups spaces of various sizes, up to 300 people on the terrace.
Villas for even more VIP events
Le Cannes' very exclusive positioning is enhanced by the sumptuous Château de la Croix des Gardes, which recently opened its gates to the public. A place linked to the seventh art, since the building was used as a set for the film A hand on the snare by Alfred Hitchcock in 1950. Situated at the top of the eponymous hill that separates the town from Cannes-Mandelieu airport, the Florentine-style villa dates back to 1919 and was bought by an English billionaire who transformed it after a colossal renovation.
Only a dozen or so events are held here each year, booked mainly by luxury and high-tech brands that use its 3,000 m² of space - including 16 bedrooms - its gardens or its swimming pool, which seems to be drowning in the Mediterranean. The château's adjoining rooms can accommodate 200 guests for a cocktail reception, 20 for a very exclusive dinner served by the in-house chefs, and up to 2,000 guests for the park.
The villa is also full of surprises, such as the speakeasy hidden in its bowels, accessed through a 12-tonne safe door straight out of an old Chicago bank. As well as a bar, American as it should be, this recreational area includes a disco, a poker table, two bowling lanes and a 20-seat cinema that can be used for professional presentations.
The other new development in Cannes is the addition of Le Grand Jardin to the Ultima group's collection of luxury villas and chalets, the only private residence in the heart of the island of Sainte-MargueriteOne of the two Lérins islands is accessible by boat from Cannes, thanks in particular to Black Tenders Events. This restful, leafy setting, overlooked by an ancient watchtower, is particularly suited to very exclusive evenings for up to 80 guests, or to reward trips with the possibility of accommodating 22 people in its many suites. A number of premium facilities - swimming pool, wellness area, etc. - and themed tours - botanical garden, Iron Mask Museum, Fort Royal, etc. - complete the range of activities on offer at the Grand Jardin.
Other historic residences in Cannes can also be privatised, including the Domergue and Rothschild villas. The first, donated to the city in 1973 by the famous socialite painter Jean-Gabriel Domergue, dominates the Californie district and offers events a unique view of the bay from the imposing Art Deco house. While the latter can accommodate dinners for 80 people and cocktail parties for 200, its outdoor terraces offer an even bigger playground, for 250 and 800 people respectively. The second house, in the Italian Renaissance style and now the Noailles multimedia library, is used as a setting for conferences (up to 150 people) in its reading room or for musical evenings in its park (1,000 people).
In early 2025, MICE professionals will also be able to count on the Centre d'Art La Malmaison, little XIX jewele on the Croisettebetween the Mondrian and JW Marriott hotels. Its current renovation, entrusted to the Wilmotte architectural firm, will not only increase its exhibition space to 600 m², but also create a small multimodal room seating 30 to 40 people for conferences and screenings, as well as a reception area on the roof for events for up to 200 people.
A chic, renovated hotel offering
In terms of accommodation, Cannes has moved upmarket again in recent years with the renovation of the Martinez hotels, Carlton, Mondrian and Canopy by HiltonThe latter two brands are making their first appearance on the Croisette. " Half of the events we host are linked to congresses at the Palais des Festivals and the other 50% are residential seminars." says Marin Bertolino, head of marketing at Canopy. After €33m of works, the 129-room hotel, which was previously a Sofitel and then a Radisson Blu, is unveiling a more design and lifestyle look, with a strong emphasis on contemporary art.
Facing the Old Port, this four-star hotel has added a new reception area and a friendly café on the ground floor, as well as 12 flats ranging from 40 to 100 m², which have been converted from the thalassotherapy centre. Regularly used as sub-commission rooms, two of them can also be used for cocktails for 15 to 20 people thanks to their terrace. But the hotel's trump card remains its rooftopThis room, which can accommodate up to 300 people, boasts an incredible panoramic view stretching from the Lérins islands to the Estérel massif. The meeting room on the ground floor, which can accommodate 200 people in a theatre and can be divided into 3 rooms, is the last remaining element to be renovated this summer.
The 410 rooms and suites at the Martinez, designed by Pierre-Yves Rochon, need no introduction, but this member of Hyatt's Unbound Collection is in the spotlight twice. Firstly, with the arrival of chef Jean Imbert in the kitchen which is taking over all the hotel's catering and will be reopening the La Palme d'Or restaurant for the Film Festival. Among its 12 modular rooms (a total of 2,500 m²), the hotel has just equipped the largest of its lounges, the Festival, with a video-mapping system on its walls.
These range from original lighting effects to immersive 360° experiences. Depending on their budget, customers can choose from a selection of predefined decors, create a tailor-made setting or simply showcase their logo to impress the 1,000 guests attending a cocktail party, 600 at a conference or 330 in a cabaret version. Two panoramic suites, with terraces facing the bay, complete the range of exclusive spaces available at this legendary address.
Hotels on the Croisette are always on the lookout for new ideas
The Carlton, part of IHG's Regent luxury brand, reopened in 2023 after five years of renovation and €350 million of investment. listed historic monument with the Grand Salon (250 people in theatre and 350 in banqueting), the other ultra-modern and exceptionally large, with 765 m² of floor space, no pillars and 6 metres high ceilings. Also inaugurated to mark the opening of the Festival last year, it can accommodate 750 people in theatre, 500 for dinner and 300 in school format.
This conference centre of 1800 m² created under the new garden enabled the events department to fill 30% of the Carlton's 332 rooms and 53 suites in its first year of operation. The MICE department also boasts a penthouse with a rooftop terrace (80 people for receptions), 37 new flats that can be converted into sub-committees, and two private beaches (up to 1,000 for banquets and 3,000 for cocktails).
As part of the metamorphosis of Cannes, these beaches have been extensively redesigned, such as the Martinez beach with a yachting theme (300 people for cocktails or dinner), the Copal Beach with a South American theme right down to the plate, and La Môme (300 people seated). The eponymous group is also stepping up its events business with its three adjoining restaurants on rue Florian - La Môme, Mido and Moca - which can cater for all requests and compositions from 25 to 450 guests.
