Cannes’ film festival is made of dreams, but have you ever wondered where do film stars go to get their beauty sleep? That will be at the Hotel Martinez on the famed Croisette.
Cannes is known for its association with the silver screen but there is a lot happening in town, all year round. It’s a trendy international destination which after several decades is, at last, getting some recognition. In 2021, Cannes won Europe Leading Festival & Event Destination awards. Needless to say that accommodation is at a premium during the film festival, the iconic Martinez hotel with its private beach is booked months in advance for the duration of the event.
This March, the big draw was the partial unveiling of the Hotel Martinez’s major renovations. Steeped in the history of Cannes, The Martinez made its reputation on quality. It is said that the staff prepares everything minutely for the arrival of each guest, and everyone is treated like an A-Lister. I was more than happy to put the theory to the test.
The glamour starts at the front of the house where Bentleys and Rolls-Royces parade below the magnificent Mediterranean blue and white facade. The Hotel Martinez was built during the heydays of the Roaring Twenties and it remains an Art-Deco landmark. The wrought iron Juliette balconies, with their curves and stylised flowers adorning the facade, are the trademark of the founder-owner Emmanuel Michel Martinez.
Let’s step into the lobby where a team of concierges welcome the guests. If the walls could talk they would whisper a long list of film stars who beautifully swan through to reception. My own entrance was more akin to a duckling’s totter when only a few yards in the lobby my jaw dropped. This happened right in front of a portrait of Mr Martinez, under the soft light of a giant chandelier, and in front of a sea of white orchids –and yes, I did discreetly stroke a leave to make sure, of course, they are real, what was I thinking about?.
By the time, we had been greeted and directed to the reception desk, I had recovered my senses enough, to notice that the receptionist knew exactly who I was, without asking my name. Maybe, this was the genuine La-La land, where everyone knows your name, and where the oh-so-quiet lifts gently take you up to long corridors fitted with stylised sea-waves patterned carpets and flanked by creamy doors on either side.
The hotel’s full transformation after its major renovation, under designer Pierre-Yves Rochon, will be unveiled in May. But already, the changes are stunning. The enclosed ground floor swimming pool made way for an open Mediterranean garden terrace that has a garden-party vibe. Who needs a pool when you can swim in the sea, just across the road from the hotel’s private beach? However, for the guests who do like their pool, there will be a swimming corridor at the back of the hotel.
The city view rooms and the junior suites overlook the Mediterranean with on either side Cannes’ marina and its old town, Le Suquet. There is an exclusive set of penthouse apartments on the 7th floor dedicated to two unforgettable figures of the cinematic world: French actress Isabelle Huppert and Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate of the Cannes Film Festival.
This is not the kind of establishment where one takes a peek at other people’s bedrooms, so let me tell you about ours. The best way to describe it is: ‘A cocoon of light’. There is no reason to think that any of the 409 rooms and suites lack similar qualities.
It’s in the rooms that one gets to best appreciate the blend of soft Art-Deco and modernism. Although everything is luxurious, nothing is ostentatious, the décor feels homely. The lines are pure, soft and simple, featuring white lacquer furnishings with subtle touches of blue sky or light yellow. Our Junior Suite Seaview had both a shower and a bathtub with a silver screen between the bathroom and the room. There is something to say for a bath with a view and this is a design that is becoming very popular. The hotel’s toiletries are specially commissioned to the local perfume-maker, La Maison Fragonard in Grasse.
Talking local produce, the huge breakfast buffet celebrates Provence with different sections for cold cuts, fish, cheeses, various types of bread, pastries, fruits and more. Pecorino cheese and local honey were my favourites, that’s if you exclude the naughty Baba-au-Rhum.
Do you recall the private beach, mentioned above? not only one can top up one’s tan but a breakfast buffet is served there at the weekend. It’s very popular with locals as well as residents.
Tell Me More About The Hotel Martinez, Cannes
The Hotel Martinez 73, Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes, France.
T: +33 0 4 93901234 info@hotel-martinez.com
Double rooms start from €270
Hotel Martinez is the second property in France in The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, joining Hôtel du Louvre in Paris. The hotel is home to La Palme d’Or – the only 2 star Michelin restaurant in Cannes.
