It is one of the most popular spots in Cannes: a cozy café with tables covered in red cloths, carafes of good wine at the ready, works by local artists on the walls, and a menu of deliciously homey dishes like your grandmother used to make (if your grandmother were French). La Petite Maison de Nicole, at the Hotel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes, doesn't sound like a dining option in the typical five-star hotel. But then, the Barrière Le Majestic is a bit of a breed apart: a palace in terms of heritage and standards of hospitality that also knows how to get a good party started—and encourages guests of all ages to join in.
Built during the Roaring Twenties in Art Deco style and extensively renovated over the past five years, the hotel enjoys a prime position in Cannes: on the Croisette just a short stiletto walk from the red-carpeted steps of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, home of the Cannes Film Festival. But guests who come to the Barrière Le Majestic for the location find themselves staying for the fun: days that start with a workout overlooking the hotel's private beach and end with dancing on the tables at the Fouquet's bar. "The hotel is like the blank pages of an open book," says Dominique Desseigne, chief executive of the Barrière group. "There is always something new to write."
The hotel is like the blank pages of an open book. There is always something new to write.
Film history and culture run deep in France, and the Hotel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes is in many ways a monument to, and an education in, le cinéma. Two of the hotel's five signature suites are named, and decorated, in homage to French film royalty: the Michèle Morgan suite, for one of the nation's greatest actresses, and the Mélodie suite, for the classic 1963 film "Mélodie en sous-sol" (Any Number Can Win), starring Jean Gabin and Alain Delon, which was shot partly at the hotel. Guests who are more conversant with the international film world can test their knowledge on the hundreds of black-and-white photos of movie stars that grace the hotel's public areas and guest wings, or of course by people-watching in the lobby during festival time.
The Barrière Le Majestic Cannes also has its eye on the future, building on its heritage to offer fresh new experiences—or, as Dominique puts it, "roots and horizons." Alongside the gastronomic restaurant of the multiple Michelin-starred Pierre Gagnaire, guests will find seasonal pop-ups helmed by rising culinary stars like Mauro Colagreco of Mirazur (ranked third in the World's Best Restaurants of 2018). The Diane Barrière spa features leading-edge natural beauty and wellness treatments from Biologique Recherche and Ligne St-Barth. And through the hotel's award-winning kids program, Le Studio by Petit VIP, the next generation of guests can learn to shoot their own movie, and then premiere it in a private screening room (black tie optional).