IHG’s UK Creation credit card has become a history in the past, and the thing I miss most is its free night voucher which can be used at any IHG hotel except Six Senses. I spent my last voucher on Cliveden House which was a precious memory, and I have a final one to use by this summer.
To maximise the return there are basically two candidates in Europe: InterContinental Amstel and Regent Cannes. The latter came out as the winner as I have never been to Cannes, or stayed at a Regent hotel yet. Cannes is a very seasonal destination and the Regent is very expensive in the summer. As seen on my receipt, IHG paid €818.51 for my stay so I’m very happy!
Having arrived at the Nice airport, I took the (free) metro for one stop and then a train for 30 minutes and I was at Cannes. The train ticket costs only €6 – UK should be really ashamed how expensive train travel is in the country.
Head south to the sea front, turn east and the Regent’s prominent building will turn up soon. You’ll probably see tourists taking photos in front the entrance.
Despite of being part of IHG’s Regent brand, the hotel isn’t actually called “Regent”, but “Carlton Hotel” instead. When a hotel is able to pertain their name like this you know they are a very unique character – for example the Savoy in London and the Peace in Shanghai, both managed by Fairmont under Accor.
The Carlton hotel opened in 1911 and joined IHG as an InterContinental in 2003. Although a thorough renovation had been long overdue, refurbishment didn’t happen until 2020 when the pandemic hit, and it reopened in 2023 with the upgraded rebranding to Regent.
The Carlton is the filming location of many famous movies and music videos, which is the main reason why it’s so famous and has the incomparable status amongst all hotels in Cannes. You can find details and discussions on Wikipedia and Flyertalk if interested.
Having received a major treatment only one year ago, the Carlton is brand new and simply opulent everywhere. The chandeliers in the lobby and bar are from Murano as the designer is a big fan of Murano’s glasses.
They didn’t rebuild everything though and have on purpose kept some original designs to kindle fond memories. The VIP Lounge next to the concierge desk for example, contrasts noticeably with the rest of the ground floor.
Pillars under the chandelier are also old. They were previously white, and no one knew of their marble texture until paint was removed.
My free night voucher books into a standard city view room, and I received a one-level upgrade to the standard garden view room. The hotel is totally full until one week later.
At check-in I asked (nicely) if I could get a sea view room as it’s my first ever stay at a Regent hotel. The front desk lady Ivy was very understanding and agreed to my upgrade request! She then spent substantial time showing my around and telling my a lot about the hotel.
The elevator has a retro “mechanic clock” which is fun.
My room is a standard sea view room on the third floor. The room is anything but “standard”: luxurious, smooth, mostly white which blends well with sea, somehow reminding me of Santorini.
Toothbrush and razor blade supplied aren’t the typical single-use kind you find at hotels.
The hotel is attentive to every details:
- There’s a travel adapter in the wardrobe
- Non-alcoholic drinks in the mini-bar are free
- You get three complimentary laundry items during the stay
As a Diamond member I also received a bottle of Rose (in hotel’s own packaging) and a plate of macarons.
Well, maybe a bit too attentive at times. The staff knocked on my door in the afternoon to check if I needed anything, and another time a couple of hours later to refill my minibar. I was certain that they’d do turndown service as well so I decided to turn on DND.
I’m not on a high floor but the sea view is still good.
And what’s so lucky is, today is the last summer fireworks show of Cannes, which takes place right in front of the hotel. I enjoyed the whole 30-minutes fireworks, sitting on the sofa in my hotel room!
I’m so grateful of the sea view upgrade. I believe the hotel is usually quite generous when it’s not peak season, and diamond members will likely get a premium sea view room.
They offered me complimentary breakfast straightaway at check-in and I chose the drink voucher as my welcome amenity, which paid for a cocktail at Bar 58:
Breakfast is served at the Riviera restaurant, with both indoor and outdoor sitting area.
The buffet station is pretty small:
To complete the breakfast there’s in addition a menu to order from. Options are still limited to be honest and you even need to pay extra for eggs benedict.
The scrambled eggs I ordered has strangely raw-meat taste and as you’ve noticed the cappuccino is from an automatic machine. I believe the breakfast costs €52 per person and is definitely not worthy.
Let’s have a tour of the hotel’s facilities. Once you’ve crossed the hotel lobby you are in the garden courtyard. They handpick flower seeds in the spring to make sure the mixture produces the desired fragrance.
The two side wings are the newly-built residence for long-staying guests. At the end of the garden you’ll find the outdoor swimming pool.
The hotel has only one swimming pool (shame there isn’t a rooftop one), but the gym is massive with even a boxing ring:
Steam and sauna in the changing rooms:
And how can we not visit the beach? From what I can see most of the beaches in Cannes are private and operated by hotels or restaurants. Carlton’s beach club was closed fairly early on my first day to prepare for the fireworks, so I arrived early in the morning to make sure I have enough time to enjoy it.
And this is when I was ambushed by a surprise – you must pay €77 for the beach chair. This is the first time ever I’ve been charged to use the hotel’s beach as a staying guest, and gosh €77 is a lot of money!
All chairs in the several front rows were already reserved though, and when I was leaving there were quite a few people queueing to be served. Well I guess €77 is barely any money to the other guests who can afford to stay at the Carlton in August.
The beach is quite nice however and ideal for swimming. I have to check out early unfortunately to go to Nice so sadly didn’t stay long enough for the €77!
That’s the end of my first stay at IHG’s Regent hotel, which is near perfect. I’ve stayed at many five-star hotels in my life already, and I must stay that the Carlton is one of the best I’ve ever visited. I have complaints on the breakfast and beach charge, but the room, the facilities, the history and the service are all top-notch. I would recommend coming here in the off-peak season: the nightly rate is just around €300 and you have a much better chance of upgrade.
Nice review! Upcharge for the eggs Benedict and the beach lounge chair is really off-putting. An IHG credit card certificate that allows you to stay at any hotel? Amazing! Never heard of this benefit. For holders of the IHG UK creation card like you, what happens going forward? I’m holding onto my Chase IHG select Mastercard as long as possible and hope they don’t discontinue it.
That card was completely gone and nothing’s happened. IHG did some survey about a new UK card but heard nothing since.