Riviera palaces in the panade

May 12, 2020, in front of the Carlton hotel in Cannes -

• The situation in hotels is considered "very complicated" by professionals in the sector after a summer without an international clientele.

• In Cannes, the palaces are adapting: the Carlton closes until the end of the year, the Martinez operates "à la carte" depending on reservations.

“The Carlton is closed, that had never happened!

It's like the Eiffel Tower in Cannes, it's always on!

"For Christine Welter, president of the union of hoteliers in Cannes and the Cannes basin, the closing Monday of this flagship of the Croisette is a terrible symbol.

“This shows the suffering in which the whole hotel industry finds itself, from five to two stars!

"

In the Alpes-Maritimes this summer, despite a rebound in August, hotel attendance was particularly low.

“If we look at the entire season, which runs from April to September, the situation is very complicated, analyzes Denis Cippolini, president of the Union of hospitality trades and industries in the Alpes-Maritimes.

We observed an 80% drop in occupancy in June, 30% in July, 20% in August and for September we should be around minus 65% ”.

Up to five employees for one client

Luxury hotels, with their international clientele and therefore almost completely absent this year due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, are not doing any better.

In these establishments, the high level of service requires a lot of staff.

Up to five employees for one client.

And the problem is that if the customers do not come, the employees are there.

“With their payroll, luxury hotels need a higher minimum volume of business,” says Denis Cippolini.

So we had to adapt.

By deciding to close its doors altogether until the end of the year, the Carlton in Cannes has taken the most radical decision.

Its neighbor on the Croisette, the Martinez, has opted for an “à la carte” device.

“We open according to demand, on weekdays for groups, and every weekend for individual customers,” explains Yann Gillet, the general manager of the hotel.

Co-working luxury version

The objective for the Martinez, where 29 jobs could be cut as part of a plan of economic layoffs within the Constellation Hotels group, is now to limit losses after four months of forced closure and a summer season marked by the absence of the most spending customers.

Today, the 5-star is reinventing itself as a luxury co-working space: “We receive families with Mr. and Mrs. who telework in their room, which we make available from 8 am on Friday, then take advantage of of the weekend in Cannes ”, explains the director.

A transitional solution while waiting for the future to become clearer, or at least to become clearer.

“We are still in the unknown, the unpredictable, but I think that we will not be able to confine, prevent people from traveling indefinitely, anticipates Yann Gillet.

The situation will be difficult until the end of the year, but then things will get back to normal, at least for individual customers, who represent 70% of our customers.

»For professional customers, those of congresses who bring the Cannes hotel industry to life during the low season, difficult to project.

The cancellation of the Yachting Festival, a few days before the start of the preparations, proved this again recently.

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• Coronavirus

• Economy

• Tourism

• Covid 19

• Hotel

• Cannes

• Luxury hotel

• Nice