Hôtel Negresco

The hotel opened on 4 January 1913, created on the initiative of the Romanian Henri Negrescu, who had spent many years as maître d'hôtel in luxury hotels across Europe. The architect Édouard-Jean Niermans designed the building and its pink dome, as well as the great window of the Salon Royal. His Beaux-Arts façade sets Neoclassical columns and triglyphs against Rococo medallions, bull's-eye windows and garlands. During the First World War the building served as a hospital, and on 28 February 1948 Suzy Delair sang 'C'est si bon' here during the first Nice Jazz Festival, with Louis Armstrong present. Elton John later featured the hotel in the video for 'I'm Still Standing'.

In 1957 the hotel was sold to the Augier family, and Jeanne Augier presided over it until 2019, transforming it into a hotel of art and history. In her time rooms were furnished with mink bedspreads, and she recreated a 17th-century salon that now houses Le Versailles bar. Following her wishes, the hotel now belongs to FDMAN, the Fonds de Dotation Mesnage-Augier-Negresco, the endowment fund she set up in 2009 to help people in need, improve the lives of people with physical disabilities, fight animal cruelty and promote the preservation of French culture; the fund will eventually become a foundation.

Through paintings, sculptures, tapestries and period furniture, Jeanne Augier set out to show the great periods of French art, from Louis XIII's reign to the present day. In the Salon Royal, Niki de Saint Phalle's Nana Jaune stands alongside seven brightly coloured rugs made by Raymond Moretti, and the same room holds a Baccarat crystal chandelier commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II, who never took delivery because of the October Revolution. François Boucher's 'Nymphes jouant de la flûte' also hangs in the hotel. The hotel calls the marriage of old and contemporary its signature, and the MICHELIN Guide notes that it remains as ornate and opulent as ever, while some of its peers have turned minimalist.

In 2022 the upper façade was restored, reinstating the four fire pots that crown the central pavilion, and in January 2026 the Belle Époque statues first installed in 1913 returned to their original positions, completing the restoration. The façades, roofs and glass-roofed Salon Royal are protected as historic monuments; the hotel also holds the 'Patrimoine XXe siècle' label, awarded in 2001, 'Entreprise du patrimoine vivant' status since November 2015, and Two MICHELIN Keys.

Le Negresco stands on the Promenade des Anglais, overlooking the Baie des Anges, and is one of the symbolic places of Nice. It figures among the mythical addresses of luxury hotel-keeping, like the Sacher in Vienna, the Ritz in Paris and the Astoria in Brussels. The MICHELIN Guide notes the doormen's flamboyantly colourful uniforms, and the hotel's own beach lies just across the street.

The Chambre Supérieure, 25 m² for up to three guests with a double or twin bed, looks onto the hotel's interior façade. The Chambre Deluxe vue mer and the Chambre Exclusive both measure 30 m², also for up to three with a double or twin bed. The first has a sea view, or a garden and sea view, and silk or velvet hangings in delicate colours; the second looks over the century-old palm trees of the Palais Masséna, with the Mediterranean in the background.

Rivoli rooms, also 30 m² for up to three with a double or twin bed, sit in a separate wing and all face the green garden of the Palais Masséna. Their decor is built on yellow, the emblematic colour of the Niçois region, set against red, emerald green and royal blue.

For families, the Chambre Deluxe famille, 50 m² for up to four, has a double or twin bed, majestic headboards, a sitting area with a sofa bed and windows onto the interior courtyard, which the hotel says ensure tranquillity. The Suite Famille, 63 m² for up to five, has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large dressing room and a sitting area. La Suite des Anges sits under the dome, and the Suite d'exception Jeanne & Paul occupies the sixth floor, which the hotel describes as suspended between sky and sea.

Le Chantecler, the Michelin-starred restaurant, serves haute Mediterranean gastronomy in a sumptuous 18th-century decor. With the Salon Régence, it shares wood panelling from the Château de Chaintré, leatherwork from Malines and portraits of Louis XV by La Tour and of Marie Leszczynska by Nattier. The tableware is signed by Elisabeth Monroy, Sylvie Lorne and Les Demoiselles d'Anjou alongside Haviland and Bernardaud, the floral decor is renewed with the seasons by Hervé Frézal, Meilleur Ouvrier de France, and Luc Escolano accompanies each evening on the piano. It opens Wednesday to Sunday, with reservations from 19:00 to 21:30, and in summer extends onto a landscaped terrace facing the Promenade des Anglais.

The kitchens are led by Virginie Basselot, the hotel's first female Executive Chef, appointed in August 2018. She became Meilleur Ouvrier de France in the 2015 Gastronomy category, was Gault & Millau Chef of the Year in 2018, became a Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur in December 2019, and with her team won the Gault & Millau d'Or for Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in March 2024.

La Rotonde, a south-facing contemporary brasserie where Basselot also leads the kitchen, serves breakfast 07:00–10:30, lunch 12:00–14:00 and dinner 19:00–22:00, and its terrace, open all year, sits close to the Mediterranean. From May to September, the N La Plage restaurant, supervised by Kévin Pasquet under Basselot's eye, serves lunch 12:00–15:00 and dinner 19:00–22:00 with sweeping sea views; the menu includes Plage & Lounge dishes, Rolls by Homer lobster rolls and Kids Boxes for younger guests.

Le Versailles is a champagne bar whose sunlit terrace overlooks the Promenade des Anglais, serving inspired cocktails and plates to share, with live music on summer evenings. Le 1913, the historic bar, recalls the English clubs where dandies and society ladies once gathered, with amber-toned wood panelling, art-filled walls and signature cocktails; elegant by day, it turns festive at night, when evenings unfold to jazz, pop and soul.

N Le Spa opens daily from 09:30 to 19:30. Its pool is lit by natural light and plays music underwater. The wet area has sauna, hammam and experience showers, and a relaxation room brings together art, music and small culinary creations. Fitness coaching uses Onyx by Matrix equipment, indoors or outside facing the sea.

L'Écrin is a private spa suite with a jacuzzi, hammam, sauna and treatment area, which the hotel suggests for couples or friends. Le Boudoir is devoted to women's treatments, The Barber to men's grooming, and Bespoke Creation mixes a custom serum on the spot. Guided immersive yoga sessions combine digital art with sound and movement, and the ORA energy treatment pairs guided meditation and breathwork with a sound massage using singing bowls.

N La Plage, open daily in season, is dressed in verdigris and white, with pergolas and latticework recalling French Grand Siècle gardens. Deckchairs are available from 09:00 to 18:00. Its lounge, open 09:00–22:00, is a botanical garden over the sea designed by Hervé Frezal, planted with jasmine, fig and palm.

Younger guests have their own programme: since 2022, The Children of Art has immersed children in the hotel's world of art and heritage through workshops and encounters.