Inside the Carlton: My First 48 Hours at Cannes
The morning before the 79th Cannes Film Festival, the clouds parted over La Croisette. I checked into the Carlton Cannes, the grande dame where the very first festival was held. This hotel doesn't just house stars—it runs the show behind the scenes.
Monday was prep day. Window cleaners worked the Belle Époque façade while inside, champagne trolleys rolled past fresh flowers. Every guest has a connection to the industry: bankers beside actors, assistants handling check-in while principals disappear to private suites under pseudonyms. Head concierge Maxime Nerkowski showed me his phone—25 active WhatsApp chats managing requests like a military operation. "Nobody here is on vacation," the rooms director told me. "It's business." Guests stay two days, then the next A-lister arrives and the whole machine resets.
By Tuesday afternoon, the energy shifted. I joined actor Emmett J. Scanlan for hair and makeup in a suite. Downstairs, the front entrance was a spectacle: fans lined the barriers, valets formed a small army checking credentials. Miss your car slot, miss the red carpet. At the Carlton Beach Club, IHG and Vanity Fair hosted lunch under gusting Mediterranean winds. Lucas Bravo sat near Alex Pettyfer. Frida Gustavsson mentioned she was heading to film the new season of 'The White Lotus'—in Cannes, that's small talk.
That evening, the lobby buzzed with studio executives and publicists. Kelly Rutherford posed near the entrance. I carpooled with Harry Collett and Scanlan to the Palais. The staircase hit like a wall of sound: photographers shouting, crowds roaring. Inside, the carpet was shockingly vivid. After the ceremony, we walked into cigarette smoke on the terrace. Lucas Bravo and William Abadie grabbed each other's shoulders in the chaos.
Back in my room, gifts kept appearing: a Dyson fan, resistance bands, carefully chosen products. Outside, the city blazed. Inside, silence.
Wednesday morning, Elijah Wood and Peter Jackson shared breakfast in a Hawaiian shirt, discussing Jackson's Honorary Palme d'Or. By the pool, a L'Oréal shoot was underway. As I left for the airport, fresh flowers arrived in the lobby. The team was already resetting. For the hotel that started it all, two weeks of this is just another day.