The Hotel Negresco is a luxury hotel and site of the restaurant ''Le Chantecler'', located on the

Promenade des Anglais The ''Promenade des Anglais'' (; Niçard: ''Camin dei Anglés''; meaning "Walkway of the English") is a promenade along the Mediterranean coast of Nice, France. It extends from the airport on the west to the ("United States Quay") on the eas ...

on the Baie des Anges in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It was named after Henri Negresco (1868–1920), who had the palatial

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

constructed in 1912. In keeping with the conventions of the times, when the Negresco opened in 1913 its front opened on the side opposite the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

History

Henri Negresco, born Alexandru Negrescu, was the son of an innkeeper. He was educated in Romania and began his professional career as a confectioner at the renowned

Casa Capșa Casa Capșa is a historic restaurant in Bucharest, Romania, first established in 1852. At various times it has also included a hotel; most recently, it reopened as a 61-room hotel 17 June 2003. "...long a symbol of Bucharest for its inhabitants ...

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

. At the age of 25—though some earlier sources suggest 15, which seems unlikely given that he completed military service in Romania and there is photographic evidence of him in Bucharest at an older age—Negresco left Romania. He first moved to Paris and later settled on the

French Riviera The French Riviera, known in French as the (; , ; ), is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is considered to be the coastal area of the Alpes-Maritimes department, extending fr ...

, where he found considerable success. As director of the Municipal Casino in Nice, he had the idea to build a sumptuous hotel of quality that would attract the wealthiest of clients. After arranging the financing, he hired the great architect of the "café society" Édouard-Jean Niermans to design the hotel and its now famous pink dome. The spectacular

Baccarat Baccarat or baccara (; ) is a card game. It is now mainly played at casinos, but formerly popular at house-parties and private gaming rooms. The game's origins are a mixture of precursors from China, Japan, and Korea, which then gained popularit ...

16,309-crystal chandelier in the Negresco's Royal Lounge was commissioned by

Czar Nicholas II Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. He married ...

, who due to the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

was unable to take delivery. Contrary to popular belief, the large window of the Royal Lounge – listed as an Historical Monument – is not the work of

Gustave Eiffel Alexandre Gustave Eiffel ( , ; Bonickhausen dit Eiffel; 15 December 1832 – 27 December 1923) was a French civil engineer. A graduate of École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, he made his name with various bridges for the French railway net ...

. Eiffel never worked at the Negresco; instead it is entirely the work of Edouard-Jean Niermans. Henri Negresco faced a downturn in his affairs when

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

broke out two years after he opened for business. His hotel was converted to a hospital. By the end of the war, the number of wealthy visitors to the Riviera had dropped off to the point that the hotel was in severe financial difficulty. Seized by creditors, the Negresco was sold to a Belgian company. Henri Negresco died a few years later in Paris at the age of 52. February 28, 1948,

Suzy Delair Suzy Delair (born Suzette Pierrette Delaire; December 31, 1917 – March 15, 2020) was a French actress, dancer, singer, comedian and star of vaudeville. Early years Growing up in Montmartre, Delair was the daughter of a father who upholstered ...

sang '' C'est si bon'' in this hotel during the first

Nice Jazz Festival Nice Jazz Fest (previously the Nice Jazz Festival), is an annual jazz festival first held in 1948 in Nice, on the French Riviera. After not running for several decades, it has been held annually since 1974. History After first being held in 194 ...

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

was present and loved the song. June 26, 1950, he recorded the American version of the song (English lyrics by

Jerry Seelen Jerome Lincoln Seelen (March 11, 1912 - September 12, 1981) was an American screenwriter and lyricist . Biography Jerry Seelen wrote lyrics for songs in musical films and wrote screenplays for radio and television. During his lyricist care ...

) in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

with

Sy Oliver Melvin James "Sy" Oliver (December 17, 1910 – May 28, 1988) was an American jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer and bandleader. Life Sy Oliver was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. His mother was a piano teacher, and his f ...

and his Orchestra. When it was released, the disc was a worldwide success and the song was then performed by the greatest international singers. Over the years, the hotel had its ups and downs, and in 1957, it was sold to the Augier family. Madame reinvigorated the hotel with luxurious decorations and furnishings, including an outstanding art collection and rooms with

mink Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the A ...

bedspreads. She also popularised it with celebrities;

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

featured it in the video for his song "

I'm Still Standing "I'm Still Standing" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, from John's 1983 studio album '' Too Low for Zero''. It was the lead single from the album in North America, but released as the second single i ...

", and she told

Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American businessman and philanthropist. A pioneer of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, he co-founded the software company Microsoft in 1975 with his childhood friend ...

, the founder of

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

, that purchasing it would be beyond his means. Noted for its doormen dressed in the manner of the staff in 18th-century elite bourgeois households, complete with red-plumed

postilion A postilion or postillion is a person who rides a harnessed horse that is pulling a horse-drawn vehicle such as a Coach (carriage), coach, rather than driving from behind as a coachman does. This method is used for pulling wheeled vehicles tha ...

hats, the hotel also offers gourmet dining at the Regency-style ''Le Chantecler'' restaurant. Le Chantecler has two stars in the Guide Michelin and 15/20 in

Gault Millau Gault et Millau () is a French restaurant guide. It was founded by two restaurant critics, Henri Gault and Christian Millau in 1965. Points system Gault Millau rates restaurants on a scale of 1 to 20, with 20 being the highest. Restaurants given ...

. It has previously been under the leadership of famous chefs such as Bruno Turbot and Alain Llorca, who left to take over the equally fabled

Moulin de Mougins The Moulin de Mougins is a celebrated restaurant in France, situated in a 16th-century mill (''moulin'') in the inland French Riviera town of Mougins. Founding chef Roger Vergé made the restaurant's name renowned with his novel and light ''Cuis ...

. The restaurant interior is decorated with gobelins and roccoco furniture in untraditional colourings such as pink, lime, lemon, and cerulean. In 2003, the Hotel Negresco was listed by the government of France as a National Historic Building and is a member of

Leading Hotels of the World The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. is an international marketing organization that was established in 1928. It represents more than 400 independent luxury hotels in over 80 countries, and its headquarters are in New York City. History The or ...

. In total, the Hotel Negresco has a total of 119 guest rooms plus 22 suites.

In contemporary times

The fifth floor of the hotel is for "VVIP" guests, which stands for "very, very important persons". The hotel has a private beach, which is located across the street from the facility. In the wake of the

2016 Nice truck attack On the evening of 14 July 2016, a 19-tonne cargo truck was deliberately driven into crowds of people celebrating Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, resulting in the deaths of 86 people and injuring 450 others. The driver w ...

, the hotel's main hall was used to

triage In medicine, triage (, ; ) is a process by which care providers such as Health professional, medical professionals and those with first aid knowledge determine the order of priority for providing treatment to injured individuals and/or inform th ...

wounded civilians. The hotel hosted the opening ceremony of the

Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023 The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023 was the 21st edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster France Télévisions. The contest took place on 26 November 2023 at the P ...

on November 20, 2023.

Gallery

File:Hôtel Negresco 01.jpg, View of the hotel and the

from the beach. Le Negresco.jpg, View at sunrise from the Promenade des Anglais. Hotel Negresco at Nice.JPG, Vue from the promenade des Anglais during the day Negresco_in_Nizza_by_night_2014.jpg, View at night Hotel Negresco 2008.jpg, The salon Nice_Hotel_Negresco_hall_central.jpg, Inside the Royal Lounge File:Negresco Nymphes playing the flute by François Boucher.jpg, ''Nymphes jouant de la flûte'', by

François Boucher François Boucher ( , ; ; 29 September 1703 – 30 May 1770) was a French painter, draughtsman and etcher, who worked in the Rococo style. Boucher is known for his idyllic and voluptuous paintings on classical themes, decorative allegories ...

. Hotel_Negresco_lustre_de_cristal.jpg, 16,800 piece crystal chandelier in the Royal Lounge File:Negresco Hotel.jpg, The Main hall

References

External links

Official website
Hotels in France Buildings and structures in Nice Hotel buildings completed in 1912 Tourist attractions in Nice 1912 establishments in France Édouard Niermans buildings {{France-hotel-stub