IHG Hotels & Resorts and Vanity Fair officially opened this year’s Cannes Film Festival with a high-profile beach celebration at Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel.
The Cannes Opening Lunch took place ahead of the festival’s official opening ceremony and brought together a mix of established film figures and emerging stars at the Carlton Cannes Beach Club.
Among the guests attending the event were Gillian Anderson, Alex Pettyfer, Forest Whitaker, Lucas Bravo, Emmett Scanlan, Anthony Boyle and Maika Monroe.
Carlton Cannes Continues Film Festival Legacy
The event was hosted by Connor Smith, Senior Vice President of Global Brands and Global Creative Director at IHG Hotels & Resorts, alongside Tom Rowntree, Vice President of Global Luxury Brands.
They were joined by John Ross, Director of Editorial Projects at Vanity Fair, and Olivier Bouchara, Head of Editorial Content for Vanity Fair France.
John Ross described the annual luncheon as one of the defining social moments of the opening days of the Cannes Film Festival.
He said Carlton Cannes, with its long-standing connection to cinema history, provides the ideal setting for the celebration.
Luxury Hospitality Meets Cinema
Tom Rowntree said the event reflects Regent’s role in providing elevated hospitality experiences during one of the entertainment industry’s busiest periods.
According to IHG, the partnership with Vanity Fair highlights the relationship between luxury hospitality and the global film industry.
The Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel, has maintained a close connection with the Cannes Film Festival since hosting the first edition of the event in 1946.
The property has also appeared in film history, including Alfred Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief,” where Grace Kelly famously met Prince Rainier of Monaco.
Festival Celebration On The Riviera
This year’s opening celebration featured a 17.5-metre dining table overlooking the Riviera coastline, decorated in an ombré colour scheme.
Guests were served signature Beach Club lobster rolls alongside cocktails including the Cannes 75, made with Monkey 47 gin, tangerine, elderflower, lemon and champagne.
The event also highlighted IHG’s ongoing expansion of the Regent luxury hotel brand, which currently includes 11 open properties worldwide, with additional openings planned in destinations including Kuala Lumpur and Sanya Haitang Bay.
