Casino Palais de la Mediteranée

Casino Palais de la Mediteranée (Hyatt Regency Nice)
This is one of the most beautiful palaces on the Promenade des Anglais and an architectural testimony to the Art-Deco period from the beginning of the 20th century. The facade of the building is, for the same reason, treated as a historical monument.

After World War I, wealthy people around Europe began to return to the Riviera and there was a growing demand to live closer to the water, resulting in the construction of a number of palaces along the French south coast, including Nice with casinos, including Palais de la Mediteranée and Hotel Negresco among others.

The Casino Palais de la Mediteranée was built in 1928 by three enterprising gentlemen who wanted to create the world’s most beautiful casino. It was the financier Frank Jay Gould, the hotel owner Joseph Alettio and the casino expert Edouard Baudoin.

The two Nice architects Charles and Marcel Delmas were in charge of the construction, which employed more than 350 men and cost around 30 million francs to build.

The sad period of the palace
The hotel ran into financial problems in the early 70s and went bankrupt in 1978. This led to the atheist decor and furniture being sold, and the same fate befell the famous stained glass windows.

With the exception of its facades, the casino was completely demolished in May 1990 with the objective of constructing a new complex consisting of conference rooms, leisure areas, residences and offices. However, it was to have a different fate.

The new palace sees daylight
In 2001, with 120 million euros put on the table, the businessman Jean-Francois Tattinger, together with some private equity funds, invested in the reconstruction of a super modern 5-star hotel and casino, inspired by the old Art-Deco style.

The new hotel opened in 2004 and was later taken over by the American hotel chain Hyatt and today bears the name, Hyatt Regency Nice – Palais de la Mediteranée.

The hotel contains 187 rooms, including nine suites with sea views and lounge, terrace bar and restaurant – all overlooking the Baie des Anges.

In addition, the hotel contains seven high-tech conference rooms and a reception area of 1,700 m2, which makes it possible to arrange events with more than 1000 guests.

By Tommy Sverre / 2021