Definitely recommend. Location, Location, Location
Pros:
*Amazing ocean front view and location. Can’t say enough about how key this ocean front hotel.
*Amazing room service and housekeeping...excellent job every day and very kind.
*Breakfast locale phenomenal...excellent relaxing and viewing the beautiful scenery
*Breakfast buffet exceptional food options...would return again and again.
*Customer Service was top notch
*Room Service fast and delicious
*Bed and bedding super comfortable
*Restaurant at the beach was delicious and of course had gorgeous views.
*Beach chairs and private beach was worth it. Comfortable chairs, as many umbrellas as you need and food and drink were plentiful.
*The sand on the beach was actual sand. You felt it all the way inside the water and even if you swim down to the ground. The other public beaches are all rock and gravel.


Cons:
*Advertised wifi in the room but there was zero. Don't advertise if you can't provide it.
*Bathroom doors very old and painted over and over therefore extremely loud and hard to shut.
*Shower door extremely load and scraped door jam making it hard to let the other person sleep.
*Hardly any plugs. Zero in the bathroom. Modern times have a need for cell phone chargers, camera chargers, laptops, hair dryers etc. Definitely bring your own power strip.
*Lighting in bathroom too dim.
TV remote EXTREMELY slow and hard to change channels. Not just the batteries.
*Desk phone inoperable.
*AC not as strong as you would like.
*Walls are paper thin...could hear next door cough, sneeze, yawn...
*Wall mounted hairdryer was for lack of better terms, a joke. My husband could have blown air with his own breath more efficiently. The portable dryer I requested was not much better as the cord was only 3 feet long. Since the only plug was at the floor baseboard, I had to try hair crouched on the ground. This is an easy fix and they only need a woman employee to go out and purchase hotel hairdryers.

I booked the Intercontinental at Cannes on Expedia, we had high expectations and when we arrived we were up to it. The hotel is elegante, fancy and beautiful, we were asked if we wanted an upgrmade for 200 us more and we decides to go with it, after all we ended up payong like 500 us per night but it was worth it, the romo is big and the bathroom is perfection, we'll be looping to estay here nexo time.

The silly season is over, schools in Europe are back in business and it is time for those whose kids are grown to go on holiday. When so doing, it is normal to seek lower prices, better value and quieter beaches and restaurants.

As long time francophiles we decided to head to the Riviera. I have not been since 1999/2000. I can't remember the dates exactly but it was the summer after the IMF had come to the rescue of Russia and about $3bn had been sluiced through the nation's bank accounts in about 30 days.

Much if it seemed to end up in the pockets of swarthy, cigar smoking types who were spending like it was going out of style in Cannes. Ten or eleven years later nothing much seems to have changed except, in recognition of the new nouveau riche, menus now have Russian as their third language, behind French and Arabic and in front of English...

The Carlton in Cannes is of course an iconic hotel and we had decided to treat ourselves to a four day stay there before heading up to a cottage in the Luberon. We had secured the reservation at a very attractive rate for a standard (classic) room and, mindful of the other reports on Tripadvisor, went prepared to avoid the tank traps of the add-on charges. Boy was that a good decision.

We arrived with bags via a taxi from the railway station (We had flown to Marseilles). €13 for a one mile drive. Bienvenue a Cannes m'sieur, madame....

The Carlton in Cannes is of course a magnificent property - but when we walked through the main entrance the first thing we noticed was the smell of drains. Very odd for such an establishment. We could only think that the management are so used to the smell that they don't notice it anymore. It persisted all through our stay so was not a one-off.

The welcome at reception was courteous, professional and friendly - just what you would hope for - and we were politely and quickly dealt with and shown to our room. Bruno the concierge wore Les Clefs d'Or symbol on his collar and was knowledgeable and very helpful as you would also expect. In fact the staff were, to a man and woman, superb.

The room. Hmmmmmm. As we were not paying top whack we did not expect to have a sea view and a balcony. Just as well really. We were on the east side of the west wing at the rear of the property, which meant we overlooked the interior void. No complaints there, it was after all the least expensive room in the place and someone has to have the inside view. The room itself was small - certainly no more than 15m² and the bed was a double, not a Queen or a King. The gap between the dressing table and the foot of the bed was filled when someone sat in the chair to work on make up or a computer; and there were no electricity sockets at desk top level anywhere in the room to connect hairdryers, curling tongs, phone chargers or power supplies. All sockets were at ankle level and hidden behind heavy furniture.

All of these issues are not meant to be a criticism, but they are a clear indication that the Carlton has a clear and pressing need to move forward with its refurbishment. The whole ambience within the guest room is now years out of date and it shows. Ultimately, this means that the Carlton continues to justify the prices of its rooms and services based on its location and storied history, not its current facilities and amenities.

We looked at the minibar list - €25 for a cognac made me quiver (I bought a bottle of hors d'age armagnac for €34 in a 'cave du vin' and took 3/4 of it home with me). The Lobster afternoon tea was heavily advertised at €65 per person. With two glasses of champagne thrown in you can convince yourself that it reasonable - but hang on a minute. At the date of writing this note (Sept 23, with the US$ strengthening recently) that is still $180 for tea for two and $35 for your nightcap.

I love Intercontinentals - I have stayed in almost all of them in the Middle East and the US over the last twenty years. I do not claim they overcharge; but I do warn prospective customers to tread carefully in Cannes, which is a very expensive town by any standards. If you are someone who can afford to spend $500 - $1000 a day during a visit in addition to the cost of your accommodation - have at it. Enjoy the suite, the views, the staff, the restaurants and have a marvellous time, because you will. If you are on a budget and are splurging a bit with a special treat in store by staying for a few days at the Carlton, just beware and spend more time people watching than dialling room service. And wash your own clothes as the laundry service may cost more than the clothes that are cleaned.

And please, management, hurry up with the refurb.

ARRIVAL: Having arrived in Cannes after a tiresome trip I had the fastest check I could think of. The room was spectacular and I had gotten an amazing upgrade due to the Ambassador loyalty program, while complimenting the hotel the bellboy was proud to say that of course they were thankful for receiving compliment once such property was for over a century in the hotel business. Impressive indeed.

STAFF: The staff is very kind and helpful, even though the InterCon Carlton doesn’t seem to be such a big hotel, it actually is huge, and the staff make it feel like a second home. Flowers in the room, incredibly kind room service, the concierge is simply perfect and I’m sure the chief of concierge desk, Mr. Stephane, if I recall well, is very proud of his staff at a desk where people like Mr. Bruno and his colleagues recommended me venues of Cannes knowing each detail and service without having to make a single phone call, they simply knew it all, obviously very experienced staff.

HOTEL/LOCATION: what an amazing location, the palace sits in the middle of the Croisette, it is the beachfront avenue of Cannes which may be a destination in itself having plenty of the best restaurants, shops and entertainment venues of the French Riviera within walking distance, it also offers a private beach free for hotel guests with all kinds of Summer sports available and amazing F&B service as well, it is the place to be in Cannes!

OVERALL: I was surely thankful to have had instructions from Brazilian InterCon officer Ms. Agata Appel about joining the InterCon Ambassador loyalty program, I say so because it includes a series of facilities such as late check out, better amenities and many complimentary treats as well as upgrades and I do recommend such membership because I was treated like royalty at the Cannes Carlton InterCon and it made me feel very welcome, this hotel is a destination in itself with its restaurants, cozy breakfasts with wide variety of choices and all kinds of options for fun, from families to business trips to retreats or romance, it is the place to be in Cannes.