Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Palais de la Méditerranée, officially Hyatt Regency Nice Palais de la Méditerranée, is a luxury hotel and an iconic casino located at numbers 13 and 15 of the promenade des Anglais in Nice. Built between 1927 and 1928 by architects Charles and Marcel Dalmas for financial Frank Jay Gould, it embodies the spirit of the Crazy Years with its Art Deco style. The project, carried by hotelier Joseph Aletti and casinoier Edouard Baudoin, aimed to create the most beautiful casino in the world, with facades decorated with sculptures by Antoine Sartorio and a sumptuous interior in marble, stained glass and crystal.

Inaugurated in two stages in January 1929, the palace enjoyed immediate success, hailed as a major event of the Nice tourist season. However, after financial difficulties and the case Agnès Le Roux in the 1970s, it was partially demolished in 1990, retaining only its facades classified as historical monuments in 1989. The stained glass and furniture were auctioned in 1981, marking the end of his golden age.

Reconstructed in the early 2000s with an investment of 120 million euros, the palace reopened in 2004 under the management of Concorde Hotels & Resorts, then Hyatt. Today, it combines hotel luxury (187 rooms, including 9 suites), casino managed by Groupe Partouche, and reception spaces. Its illuminated facades, inspired by the Thousand and One Nights, remain a symbol of Nice elegance.

The building, owned by Constellation Hotels Holding (Qatarian capitals), was awarded its fifth star in 2009. Its casino offers playrooms, restaurants like Le Prom The history of the palace reflects the changes of tourism and leisure on the French Riviera, between glamour, scandals and architectural renaissances.

Architects Charles and Marcel Dalmas, as well as sculptor Antoine Sartorio, marked the Art Deco identity of the monument. Frank Jay Gould, heir to an American financial dynasty, was the patron, while the families Le Roux and Agnes Le Roux were associated with his decline. Michel Butor and Max Gallo played a key role in the preservation of his facades, classified in extremis in 1989.

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