Hôtel de Paris

The Hôtel de Paris was the Société des Bains de Mer's first palace, opened in 1864 on the Place du Casino under Charles III and François Blanc. Its façades were redrawn by Édouard-Jean Niermans around 1910, with frescoes by Paul Gervais; Émile Molinié, Charles Nicod and Albert Pouthier raised the upper floors in 1920, and André Bruyère extended it again in 1959–60. A full renovation began after the old furniture was auctioned in 2015.

In the lobby stands an equestrian statue of Louis XIV whose horse's right knee is rubbed bright by gamblers for luck. Below lie the hotel's wine cellars, with more than 300,000 bottles. In 1987 Prince Rainier III invited Alain Ducasse to open Le Louis XV here, three Michelin stars by 1990; the hotel also holds Le Grill on the roof, Em Sherif and the Bar Américain – where, in 1971, Roger Moore and Tony Curtis first met in The Persuaders.