Cannes: Behind the scenes at The Hôtel Martinez

 

It's one of the glitziest hotels at the heart of the festival action - MSN Travel talks to the general manager about all the fabulous preparations.
There's no competition as to which hotel is at the heart of all the Cannes Film Festival action. If we had an all-access pass, we would rock up at The Hôtel Martinez, say "bonjour" to Woody Allen in the foyer, order a vodka martini on the terrace and attempt to gatecrash one of the star-studded parties hosted by the likes of Dolce & Gabbana or Chopard.
Keeping a cool head and managing so many big names is no mean feat, so we caught up with Richard Schilling, general manager, to find out just what goes on behind the scenes.
Before the festival
Around two to three months before, we start having requests from our major clients. We have meetings with them - the two most famous are L'Oréal and Chopard - and we sit down with them, talk about what they want to do this year, as well as all aspects including security and parties.

There are so many parties but among the most memorable was a gorgeous party thrown by Dolce & Gabbana; Replay (jeans company) threw a big party where they hired Jamiroquai; and Chopard decided to recreate the Crazy Horse Saloon - which is a beautiful French cabaret and theatre.
Another year, a Japanese company wanted to recreate a top restaurant in Tokyo inside the ballroom, so that you thought you were in Japan.