The stars align at Cannes Opening Lunch at Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel

IHG Hotels & Resorts and Vanity Fair partnered to open this year’s Cannes Film Festival with a star-studded beach party marking the start of the festival fortnight. Held at Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel ahead of the Official Opening Ceremony, The Cannes Opening Lunch brought together a vibrant mix of film legends and rising stars – including Gillian Anderson, Alex Pettyfer, True Whitaker, Lucas Bravo, Emmett Scanlan, Anthony Boyle, Maika Monroe – at the Carlton Cannes Beach Club.

Guests were hosted by Connor Smith, SVP, Global Brands – Luxury, Lifestyle, Masterbrand + Global Creative Director and Tom Rowntree, Vice President of Global Luxury Brands both of IHG Hotels & Resorts, together with John Ross, Director of Editorial Projects at Vanity Fair, and Olivier Bouchara, Head of Editorial Content for Vanity Fair France.

“We’re excited to partner with IHG Hotels & Resorts once again for our annual luncheon celebrating the start of the Cannes Film Festival,” said John Ross. “Now in its fourth year, the gathering has become a signature moment of the festival’s opening fortnight - bringing together the creative community for an afternoon that feels distinctly Cannes. Set against the backdrop of Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel, an icon of the Croisette, with a deep connection to cinema history, it’s the perfect place to raise a glass before the excitement of opening night begins.”

The Cannes Opening Lunch is a perfect demonstration of the role Regent hospitality plays in elevating stars of screen above the noise, allowing them to present the very best versions of themselves during one of the entertainment industry’s biggest fortnights.

Tom Rowntree, Vice President of Global Luxury Brands at IHG Hotels & Resorts said “The Cannes Opening Lunch captures what Regent does best – creating a sense of ease, glamour and best in class hospitality amid one of the entertainment industry’s biggest weeks. It’s a moment for the film community to come together, reconnect, and step into Cannes at their very best. Our partnership with Vanity Fair perfectly encapsulates the supporting role hospitality plays in the world of film.”

Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel has been ‘an icon of the Riviera’ for more than 100 years, serving as a defining address during the annual Cannes Film Festival since its hosting of the very first festival in 1946. It has been the background to many movie moments, including Alfred Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief,” where film star Grace Kelly famously met Prince Albert of Monaco. Since 1913, the hotel has popped champagne, forged memories, and pushed boundaries to create unforgettable moments, whilst continuing to be forever intertwined with the history of cinema.

In 2026, this legacy continued with a celebration set against the Riviera’s Azure waters, featuring a 17 and a half meter dining table dressed in a ombré colour scheme, and canapés including the Beach Club’s iconic soft brioche Lobster rolls and cocktails such as the Cannes 75, a blend of Monkey 47 gin, tangerine, elderflower, lemon and champagne.

For the past eight years, IHG Hotels & Resorts has been redefining the Regent brand’s position at the epitome of modern upper luxury. Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel was one of the first examples of the Regent of today, a portfolio which has grown to 11 open hotels including Regent Santa Monica Beach and Regent Hong Kong with 12 further to follow including Regent Kuala Lumpur and Regent Sanya Haitang Bay to open in the coming years.

IHG Hotels & Resorts is one of the world’s leading hotel companies with a family of 21 brands spanning more than one million rooms across 7,014 hotels in over 100 countries. Regent is one of six brands within IHG’s Luxury & Lifestyle portfolio, one of the world’s largest.