Our Story

Located on the edge of the Promenade des Anglais, close to the old town of Nice, the Beau-Rivage hotel opened its doors at the end of the 19th century. It was under the impetus of Victoire Schmitz that the Beau Rivage was launched in 1860.

Already an owner in the Côte d'Azur capital, the widow Schmitz, as she was known, decided to extend her hotel on the Quai du Midi (Quai des Etats-Unis today). Aware of the strong potential of the sea view to differentiate herself from her competitors, she oriented the entrance of the hotel on this axis and thus offered her guests an unobstructed view of the big blue. The Beau Rivage Hotel attracts all of Europe's celebrities. They come in winter, when the tourist season is in full swing.

illustrious visitors

The Beau Rivage Hotel lives and evolves through the ages.

It has always been and still is the Niçois home base of renowned personalities such as : Thérèse of Lisieux on her way to Rome, Charles de Freycinet, first
Civilian Minister of War in 1888 and 1890, Anton Chekhov in 1891, Dowager Queen Marie Pia of Portugal, who spent more than three weeks there with her son the Duke of Porto and their retinue in 1896, and returned in 1900 and 1902.

Henri Matisse set down his brushes at the Beau-Rivage in December 1917. He stayed in room n°89 overlooking the "big blue" and it was an inexhaustible source of inspiration for him, as he painted several canvases there, including My room at the Beau-Rivage and Interior with violin.

After the First World War, we moved from the Belle Epoque to the Folle Epoque, and the hotel welcomed American authors of the lost generation: Thomas Boyden in January 1924, then Francis Scott Fitzgerald, who spent two weeks there in 1929.

Modern times

At the beginning of the 1980s, the hotel closed its doors. It reopened in 1987 and now focuses on the streets of Old Nice.

In 2004, it was renovated under the leadership of Jean-Michel Wilmotte, who also designed the furniture.

This is a gentle and subtle intervention that gives the place a charm and sobriety that will appeal to tourists and business clients alike.

The Nicois spirit

As soon as you step inside, you get a feeling of calm and serenity. A contemporary design, a chic and refined atmosphere faithful to the identity of Nice, all in the spirit of a boutique hotel: comfortable armchairs and sofas, livingstone pebble cushions made by the of Nice, Stéphanie Marin, the pebbled tables of the artist Bernard Reyboz, blond wood and touches of azure as a reminder of the sea and the sky.

The typical shutters of the region also bring this deliciously Nice charm. The walls feature paintings by artists evoking the history of thehotel.

An invitation to travel to Nice.