Grand Hôtel du Cap-Martin - a hotel for the rich and famous on the French Riviera

The Grand Hôtel du Cap-Martin seen from the sea.
(photograph probably from 1906)

Since the mid-19th century the French Riviera (French Côte d'Azur) was the preferred vacation spot for European royals and aristocrats, as well as wealthy entrepreneurs and and financiers. One of the most popular areas, particularly among royals, was Cap Martin, a small town between Menton and Monaco.

Hans Georg Tersling
(image by  wikipedia)

The popularity of the cape also attracted investors, who understood that there was a need to build high class accommodation facilities for the rich and famous. In the late 1880s, a consortium led by the Mr. White of Black&White whisky fame, commissioned the Danish architect Hans Georg Tersling (1857 - 1920) to design a new luxury hotel on a beautiful spot on the cape.

(image by Wikipedia)

The Grand Hôtel du Cap-Martin, which was opened in 1891, became an instant success. The hotel, which the French poet Stephen Liegeard (who invented the name Côte d'Azur) described as "the Leviathan of luxury and comfort" soon received a great number of famous guests; Empress Eugénie ( wife of Napoleon III), Emperor Franz Joseph and his Empress, Elisabeth (also known as Sissi), King Edward VII (when he as Crown Prince) were just a few of them. 

In March 1906 King Oscar II of Sweden and his wife, Queen Sofia enjoyed their stay at the "quiet and cosy" Grand Hôtel du Cap-Martin. 

King Oscar II on a walk in the Grand Hôtel du Cap-Martin garden. The gentleman behind him, on the right, is probably architect Tersling, who served as the Swedish honorary consul in Menton at the time.

Tersling soon became one of the most sought after architects on the Riviera, designing hotels, villas and and mansions for aristocrats and the elite, who resided in the area. Among his most well known designs are e.g. the Hotel Metropole (both in Monte Carlo and Cannes), Empress Eugénie's Villa Cyrnos, the Russian church and the Casino in Menton as well as Alfred Nobel's villa in San Remo. 

Tersling also served as honorary consul in Menton, both for Denmark and Sweden. 

The outbreak of World War I brought a sudden end to Tersling's career:

His many wealthy clients disappeared and left him with many outstanding receivables. He died in 1920 almost without means.

The Grand Hôtel du Cap-Martin building still stands, but it has been converted to a holiday residence facility.