"The hotel was almost empty most of the time, it was inevitable": a 4-star hotel in Cagnes-sur-Mer in receivership
Speaking informally with Renoir and his estate from a hotel balcony was certainly appealing. The view of the Grimaldi Castle and its old Provençal village also offered attractive features. But the setting isn't everything, and the Hotel Indigo is now paying the price.
The 4-star hotel located in the town centre of Cagnes-sur-Mer has been in receivership since March, just three years after its opening.
In concrete terms, the institution can no longer pay its debts but can still be saved [the situation can last up to 18 months; after which, the finances will have to be stabilized] .
A receiver is appointed to help manage the business and debts are frozen.
The hotel complex therefore remains open with its 87 rooms, including seven luxury suites, and its Italian bistronomic restaurant, Cucina Victoria .
But will this standing be enough to get back on track? Is the offer suitable for the fifth largest city in the department?
Facing a tower block, can the hotel compete with its Mediterranean-facing neighbors? What changes will need to be made to the formula? The operator, the Réaumur group, declined to comment.
Traders "unfortunately not surprised"Among the Béal shopkeepers, fatalism prevails. "The hotel was almost empty most of the time, it was inevitable," the professionals we met unanimously assert.
"When the hotels in Nice are full, during the high season, people seem to flock to Cagnes. Because that's the only time when there are significantly more people at Indigo," notes Thierry Nicolle, a baker who has been based in the area since 2010.
Bitter, he remembers the promises of the developer and the town hall: "It was supposed to create added value for the whole neighborhood, attract a high-profile clientele. I must have around ten customers at most. We waited so long for the opening. More than ten years for that!" he chokes.
The same observation was made at Tignasse coiffure , where director Sabine Vincent regrets not having had more economic impact. "People seemed satisfied with the establishment. But they were few and far between."
Only Sacha Coppini and his bar-restaurant Le Printemps directly benefited from the prestigious location. "Instead of eating at the hotel restaurant, quite a few people preferred to come to my place. In the summer, it provides us with nice tables. It would be great if their business picked up."
The 4,000 m² building, with its designer accents, remained a vast empty shell for a long time. From the very beginning of the project, nothing was simple. After the building permit was filed in 2012, construction would not begin until 2015.
But with the work completed in 2018, no manager was in a hurry. It wasn't until 2021 that the Réaumur group became the operator. Why such a delay in investing in the premises? Was it because of reluctance to invest in the building's location in the city center?
The first to announce on Facebook that Indigo was being placed in receivership, opposition municipal councillor (non-partisan) Philippe Touzeau-Menoni is giving in.
"From the beginning, I have remained cautious in the face of Mayor Louis Nègre's overflowing optimism. Between Cannes and Nice, where luxury hotels absorb the entire market, we lack the necessary appeal. It was pretentious to pretend otherwise. I hope that we will eventually be able to reclaim the building and turn it into a central town hall accessible to people with reduced mobility, with parking spaces for staff and the residents of Cagnes."
Contacted, the municipality did not wish to respond.
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