The AC Hotel Nice, beneath its 19 m Venus, closes on 28 October to reopen as the Montcalm Nice in 2027

On the Promenade des Anglais, the hotel with Sacha Sosno’s giant Venus brings down the curtain on 28 October 2026. The AC Hotel Nice will reopen in May 2027 as the Montcalm Nice, Autograph Collection, a more upscale Marriott brand. In between come roughly seven months of works for this 143-room four-star hotel, housed in the former Élysée Palace.

☰Contents

1. Seven months of works, back in May 2027
2. Why switch brands within Marriott?
3. Sosno’s Venus, 19 m of bronze on the façade
4. A rooftop pool facing the Baie des Anges
5. Who is behind the Montcalm Nice?
6. Prices, rooms, restaurants: still unknown
7. Where to stay in Nice during the works

Seven months of works, back in May 2027

The closure is set for 28 October 2026, the hotel announced in a press release on 16 October, and the Côte d’Azur France tourist board has confirmed it. The works are expected to last around seven months, with reopening planned for May 2027. The building is well known to locals: it is the former Élysée Palace hotel, which came under Marriott’s AC Hotels banner in 2013.

Why switch brands within Marriott?

AC Hotels is Marriott’s midscale lifestyle brand. Autograph Collection, by contrast, brings together upscale independent hotels, each with its own name and personality, under the group’s banner. Moving from one to the other is therefore a step up. The announced programme includes a complete renovation of the rooms, a transformation of the public spaces and new experiences built around gastronomy, wellbeing and the Mediterranean art of living.

Sosno’s Venus, 19 m of bronze on the façade

The future hotel will build its identity around Sacha Sosno’s two monumental Venus sculptures set into the façades. The main one is a 19 m bronze held between two granite blocks on the sea side. The project, launched in 1987 with the hotel’s architect Georges Marguerita, took 18 months and used more than 21 tonnes of bronze and 421 tonnes of granite. An exact replica adorns the north façade.

A rooftop pool facing the Baie des Anges

Until 28 October, the hotel has 143 rooms, including 2 suites and 20 junior suites. On the seventh floor, the rooftop pool is heated from April to November; in summer the Farago on the Roof restaurant sets up there, while in winter dining moves to the Tradiswiss Garden. Add to that a private garden and more than 600 m² of event spaces, including a Sosno room.

Who is behind the Montcalm Nice?

The hotel belongs to Nice Hospitality Holding, a company set up at the end of 2021 that also operates it. It bought the property in early 2022 from Extendam and Schroders Capital, owners since June 2017, who described the buyer as an international hotel owner and operator without naming it. Its ultimate shareholder has not been disclosed.

The name brings to mind the Montcalm Collection, a private London hotel group of around 15 hotels and nearly 2,000 rooms, several of which are already Autograph Collection franchises, such as the Montcalm Mayfair. But as of 25 October 2026, its website makes no mention of Nice: no link has been officially confirmed.

Prices, rooms, restaurants: still unknown

Neither the cost of the works nor the number of rooms after renovation, the future restaurants or the rates have been disclosed. No images of the future hotel have been released yet: the photos in this article show the current AC Hotel Nice. The hotel promises first visuals and details in the coming months. It had only just emerged from two years of works, unveiled on 16 May 2025, which added a panoramic breakfast room and new meeting spaces.

Where to stay in Nice during the works

There is no shortage of addresses on the Promenade des Anglais while you wait for May 2027. See our ranking of the best hotels in Nice, the Negresco, the Nice palace hotel from the series L’Été 36, or the Palais de la Méditerranée, another Promenade address that has joined a major group’s collection, under The Unbound Collection by Hyatt banner.