At the head of the Cap d'Antibes Beach Hotel, a 5-star Côte d'Azur jewel, Franck Farneti has cultivated for more than fifteen years the soul of a house turned towards the sea, humanity and the right taste. Between Mediterranean elegance, signature design and Michelin-starred gastronomy by the talented Nicolas Rondelli.
You have been at the head of the Cap d'Antibes Beach Hotel since its creation. What is the uniqueness of this place?
It is a hotel that I saw born. A project that I have led with the Ferrante family since its creation. Today, it belongs to Nicolas Saltiel (Chapitre Six Hotels), who gave us the means to reinvent it in 2023. It is not a fixed palace: it is a house, warm and open, with its feet in the water. A five-star Relais & Châteaux hotel with the soul of a place to live.
How do you look at your career in the hotel industry?
I always wanted to do this job! I started out as a night watchman to fund my studies, then I worked my way up the ranks. I managed houses like the Hotel Juana in Juan-les-Pins or the Mas de Pierre in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. I was commercial director for the Negresco in Nice, or the Carlton in Cannes. What I have always liked is human contact, transmission, and the idea of building an atmosphere, a signature.
The hotel has recently been redesigned. What do you take away from it?
We entrusted the project to Bernard Dubois, who created a modern, very open architecture, bathed in light, evoking the avant-garde style of Palm Springs, California. He re-enchanted the place. The 35 custom-furnished rooms and suites are elegant, and preserved from the hustle and bustle and heat. Some have private gardens, others overlook the sea. And the garden, a real invitation to travel, redesigned by Arnaud Cassus, is a marvel: lavender, cypress, olive trees, palm trees, jacarandas, Antibes roses... Nature is omnipresent, enveloping, welcoming essences from around the world, welcoming essences from all over the world in a spirit faithful to the vegetable signature of the Riviera.
Formerly the den of Brigitte Bardot or Johnny Hallyday, La Maison des Pêcheurs has given way to a one-star table in the Guide Rouge. What does the Les Pêcheurs restaurant represent today in the identity of the hotel?
It is the beating heart of the hotel. Nicolas Rondelli, a chef from Nice trained at Negresco alongside Alain Llorca and then Jacques Chibois, is at the head of Les Pêcheurs since 2016. He works as close as possible to the product: every morning, he goes to the port to select his catch. His Mediterranean cuisine is both precise and inspired. À la carte: local fishing, raw country peas and sea bream marinated in salt, red gamberoni from Mazara del Vallo, wild lamb hazelnuts, vanilla and citrus baba sprinkled with Limoncello and lemon from Menton... Sincere, lively dishes with great mastery.
And for a more relaxed atmosphere?
The beach restaurant BABA, created with the Michelin-starred chef Assaf Granit, is sunny, joyful, cosmopolitan. We share Levantine-inspired plates, feet in the sand, in a musical atmosphere. The pastel decor is designed by Bernard Dubois, whose circular bar with columns evokes Florida or Tel Aviv. It is another facet of Cape Town, more festive, more free.
What is your leadership style?
Very human. My team is multicultural, loyal and involved. An Italian assistant, a Swiss number three, collaborators from Congo, the Philippines, Austria... This diversity is a wealth. Many have been there for over ten years. And our customers feel it. They are welcomed, recognized. That's what keeps you coming back.
You are originally from the region. Does that affect your connection instead?
Evidently. I was born in Nice and grew up in Antibes. My grandparents were horticulturists. I spent my childhood between greenhouses, markets, the sea. This landscape, this light, this rhythm are within me, and I am proud to transmit them through the hotel. Offering a bit of this spirit to guests around the world is a privilege.
How do you define luxury today?
It is a place that touches you. Sincere attention. The calm of a garden, a discreet service, a fair taste. It's a keepsake. Not an effect. Here, we're doing the real thing.
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