Hotel de la Grande-Bretagne (Hotel of Great Britain)

Research Status: Basic Last Updated: 2025-12-07 Diary Coverage: Up to 1873-02-20

One of the grand hotels in Nice during the 1870s, and one of two hotels where Marie believed the Duke of Hamilton was staying during the winter season of 1873.

Mentions in the Diary

• February 20, 1873: Marie learns that the Duke is staying either at the Hotel de la Grande-Bretagne or the Hotel d'Angleterre, based on the fact that Gioia visited him at one of these locations.

Historical Context

During the 19th century, Nice's luxury hotels catered to the European aristocracy and wealthy visitors who came to winter on the French Riviera. The Hotel de la Grande-Bretagne, with its name celebrating Britain, would have been a natural choice for British aristocrats like the Duke of Hamilton. These grand hotels were not merely places to stay but important social venues where the international elite would gather, dine, and maintain their social connections.

The hotel's name reflected the strong British presence in Nice - the British had been among the first to discover Nice as a winter resort, and British influence was so strong that the city's famous seafront promenade was called the "Promenade des Anglais" (English Promenade).