Le Grand Cafe des Arts sur Vichy

13/06/2025: How sad to see this old palace falls into total disrepair ! Everything is dilapidated, the carpet stained, the bathroom dilapidated, the bedding approximate, the roller shutters stuck half open or lowered, the curtains too short … the list is unfortunately endless. Great admiration for the staff who continue to work in this establishment, the welcome is pleasant whether at the reception or at the bar. In 1920, Joseph Aletti took over the management of the Thermal Palace, making it one of the jewels of his Société des Grands Hôtels de Vichy (S.G.H.V.). The hotel continues to welcome its guests under the name Aletti Palace, the last Belle Époque establishment still in operation. At its peak, the Queen of Spa Towns boasted no fewer than six palaces worthy of the name: the Carlton, the International, the Majestic, the Parc, the Ruhl (or Radio), and the Thermal. Now known as the Aletti, the Thermal Palace is the only one to survive; the others have been converted into apartments. The lobby is still entered through the mahogany revolving door. Adorned with a badge bearing the Frémont family's letters, the reception desk faces the staircase, whose banister is adorned with ironwork by Eugène Goujon. The woodwork of its Ascot bar is made from old hotel doors, its stained-glass windows come from Londonderry House, owned by a prominent British aristocratic family, and its restaurant, La Véranda, with its disappointing food, is housed in what was once Villa Strauss. With 129 rooms and reception halls, some of which have retained their original layout, the Aletti Palace regularly serves as a filming location. Jean-Paul Rappeneau's film Bon Voyage received the 2004 César Award for Best Set Design. As for artists scheduled to perform at the Opera, they need only cross the street to reach the stage, as did Madeleine Renaud, Yehudi Menuhin, and Rudolf Nureyev, to name a few.