The 1st arrondissement in Paris is world-famous for luxury, with some of the most esteemed hotels, fashion houses, and restaurants all jostling one another along its chic streets. The imposing Ritz is the statement hotel overlooking Place Vendome, a byword for Parisian style and opulence.

A stay at the Ritz can be an advantageous experience. Let's have a look at its history and some important and welcoming facts.

History 

With a façade designed by royal architect Jules Mansart, the magnificent building was bought and refurbished lavishly by Swiss hotelier Cesar Ritz in 1897. Partnered by legendary chef Auguste Escoffier, the Ritz hotel opened in June 1898. Moreover, it became an instant success, attracting high society guests to its doors.

Famous Guests

Royals, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor notably, heads of state, writers, artists, and guests from the world of fashion all stayed at the Ritz. To Marcel Proust, it was his second home as it was later for couturier Coco Chanel, both of whom commemorates in the hotel today. 

In the 1920s, when Paris became the cultural hub for the new jazz age, novelist Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda were frequent visitors. Earnest Hemmingway also had a long association with the Ritz as well as many film stars and socialites. 

The Building

The hotel's glitterati love affair has continued under its present owner Mohamed Al-Fayed, who has modernized the building to palatial opulence. A unique feature of the Ritz is the natural light gallery connecting Place Vendome to the fashionable rue Cambon. 

Facing the Ritz garden's beauty, the gallery houses high-end shopping boutiques and the Concept Store, a mini-emporium of curios for the Parisian traveler.

The Rooms 

Expensive and ultra-lavish, the Ritz boasts142 rooms and suites with 15 prestige suites to rival any 5-star hotel in the world. Extremely spacious, the ornate style of Louis Quatorze or Louis Quinz furnishes all with exquisite fabrics and fine furniture. The Superior rooms feature marble fireplaces, decorative mirrors with soft hues, and Italian marble in the splendid bathrooms.

Executive rooms showcase huge canopied beds, velvet, other luxuriant fabrics, rooftop views, and refined décor. Deluxe rooms go to the next level of luxury in chic Parisian style with marble moldings and fireplaces, chandeliers, and exquisite fabric prints. Each deluxe and grand deluxe room designs individually, blending elaborate ornamentation with every modern-day comfort.

General Suites

Deluxe, Executive, and Junior Deluxe. These vast apartment suites have all the rooms' refinements and features but with high ceilings, garden views, extra dining and seating areas—separate entrances, state-of-the-art bathrooms, ultra-plush fabrics, and Parisian elegance grace every room in the apartments. 

Prestige Suites

These regal suites are rightly named after some of the Ritz’s most famous guests honored in the individual and sumptuously styled décor. Magnificent fitments, fine artwork, gorgeous rugs, tapestries, bed linen, gold adornments, and signature Ritz color tones feature many rooms. 

These are the aesthetic standards of accommodation that made the Ritz famous. The Imperial suite is unique and the grandest of them all with its red and gold baroque style. So impressive is it that it lists as a national monument.

Dining at the Ritz 

Auguste Escoffier was one of the world's great chefs, and his name still resonates throughout the culinary world. Many know him for the finest French cookery but with an innovative contemporary style. The Ritz has maintained that tradition in a succession of great chefs. Also, it presents the highest standard of haute cuisine in the Michelin-starred L’Espadon restaurant.

Beloved of famed guests for decades, the main dining room boasts 2 Michelin stars. Besides, the light-filled glass-covered winter garden is ideal for lunch. Besides, Le Jardin’s impeccable style and superb menus recognize with another Michelin star of excellence.

Breakfast and Teatime 

Breakfasts can be taken in the beautiful surroundings of L’Espadon under its decorated ceiling and chandeliers. American or Japanese morning dishes are served on fine china with ornate cutlery. 

Afternoon Tea at the Ritz is a well-known delight served in the intimate setting of the Proust Salon. It is here that award-winning pastry chef Francois Perret delivers the finest patisserie. Alternatively, room service will provide delicious meals from morning to evening.

Ritz Bars

The hotel has several bars, but the Bar Hemingway is the most famous and where the writer Ernest Hemingway himself liked to spend time. It's also the birthplace of many popular cocktails. Bar Vendome is another place to enjoy tea, especially in the summer months where you can take it in the garden.

Ritz Club

Guests and club members descend into this indulgent Chanel spa and wellness center. The huge indoor pool lined in deep blue tiles is set in blissful surroundings regarding ancient Greece's great baths. 

Every kind of luxurious beauty and fitness treatment is available, as well as the latest gym equipment. Unique facials using Chanel skincare is a must-have experience for all visitors to the club. Housed here, guests can admire a glittering arcade of designer vitrines unique to the Ritz. 

Escoffier School

The celebrated chef‘s legacy extends beyond his time at the Ritz, with books and schools of culinary french art spread worldwide. Ecole Ritz Escoffier still offers lessons and workshops in the home of the Escoffier style. Lessons for children staying in the hotel is a bonus for visiting families.

Environs

The Ritz benefits from its central location at the heartbeat of bustling Parisian life. Haute couture, fashionable boutiques, and world-famous jewelers are just moments away from its doors. 

Tired of shopping, a short walk takes the visitor to the delightful Tuileries garden, Musee d’Orsay, the Galeries Lafayette, or the Louvre art museum. The Champs-Elysees, Elysee Palace, and the Eiffel Tower are also close by. Paris’s vibrant nightlife is on the doorstep but starts at the Ritz itself.

Takeaway 

‘Putting on the Ritz’ means to put on a fashionable dress, as the Hotel Ritz, Paris still associates with fashion and elegant style. Paris would hardly be Paris without it.