The most iconic hotel in the world recently opened its doors after a 4-year renovation speared by Egipcian owner, Mohamed Al-Fayed (also known as Lady Di’s future father-in-law), after pouring 500 million Euro for a major facelift to an already spectacular hotel.
The Ritz first opened in 1898, which makes one of the oldest luxury hotels in the world. The new hotel was constructed behind the façade of an 18th-century town house, overlooking one of the most exclusive Paris central squares, Place Vendome.
The hotel was reportedly the first in Europe to provide a bathroom en-suite, partly due to the ambition of Mr. Cesar Ritz of building the most luxurious hotel in the world. This attracted the most famous names of the XX century like Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Marcel Proust and Coco Chanel, who lived there for 34 years.
During the 1940’s it became the residence of Hermann Goering, the second most powerful Nazi after Hitler, as well as the headquarters for the German airforce. His quarters took up an entire floor and consisted of three bedrooms, maids’ rooms, several opulent salons.
Al-Fayed purchased the property from the Ritz family in 1979, he closed its doors for an overdue renovation to bring it back to its former years of glory. The wear and tear was starting to become obvious, and the hotel needed to catch up with the modern technology to stay competitive.
Thorough the two major renovations the essence of the 18-century palace still stands, which I think personally it is exceptionally hard to do. Grand hotels around the world like Waldorf Astoria in New York City and St. Francis in San Francisco have tried to mimic the same undertaking, only to find that the elegance and beauty of the old world has been vanished due to their desire to become part of big hotel chains, as well as their need to bring cost down and occupancy high at any cost.
The hotel closed its doors once again in 2013 for a four-year renovation which turned to be longer due to an unforeseen fire three months prior to their opening in 2016, the opening got delayed by a few months. Almost one third of the hotel is still being renovated to this day (not that you would ever notice).
From the moment you walk into the Ritz, the astonishing architecture, the elegant décor and friendly faces will make you feel like you are walking home. Well, I take that back, it makes you feel like you are walking into the home you have always dream about.
The attention to detail is superb. For instance: Every gold detail in the hotel (which by the way there are a lot) is all gold plated with the most exquisite details. Everything from door handles to furniture was sent to the best antique restoration company to ensure the history wasn’t erased out of any piece.
The number of rooms was reduced from 150 to 98 after the renovation, to ensure that every guestroom was more spacious and grand. There are 650 full-time staff which is more than any luxury hotel in Paris, all to make sure that the ration of staff to guest is at its highest to ensure perfect service.
Overall the Ritz was, is, and will be the Grand Dame of Paris.