The Ritz Hotel in Paris

The Ritz is perhaps the most famous hotel with the richest history in Paris. Since its opening in 1898, it has hosted hundreds of millionaires, politicians, writers, artists, socialites, and international jet-setters.

Some of its most celebrated guests and visitors include, among many others, Marcel Proust, Colette, the Rothschilds, the Vanderbilts, Jean Cocteau, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charlie Chaplin, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Ernest Hemingway. Several suites and salons in the hotel are named after some of these famous clients.

Coco Chanel lived at the Ritz for 37 years until her death in 1971. Audrey Hepburn filmed three movies at the hotel. Hemingway was such a frequent visitor that one of the bars was named after him. He said the Ritz was the last stop before paradise.

And it was the Ritz that was the last place Princess Diana visited before her tragic death in 1997.

Despite all its luxury, charm, elegance, and fame, the Ritz had become a bit outdated. This was aggravated by the arrival in Paris of Asian hotel chains like the Mandarin Oriental and Shangri-La, both part of the elite group of 16 'palace' hotels in France (see the complete list here).

In 2011, the Ritz submitted a request for inclusion in this 'palace' category to Atout France - the organization that manages tourism in France - but it was denied. Oops! Time to stop everything and reevaluate.

After an initial investment of 140 million euros and 4 years of work (since August 2012) with delays (the reopening was scheduled for December 2015) and even a fire, the Ritz was finally reopened last week.

The goal of the renovation was to adapt the hotel to modern times, new technologies, and new luxury market demands while preserving its sophisticated character and identity, both anchored in the aesthetics and ambiance of the 19th century.

For this, the best craftspeople that France has to offer were hired (stone cutters, gilding specialists, and plasterers), along with experts in more current métiers like technology and connectivity. Old and traditional suppliers were once again called upon: Baccarat for crystals; Haviland for tableware (always in blue and gold) and Maison Delisle for chandeliers.

To ensure that the hotel's original aura remained unchanged, about 80% of its furniture (armchairs, consoles, tables, nightstands) was reused.

Some say the reopening came at a bad time because, due to the attacks last November, the luxury hotel sector experienced a 25% drop in visitor numbers.

Among the new spaces and services created in order to achieve the 'palace' classification is a spa in partnership with Chanel where everything revolves around the number 5 (in reference to the brand's iconic perfume, Chanel N°5). There will be 5 treatment rooms, 5 beauticians for the sections divided into 5 stages, and 5 massage oils specially created by the brand for the Ritz.

There is also the Ritz Club in the basement with a fitness room, dry and steam saunas, massages, and a heated pool that has been fully restored in the 1930s style. To top it off, there is a branch of the salon of super hairdresser David Mallett (which we talked about here).

The number of the hotel's 'apartments' has decreased from 159 to 142. There are 71 'common' rooms (starting from 35 m² and 1,000€ per night) and 71 suites (starting from 65 m², 2,300€ per night). Among the suites, the most famous are the 'Coco Chanel' suite with 188 m², decorated by Chanel herself and where she lived until her death, and the mega-luxurious 'Impériale' suite with 218 m², a true masterpiece where one of the rooms is a replica of Marie Antoinette's room in Versailles (25,000€ per night).

For guests who require maximum security and discretion, a tunnel has been created that connects the underground parking garage at Place Vendôme directly to the hotel.

Among the Ritz's restaurants and bars, several deserve mention:

The Galerie du Ritz connects two wings of the hotel, from Place Vendôme to rue Cambon. On one side, it opens to the Grand Jardin mentioned above, while on the other, there are several shops. Among them is Maison Ullens, an elegant and discreet Belgian brand specializing in knitwear and leather. Other brands will come in the future, and a Ritz concept store is promised. We shall see.

Ritz Paris: 15 place Vendôme, 75001