Ritz Paris

"When I dream of afterlife in heaven," Ernest Hemingway wrote, "the action always takes place in the Paris Ritz." The classic quote fully conveys Champagne-soaked glamour, luxury, and legend of this iconic property. The historic gathering place of sultans, maharajas, kings, queens, movie stars, and larger-than-life artistic luminaries, the Ritz been a cultural landmark for over a century, with appearances in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Tender Is the Night," Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises," and, decades later, a trio of Audrey Hepburn films. Cole Porter penned the now-famous lyrics, "Even Pekingeses at the Ritz do it. Let’s do it, let’s fall in love," while sitting at his favorite table at the Ritz bar. The hotel's list of devotees reads like a who's-who of the 20th century: Marcel Proust, Charlie Chapman, Noel Coward, Jean-Paul Sartre, Rudolph Valentino, John Barrymore, and Ingrid Bergman, to name a few. Literally fit for royalty, the Ritz counted King Alfonso of Spain, Queen Marie of Romania, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor among its regulars. Opera singer Maria Callas, legendary fashion designer Coco Chanel, and Fitzgerald were all residents (for more than three decades, in the case of Mademoiselle Chanel, who died in her Ritz apartment in 1971). The Ritz even demanded the respect of the Nazi military forces who requisitioned the hotel during World War II; they agreed to lay down their arms at the door, not wear uniforms, and to only reside in the Vendome side, allowing civilians (such as Mlle. Chanel) to stay on the Rue Cambon side. In the hotel's Imperial Suite, Princess Diana had her last meal on August 31, 1997. The Imperial Suite is now a listed national monument.

Ritz Paris was a hit from the very start. Its 1898 opening night attracted monarchs, industrial titans, and members of high society, causing Madame Ritz, the wife of the original owner, to cry, "They came!" The hotel did have a critic in Oscar Wilde, who apparently objected to the "garish" electricity and the in-room sink, whose sight struck him as vulgar. The hotel's founder, Cesar Ritz, introduced many room features that were revolutionary at the time, and now essentially standard, including private bathrooms, in-room phones, king-size beds, wall-to-wall carpeting, and automatic closet lights. After a particular episode involving the portly King Edward VII getting stuck in his bathtub, Cesar ordered extra-large soaking tubs for every room in the hotel.

The hotel reopened in 2016 after a four-year renovation overseen by French-born interior architect Thierry W. Despont, the main responsible for overhauling the Woolworth Building, the Palm Court at the Plaza hotel, and the Cartier mansion in New York. The renovation demanded the skills of 800 painters, gilders, stonemasons, and other artisans. After completion, everything from the plumbing to the HVAC systems was modernized. Despite four years of meticulous rehab, the hotel's Old World grandeur remains every bit in tact. The staff's attention to detail is palpable throughout the hotel and is outstanding. A single drink at the hotel three bars comes with a free spread of warmed truffle cashews, handmade potato chips, and herbed black olives. Day and night, non-guests visit the hotel bars, or stop by the oak-walled Salon Proust for afternoon tea, to soak up the hotel's legendary atmosphere and service; a crowd gathers in the Rue Cambon-side lobby each night, waiting to file into Bar Hemingway the second it opens at 6 p.m. The beauty of the Ritz is that it treats tourists stopping by for a drink and socialites staying for a week with the same level of attention and respect. Proust's words, "At the Ritz, nobody pushes you," very much ring true.

The Ritz Paris sits on the northwest corner of Place Vendome, the famed 18th-century square and site of the Vendome Column. To the north, Place Vendome turns into the famous upscale shopping avenue Rue de la Paix, which leads to Place de l'Opera and the grand Palais Garnier (a nine-minute walk from the hotel). The Opera metro station (lines 3, 7, and 8) is here, about a seven-minute walk from the hotel. The Tuileries Garden is about four blocks to the south, with the Louvre Museum a 13-minute walk away. Charles de Gaulle Airport is typically a 35-minute drive away. 

Broken into 24 categories, accommodations at the Ritz Paris include 142 rooms and suites (down from the original 159). All feature a stately mix of neoclassical antiques and replicas, such as brocade-upholstered armchairs, as well as gilded oil paintings, ornate tapestries, molded walls and ceilings, thick carpeting, and crystal chandeliers. Though palatial and grand, the rooms have subtly integrated modern touches, such as flat-screen TVs built into the large gilded mirrors over marble fireplace mantels, and technology that allows guests to control the lights, AC, and outside awnings through in-room touchscreen phones. Fruits, pastries, handwritten notes, and fresh roses are often waiting for guests in the rooms. 

The entry-level room, the Superior, offers 375 square feet of space -- an impressive size, for Paris -- and views of Rue Cambon or Place Vendome. Executive Rooms add 55 square feet, and overlook either the Grand Jardin or Place Vendome. Deluxe Rooms jump up to 480 square feet and add dressing rooms and wrought-iron balconies overlooking Rue Cambon or the garden. The 590-square-foot Grand Deluxe Rooms guarantee views of the Versailles-inspired central garden.

Suites begin with the 700-square-foot Deluxe Junior Suite and top out with a series of very special Prestige Suites, from the 635-square-foot, library-like Suite Marcel Proust to the 1,991-square-foot Suite F. Scott Fitzgerald, from the 1,780-square-foot, double-height Windsor Suite, the one-time quarters of the The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and its grand canopy bed and personal elevator, to the 2,347-square-foot, two-bedroom Suite Imperial, a listed Historic Monument overlooking Place Vendome. 

Marble bathrooms feature Villeroy and Boch sinks with the iconic gold swan faucets, dual-head showers (one from the ceiling, one from the wall) with separate controls, separate toilet rooms, and, in most rooms, large soaking tubs. Wi-Fi is free in the rooms.

There are three on-site restaurants at Ritz Paris. The Ritz Bar, on the Rue Cambon side, opens for breakfast at 8 a.m. and stays open throughout the day and until the wee hours of the morning. Lunch and dinner menu options include lobster rolls and beef cheek stew. The brasserie-style, wood-walled Bar Vendome opens for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with afternoon tea and light meal service in between. An arching glass ceiling retracts during warmer weather. At dinner, servers may ask guests if they have an special requests for the live pianist. The fine-dining L’Espadon has been awarded one Michelin star for its classical French cuisine as executed by Chef Nicolas Sale. Expect options like sea scallops cooked in Normandy butter and roasted rabbit from Burgundy over homemade linguine. L'Espadon serves all meals daily, plus brunch on the weekends. Private dining is available. Salon Proust serves teatime daily from mid-afternoon until early evening. Teas are accompanied by pastry chef Francois Perret's sugar tarts and buns, florentine biscuits, crispy thin tuile "cigarettes," and ladyfingers. The hotel's cooking school, Ecole Ritz Escoffier, offers day classes for guests. Though the dining options seem quite sophisticated, all are kid-friendly, with children's portions and kids' cooking classes at the school. 

Bar Vendome functions as a full-service bar throughout the day, with cocktails, wines (by the bottle, half-bottle, or glass), and high-end liquors, such as Glenmorangie and 1776 straight bourbon, available throughout the day. The iconic Bar Hemingway, named after its most famous patron, is located on the Rue Cambon side of the hotel and opens in the early evening each night. A crowd starts forming in the Rue Cambon entrance at least a half-hour before the bar opens, so get there early if you want a seat. Once inside, the cozy bi-level bar is filled with Hemingway paraphernalia: the wood walls are covered in historic black-and-white photographs, scrawling letters, newspaper stories, and animal antlers, horns, and jaws. The newspaper-style menu offers classic cocktails by Colin Field, the head barman, but many guests opt for a dry martini in honor of the bar's namesake. Across the Rue Cambon entrance is the Ritz Bar, which has more of a sleek cocktail bar vibe, compared to the intimate library lounge feel of Bar Hemingway. 

Surrounded by columns and iron balconies and crowned by a sky-blue hand-painted ceiling, the iridescent-tiled pool at the Ritz is one of the most beautiful in Paris. Aquagym and water biking classes are offered, and there is a full fitness center with cardio and weight-training equipment. Pilates, yoga, boxing, and private training sessions are all available. Considering Coco Chanel's nearly four-decade-long residency at the Ritz, it's not surprising that the hotel is the site for the world's first and only Chanel spa: Chanel au Ritz Paris. The Chanel treatment menu is centered around "Le Grand Soin" ("the Great Care"), the highly customized facial and body massage combo. There is also a five-chair salon by David Mallett, the Australian-born, Paris-based hairstylist who counts Carla Bruni and Charlotte Gainsbourg as clients. 

A shopping passage connects the Place Vendome side of the hotel with the Rue Cambon side, with such high-end boutiques as Miu Miu, Tasaki, and Alexandre Reza as tenants. The hotel has several salons for conferences and private functions, including the grand Salon Louis XV, which can accommodate 100 guests theater-style, the gorgeous Salon Psyche (60 people theater-style), as well as a ballroom that can accommodate up to 400 guests and the Grand Jardin itself. The lush, Versailles-inspired garden is one of the hotel's most magical features; the enclosed garden is filled with white roses, ivy, and linden trees.

Wi-Fi is free throughout the Ritz.