Hôtel Ritz Paris
A historic luxury hotel overlooking Paris’s Place Vendôme, known for its palatial interiors, haute cuisine, famous guests, and association with French high society.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Hôtel Ritz Paris is a landmark luxury hotel on Place Vendôme in Paris’s 1st arrondissement. Founded in 1898 by Swiss hotelier César Ritz with French chef Auguste Escoffier, it was created by adapting the former Hôtel de Gramont, an eighteenth-century townhouse whose classical façade had been designed by royal architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart. From its opening, the hotel positioned itself as a private palace for an international elite, combining aristocratic domestic decoration with modern hotel infrastructure. The Ritz was notable for amenities that were unusual in Europe at the end of the nineteenth century, including electricity, telephones, and en-suite bathrooms for guest rooms. César Ritz’s service philosophy emphasized privacy, comfort, cleanliness, natural light, and highly attentive staff. Escoffier’s cuisine helped establish the property as a destination for fine dining as well as accommodation. The hotel rapidly attracted royalty, politicians, writers, artists, entertainers, and wealthy travelers. Its cultural reputation was reinforced by long associations with figures including Marcel Proust, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edward VII, and Coco Chanel, who lived at the hotel for more than three decades. The names of several suites and the Bar Hemingway preserve those associations. The property expanded in 1910 and continued to function as both a hotel and a prominent social venue. Its history also reflects the upheavals of twentieth-century Europe. During the German occupation of Paris in the Second World War, the Luftwaffe established headquarters at the hotel, and Hermann Göring used the property as a residence. After the war, the Ritz returned to its role as a meeting place for international society and hosted numerous notable events and guests. Following the death of César Ritz’s son Charles in 1976, the hotel entered a period of decline. Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed purchased it in 1979 and commissioned a major renovation led by architect Bernard Gaucherel. The work, carried out between 1980 and 1987 while the hotel remained operating, included the addition of adjoining townhouses, upgraded guest facilities, a swimming pool, health club, spas, redesigned restaurants, and the establishment of the Ritz-Escoffier School of French Gastronomy in 1988. The hotel closed for the first time in its history in August 2012 for a comprehensive restoration. A roof fire in January 2016 affected the final stage of the project, but the Ritz reopened on 6 June 2016. The restored hotel combines historic interiors, individually decorated rooms and suites, luxury food and beverage venues, wellness facilities, and highly personalized service. Its Imperial Suite is protected as a French national monument. The hotel remains one of Paris’s best-known luxury hospitality institutions and is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World marketing group.
History
The site occupied by the Ritz Paris has a long architectural and institutional history. Lot 15 on Place Vendôme formed part of the classical urban development associated with the reign of Louis XIV. The façade was designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, and the property was developed as an aristocratic townhouse in the early eighteenth century. It became known as the Hôtel de Gramont and passed through a succession of aristocratic and administrative occupants. In the nineteenth century, the Péreire brothers acquired the building and used it as the headquarters of Crédit Mobilier. César Ritz, a Swiss hotelier, developed the idea for the Paris property after successful work in European hospitality and at London’s Savoy Hotel. He partnered with Auguste Escoffier, whose cooking became central to the new establishment’s reputation. With financial assistance from Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle, Ritz acquired the former townhouse and commissioned its conversion into a modern luxury hotel. The Ritz opened on 1 June 1898 with 210 rooms. Its concept was deliberately domestic and palatial: guests were offered the refinement of a private aristocratic residence, but with innovations such as electric lighting, telephones, and private bathrooms. The hotel quickly became a center of Parisian social life. Its restaurants, salons, garden café, and guest rooms attracted political leaders, royalty, writers, artists, and performers. Marcel Proust wrote portions of In Search of Lost Time in the hotel’s surroundings, while Ernest Hemingway became one of its best-known regulars. Coco Chanel made the Ritz her home for approximately 35 years. The property’s literary and cinematic image was strengthened by references in works by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hemingway, as well as films including Love in the Afternoon and How to Steal a Million. The building was extended in 1910. César Ritz died in 1918 and was succeeded by his son Charles Ritz. The hotel continued to host high-profile visitors and events, including royal and diplomatic figures around the Paris Peace Conference. During the Second World War, German military authorities occupied the property and the Luftwaffe established its Paris headquarters there. In the postwar period, the hotel again became a setting for international society, celebrity visits, formal dinners, and private celebrations. After Charles Ritz’s death in 1976, the hotel’s reputation and finances weakened. Mohamed Al-Fayed purchased the property in 1979 and undertook a long renovation from 1980 to 1987 under Bernard Gaucherel. The project added adjoining townhouses, connected the expanded complex with an arcade, refreshed the dining rooms, and created a swimming pool, health club, and spa facilities. The Little Bar was renamed Bar Hemingway, and the Ritz-Escoffier School of French Gastronomy opened in 1988. A second major restoration began after the hotel closed on 1 August 2012. The project was initially expected to finish in 2015, but the reopening was delayed. A roof fire on 19 January 2016 damaged part of the building during the final phase of the works. The Ritz reopened on 6 June 2016 after a four-year restoration. Today, it remains a prominent Paris luxury hotel with individually styled rooms and suites, historic public rooms, restaurants and bars, wellness facilities, and a national-monument suite. It operates in the international luxury hospitality market and belongs to The Leading Hotels of the World marketing group.
- 2016
Roof fire and reopening
[1]A roof fire occurred in January during the restoration, and the hotel reopened on 6 June after the project was completed.
- 2012
The hotel closes for restoration
[1]The Ritz closed on 1 August for an extensive restoration, the first closure in its history.
- 1988
Ritz-Escoffier School of French Gastronomy opens
[1]The hotel established a gastronomy school in honor of Auguste Escoffier, extending the brand’s culinary role beyond restaurant service.
- 1980
Major renovation begins
[1]Architect Bernard Gaucherel led a multi-year renovation that modernized the hotel while preserving its historic architecture.
- 1979
Mohamed Al-Fayed acquires the hotel
[1]The Egyptian businessman purchased the hotel during a period of decline and initiated a major recovery and investment program.
- 1918
César Ritz dies
[1]Following César Ritz’s death, his son Charles Ritz succeeded him in the hotel’s leadership.
- 1910
The hotel is extended
[1]The property expanded its physical footprint as its international clientele and reputation grew.
- 1898
Ritz Paris opens
[1]César Ritz and Auguste Escoffier opened the hotel on 1 June with a concept centered on palatial comfort, modern facilities, and haute cuisine.
- 1854
The Péreire brothers acquire the building
[1]The former aristocratic townhouse was acquired by the Péreire brothers and used as the headquarters of Crédit Mobilier.
- 1705
Development of the Place Vendôme property begins
[1]The property that later became the Ritz Paris was acquired and developed as part of the Place Vendôme’s eighteenth-century classical urban complex.
Products and positioning
Top-tier historic Parisian luxury hospitality, combining palace-style architecture, haute cuisine, heritage guest rooms, celebrity associations, and highly personalized service.
Accommodation · 1898
Guest rooms
The Ritz Paris offers individually decorated rooms in a historic palatial setting. Interiors draw on French classical styles, with antique-inspired furnishings, high ceilings, fine textiles, fireplaces, and views toward Place Vendôme or the hotel’s gardens. The accommodation proposition emphasizes privacy, heritage, personalized service, and the experience of staying in a landmark Paris residence rather than a standardized hotel room.
Luxury accommodation
Prestige suites
The hotel’s prestige suites are individually themed around historic patrons and the Ritz tradition. Named examples include the Coco Chanel Suite, Windsor Suite, César Ritz Suite, Vendôme Suite, and Elton John Suite. They combine period-inspired French decoration with contemporary hospitality amenities and are marketed as highly distinctive private residences within the hotel.
Signature suite
Suite Impériale
The Imperial Suite is the hotel’s most historically significant accommodation. It includes bedrooms, a grand salon, and a dining room with high ceilings, ornate decoration, eighteenth-century paneling, and views toward Place Vendôme. The suite is protected by the French state as a national monument, making it both a luxury hospitality offering and an important architectural heritage space.
Fine dining
L’Espadon
L’Espadon is the Ritz Paris’s signature fine-dining restaurant. It represents the hotel’s longstanding connection between luxury accommodation and haute cuisine, a relationship established through César Ritz and Auguste Escoffier. The restaurant is part of the property’s gastronomic identity and, according to the supplied reference material, holds two Michelin stars.
Cocktail bar · 1980
Bar Hemingway
Bar Hemingway is the hotel’s intimate cocktail lounge, named in tribute to Ernest Hemingway, one of the Ritz’s most famous literary guests. The venue uses the author’s association with the hotel as part of its atmosphere and brand storytelling, while presenting classic luxury-bar service within the wider Ritz Paris experience.
Wellness
Ritz Club Paris
The hotel’s wellness facilities include a swimming pool, health club, spa services, and related fitness and relaxation amenities. These facilities were developed during the major twentieth-century renovation and form part of the Ritz’s broader positioning as a complete luxury retreat in central Paris.
Culinary education · 1988
Ritz-Escoffier School of French Gastronomy
Established in 1988, the Ritz-Escoffier School of French Gastronomy extends the hotel’s culinary heritage into professional and educational programming. It honors Auguste Escoffier and links the Ritz name with French culinary technique, hospitality, and gastronomic training.
Brand decisions
2012
Undertake a complete restorationStrategyBackground
The hotel required extensive renewal while preserving its historic interiors, architectural identity, and heritage reputation.
Action taken
Management closed the hotel for the first time and began a comprehensive restoration of the rooms, public areas, restaurants, and technical systems.
Aftermath
The reopening was delayed after a 2016 roof fire, but the hotel returned to operation on 6 June 2016.
1979
Acquire and reposition the declining hotelStrategyBackground
After the death of Charles Ritz in 1976, the hotel experienced a decline in reputation, clientele, and financial performance.
Action taken
Mohamed Al-Fayed acquired the property and appointed new management, followed by a large-scale renovation and service investment program.
Aftermath
The project restored and expanded the hotel’s luxury facilities and helped re-establish the Ritz Paris as a leading international luxury hotel.
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