The Ritz London

Corporate brand

A historic five-star luxury hotel on Piccadilly in London, known for its Edwardian interiors, afternoon tea, fine dining and ceremonial service.

Last updated October 2, 2026

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Overview

The Ritz London is a landmark luxury hotel at 150 Piccadilly, beside Green Park in the Mayfair area of central London. Opened on 24 May 1906, it was developed by Swiss hotelier César Ritz, whose earlier work at leading European hotels helped establish a model of highly personalised, formal luxury hospitality. The building was designed by Charles Mewès and Arthur Davis in an opulent style influenced by French architecture and the grand hotels of continental Europe. Its interiors, service traditions and association with royalty, political leaders, entertainers and high society made the property one of the most recognisable hotels in the world. The hotel’s principal business is accommodation, supported by restaurants, bars, afternoon tea, private dining, banqueting, events, concierge services and gift experiences. Its rooms and suites are marketed around individually tailored service, historic decoration and a central London location. The Palm Court is particularly associated with the hotel’s formal afternoon tea, while The Ritz Restaurant provides haute-cuisine dining in an elaborate setting. The Rivoli Bar and other hospitality spaces extend the brand into cocktails, celebrations and private occasions. The property has also operated a casino and has offered wedding, banquet and event services. The Ritz became an important social and cultural venue during the twentieth century. It cultivated an international clientele through publicity and marketing aimed at affluent travellers, particularly in continental Europe. In the interwar period, performances and broadcasts from the hotel helped connect it with popular entertainment; the Irving Berlin song “Puttin’ on the Ritz” became closely associated with the wider cultural idea of the Ritz as a symbol of conspicuous elegance, although the song refers to the broader expression rather than exclusively to this hotel. During the Second World War, the hotel was reported as a meeting place for Winston Churchill, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Charles de Gaulle. Ownership changed several times. The Bracewell-Smith family controlled the hotel for approximately three decades before the property was acquired by David and Frederick Barclay in 1995. The Barclay ownership period included a major restoration intended to return the hotel to its former grandeur. In 2002, The Ritz received a Royal Warrant from the Prince of Wales for banquet and catering services, reinforcing its institutional prestige. The hotel was later sold in 2020 to a private Qatari investor, identified in reporting as Abdulhadi Mana Al-Hajri. The transaction occurred during the COVID-19 crisis, when the hotel temporarily closed; contemporary reports described this as the first closure since its opening. Today, The Ritz London positions itself as a highly exclusive, heritage-led hospitality brand rather than a mass-market hotel chain. Its commercial proposition combines historic architecture, strict service rituals, luxury accommodation, fine dining and experience-led products such as afternoon tea, vouchers and seasonal events. The hotel serves international visitors as well as London residents using its restaurants, event spaces and celebratory packages. Its reputation depends on preserving the visual and behavioural codes associated with the Ritz name while adapting operations, marketing, revenue management and environmental practices to a contemporary luxury market.

History

The Ritz London was conceived by César Ritz as a grand European-style hotel for London’s wealthy and international visitors. Designed by Charles Mewès and Arthur Davis, the building opened on Piccadilly on 24 May 1906. Its architecture and interiors drew on French classicism and the decorative language of the Edwardian grand hotel. Early commercial performance was uneven, and management changes followed during the hotel’s first years, but the property gradually established itself as a destination for high society. During the interwar period, hotel manager Albert Edward “Bertie” Walters promoted The Ritz energetically, including through advertising and publicity in continental Europe. The property became associated with fashionable dining, formal entertainment and elite social life. The BBC broadcast performances from the restaurant, and entertainers including Vic Oliver and Cyril Fletcher appeared at the hotel. These activities helped strengthen the hotel’s public profile at a time when the Ritz name was becoming shorthand for luxury and stylishness. The hotel’s wartime history added to its political and cultural mythology. It was used as a meeting place by Winston Churchill, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Charles de Gaulle in connection with the conduct of the Second World War. In later decades it continued to attract public figures and affluent travellers, while maintaining its reputation for formal service, elaborate dining rooms and afternoon tea. The Bracewell-Smith family owned the property for roughly thirty years. In 1976, ownership passed to new interests, and in 1995 David and Frederick Barclay acquired the hotel. The Barclay period included an extensive restoration programme lasting approximately eight years and reported to have cost about £40 million. The work sought to recover the hotel’s historic appearance and service identity while preserving its role as a modern operating business. During the 1990s, the property was marketed within the Cunard Hotels and Resorts sphere and participated in sail-and-stay packages linked to the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2. In 2002, The Ritz became the first hotel reported to receive a Royal Warrant from the Prince of Wales for banquet and catering services. This distinction reinforced its positioning as a ceremonial and institutional hospitality venue. The hotel continued to develop accommodation, restaurants, bars, private events and casino operations while using its heritage as a central marketing asset. The property was put under sale speculation in 2019 after reports that the Barclay owners had received unsolicited approaches and that the hotel had been assigned a valuation of more than £800 million. The sale concluded in 2020, when a private Qatari investor acquired the hotel. Reporting subsequently identified the buyer as Abdulhadi Mana Al-Hajri. The transaction was surrounded by litigation and disagreement within the former owning family over valuation and sale circumstances; those disputes concerned ownership affairs rather than allegations that the hotel’s guest services themselves were unlawful. The COVID-19 pandemic forced The Ritz to close temporarily in 2020. Contemporary hospitality reporting described the closure as unprecedented since the hotel’s 1906 opening and stated that the new ownership intended to maintain employee salaries during the shutdown. The hotel later resumed operations and continues to operate as an independent luxury property in Mayfair. Its current identity rests on continuity: historic rooms and public spaces, formal afternoon tea, fine dining, personalised service, private events and a globally recognisable association with London luxury.

2020
Acquisition by a Qatari investor
[4]Qatari investor acquires The Ritz Londonhospitalitynewsmag.com
The hotel is sold to a private Qatari investor, later identified in reporting as Abdulhadi Mana Al-Hajri.
2019
Possible sale becomes public
[3]Reuters: Yours for $1 billion only: the glamor of the London Ritzreuters.com
Reports describe unsolicited interest in the hotel and speculation that its owners may consider a sale.
2002
Royal Warrant received
[2]The Ritz Hotel, Londonen.wikipedia.org
The hotel receives a Royal Warrant from the Prince of Wales for banquet and catering services.
1995
The Barclay family acquires the hotel
[2]The Ritz Hotel, Londonen.wikipedia.org
David and Frederick Barclay acquire The Ritz London and later undertake a major restoration programme.
1976
Bracewell-Smith ownership ends
[2]The Ritz Hotel, Londonen.wikipedia.org
The hotel leaves the ownership of the Bracewell-Smith family after approximately three decades.
1930
Broadcast entertainment strengthens the hotel’s public profile
[2]The Ritz Hotel, Londonen.wikipedia.org
The BBC broadcasts performances from the hotel restaurant, adding to The Ritz’s association with fashionable entertainment and high society.
1906
The hotel opens on Piccadilly
[2]The Ritz Hotel, Londonen.wikipedia.org
The Ritz London opens on 24 May at 150 Piccadilly, developed by César Ritz and designed by Charles Mewès and Arthur Davis.

Products and positioning

Ultra-luxury, heritage-led hospitality with formal British service, French-influenced cuisine and an internationally recognised London identity.

Accommodation · 1906
Guest rooms and suites
The hotel offers individually decorated luxury rooms and suites with a focus on historic interiors, generous space and personalised guest service. The accommodation forms the core of the property’s high-end hospitality proposition and is marketed to international leisure travellers, special-occasion guests and affluent business visitors.
Food and beverage
Palm Court Afternoon Tea
Afternoon tea in the Palm Court is one of The Ritz London’s best-known experiences. It combines formal presentation, traditional service and a highly decorative setting, and is sold both to hotel guests and to visitors booking a standalone London experience.
Fine dining
The Ritz Restaurant
The Ritz Restaurant is the hotel’s principal fine-dining venue. It presents French-influenced cuisine in an ornate setting and has received Michelin recognition, including retention of one Michelin star in the 2024 guide according to the hotel’s own public communication.
Bar and cocktails
The Rivoli Bar
The Rivoli Bar extends the hotel’s luxury proposition into cocktails, drinks and evening socialising. Its design and service are tied to the wider visual language of The Ritz and make it a destination for both residents and non-resident visitors.
Events and hospitality
Private dining, banqueting and events
The hotel provides private dining, weddings, banquets, celebrations and other event services. These offerings build on the property’s Royal Warrant for banquet and catering services and its role as a ceremonial London venue.

Controversies

2020
Dispute surrounding the sale of The Ritz
Court reporting described a dispute within the former Barclay ownership group concerning the sale of the hotel, including claims about undisclosed recordings, competing offers and whether the property was sold below an alleged market value. These were allegations and litigation issues involving the owners and related parties, not a finding that the hotel’s operations were unlawful.
Source

2023Christmas partnership with Hamleys and Great Ormond Street Hospital
United Kingdom
The Ritz London and Hamleys partnered on Christmas activities involving exclusive Santa sessions for children under the care of Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Source
New Suites Email-Signature Campaign
United Kingdom · International business and travel partners
The Ritz used branded email signatures to promote newly launched suites. Segmented banners were shown to partners, corporate and incentive travel agents and VIP guests, with imagery, booking calls to action and links to social channels.
Outcome. Rocketseed reported 15% engagement for the campaign. No independently verified booking or revenue result was provided.
Source
International Marketing Communications Programme
International
A SendThisFile case study describes the hotel’s use of online file-sharing tools to exchange promotional, event and video materials with external marketing agencies. The activity supported international campaign production and communications.
Outcome. The case study claims faster turnaround for international marketing campaigns and long-term use of the service, but does not provide independently audited commercial metrics.
Source

Brand decisions

2020
Sale to a private Qatari investorM&A
Background
The hotel was sold amid ownership disputes and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Action taken
A private Qatari investor acquired the property; reporting later identified the purchaser as Abdulhadi Mana Al-Hajri.
Aftermath
The hotel temporarily closed during the pandemic and subsequently continued under new ownership.
Source
2002
Royal Warrant for banquet and catering servicesStrategy
Background
The hotel sought to reinforce its status as a premier ceremonial and hospitality institution.
Action taken
The Ritz received a Royal Warrant from the Prince of Wales for banquet and catering services.
Aftermath
The warrant became an important marker of the hotel’s institutional prestige.
Source
1995
Acquisition by David and Frederick BarclayM&A
Background
The historic hotel changed ownership after the Barclay brothers acquired it.
Action taken
The new owners retained the Ritz identity and invested in a long restoration programme.
Aftermath
The restoration was intended to recover the property’s historic grandeur and support its continued operation as a luxury hotel.
Source
Adoption of analytics-led pricing optimisationStrategy
Background
As a relatively small independent luxury hotel competing with larger London and international groups, The Ritz sought more sophisticated demand and price-sensitivity analysis.
Action taken
The hotel commissioned IDeaS Pricing Navigator to support its best-available-rate structure and pricing strategy.
Aftermath
The initiative was presented as a way to improve competitive positioning and revenue decision-making; no verified financial uplift was disclosed.
Source

Sources10 sources

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