After an unprecedented restoration that has taken three years, the historic Paris landmark, the Ritz Hotel, will reopen its doors by the end of summer 2015
Renowned interior architect Thierry W. Despont has waved his magic wand and ensured the meticulous restoration of the legendary Ritz Paris to its former glory. The hotel reopens later this year, boasting 72 suites; including 15 historic prestige suites such as the Coco Chanel Suite, where the designer resided for some 35 years, and the Windsor Suite. It will have 71 sumptuous guest rooms as well.
The newly restored hotel will offer guests a choice of dining in three iconic restaurants. There will be three bars including the renowned Bar Hemingway, and magnificent gardens and terraces. The famous terrace will boast a retractable roof so that guests can enjoy its ambience throughout the year and the cooking school, École Ritz Escoffier, will continue with an additional third demonstration kitchen. Once again guests will enjoy afternoon tea at the Ritz in the legendary Salon Proust with its wood-burning traditional fireplace.
Other iconic features include a signature spa with indoor swimming pool, a state of the art fitness center with private training rooms, and a tunnel underneath the hotel so that famous guests can come and go discreetly.
The newly restored four-story hotel is owned by Egyptian billionaire Mohamed-Al-Fayed. His son Dodi was tragically killed in a motor accident with girlfriend, Princess Diana in a nearby tunnel in 1997. The hotel has always symbolized luxury and high society and has been featured in various works of fiction including Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises and the Noel Coward play, Semi-Monde.
The original hotel was owned by businessman César Ritz, who opened it in 1898. Celebrated chef Auguste Escoffier ran the restaurant and the history of the hotel was worthy of a movie, with many stories of glamor, intrigue and endless champagne. The hotel was the first hotel to ever have en suite bathroom facilities, telephone and electricity. Famous guests who stayed here included Pablo Picasso, film stars Ingrid Bergman and Marlene Dietrich and renowned author Ernest Hemingway.
The Ritz of old…
No wonder so many famous people lived there. It was too luxurious to leave.
If you would like to book a room at the iconic hotel when it reopens, contact at Baroque Travel right away – info@baroquetravel.com.
