For a taste of old world glamour with first class service there is nowhere better than the Ritz Paris Hotel. Located in the heart of Paris in Place Vendôme, the hotel first opened on June 1st 1898. In a short matter of time the hotel earned a special place in the heart of some of the world’s most prestigious artists and aristocrats. A fabled hotel steeped in luxury, style and creativity, The Ritz Paris Hotel is a Parisien palatial dream realised.
The Duke, the writer and the fashion designer
Internationally acclaimed/renowned French novelist Marcel Proust who attended the opening party often dined in the hotel, whilst the former King Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor and Duchess Wallis Simpson stayed here after his abdication. The Windsor Suite is decorated in their image with portraits of the two hanging in the room, giving you a feeling of their decadent lifestyle during your stay.
One of the hotel’s most famous live-in guests was seminal fashion designer Coco Chanel. Coco, whose boutique is just across the street from the Rue Cambon entrance, moved into a suite at the hotel in 1934. The illustrious designer lived in the hotel until her death in 1971, and to this day the Chanel Suite is named in her honor. This breath-takingly stylish suite with its pairing of black and white, gilded highlights and Asian lacquer distils not only Chanel’s fashion design but also her personal taste into the furnishings.
Honouring another famous patron is the hotel’s Bar Hemingway. Legend has it that the American writer Ernest Hemingway famously “liberated” the hotel’s bar from the Nazis in 1944. And since then it’s been known as Bar Hemingway ever since. Despite four years of renovations the bar has retained much of its original charm, aside from some minor edits such as lights and curtains.
Come and have a Serendipity, the bar’s most popular cocktail surrounded by photographs and magazine covers of the great writer. The bar oozes a surprising warmth you may not expect from such an established, luxury hotel, but Bar Hemingway has an unrivalled atmosphere, complimented by warm tan leathers and dark woods.
Revamping The Ritz
In August 2012 The Ritz Paris Hotel was closed for extensive refurbishment with the hopes of receiving the ‘Palace distinction‘, a title bestowed by the French ministry of economy, industry and employment. With the help of acclaimed architect, Thierry W. Despont, a £330million renovation works led to the hotel reopening in June 2016.
This spend is certainly more of an investment as this grand palatial hotel gives you an unrivalled experience of luxury, as elevated as the famous guests it’s hosted. The Ritz Paris feels more like a stay at an aristocrat’s home than a hotel, making a stay here an experience in itself, let alone being in the heart of The City of Light.
The opulence of the Ritz Paris extends to even the hotel gardens, replanted by premier landscape designer Jean Mus, and the Ritz Club Paris’ Chanel au Ritz – a luxury spa that boasts a decadently large Art Deco swimming pool and Chanel treatments and products.
Hôtel couture
From the days of Coco Chanel and Wallis Simpson to the present day, The Ritz Paris continues to be involved with those at the forefront of fashion and style. In December 2016, Karl Lagerfeld took over the hotel to stage Chanel’s Metiers d’Art fashion show. The perfectly Parisien runway show sat perfectly against such a backdrop as The Ritz Paris.
Due to its long running association with fashion, The Ritz is not only a perfect place to hold a runway show or photo shoot but also as a place to stay during Paris Fashion Week. From Ready to Wear and Haute Couture to Men’s Fashion and air show, the Ritz Paris is a great place to revive and replenish between shows.
For an outrageously decadent stay in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, The Ritz Paris certainly has the last word in stylish luxury hotels.
Call us today on 0203 535 9290 to arrange your perfectly Parisien getaway, or email info@simplexitytravel.com now.