The Ritz

• 19.0 Feedback Score

  19.0 of 20 average feedback score from 8 people who have actually stayed at The Ritz.

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  • Rooms

    18.5

  • Service

    19.5

  • Public Spaces

    19.0

  • Overall

    18.5

• 4 Guest Reviews

  4 Verified reviews from people who have booked The Ritz on Tablet Hotels.

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• 471 Travel Tips

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Neighborhood: 1st Arr. (Musée du Louvre/Les Halles)

Style: Traditional Elegance

Atmosphere: Quiet

175 Rooms

This hotel is a favorite of…

Lisa Perry

Designer

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Paris may have older hotels, but in terms of glamour, it all starts here. Coco Chanel lived here for thirty years, Pamela Harriman clocked innumerable laps in its pool, Edward VII was one of its first guests, and Guillaume Escoffier was one of its first chefs.

Even today, the Ritz is larger than life. The bathrobes are the same shade of apricot that founder Cesar Ritz believed to be so fetching for the complexion. Ladies are served a long-stemmed rose with their drinks. And concierge Gerard Avez is a familiar face to anyone who was a guest in the days of Charlie Chaplin and Chanel, when Avez himself was a bellboy. Downstairs is as buzzing as ever, particularly for early evening champagne at the Vendome and during fashion season. The coolest spot to be after 10 PM is still the Hemingway Bar, now the the domain of the bartender Colin, who fixes stiff drinks and entertains with his repertoire of tall tales.

As the Ritz has always excelled at providing a home for people like Harriman, Chanel, Oscar de la Renta and Elton John, everything is done to make you feel at home. It's not uncommon for guests to request the same maid, special showerheads, temporary gyms, private dining rooms serving only Chinese food, or a separate room to keep their flowers. Guests maintain a favorite room, which, after they leave, is photographed by the housekeeper, and then rearranged exactly when they return. The Ritz basement is full of personal belongings — oil paintings to be displayed, fur coats to be hung, Diptyque candles to be lit, even eyeglasses to be unfolded and set on the bedside table.

Of course, all this does not come without a hefty price tag, the likes of which can baffle even the fiercest, and the wealthiest, of Ritz loyalists. Still, “the only reason for not staying at the Ritz,” wrote Hemingway, “is if you can't afford it.” Even when Hemingway was poor, he managed to scrape up enough cash to drink regularly at the bar. And as soon as the royalties started coming, he moved in.