"To stay at the Ritz Paris is to inhabit a legend — every detail speaks of a century of refinement."
The Ritz Paris is not merely a hotel. It is one of the defining institutions of the twentieth century — a place where Coco Chanel lived for more than thirty years, where Ernest Hemingway drank and wrote and mythologised himself, where Marcel Proust ate his last meal, where F. Scott Fitzgerald and Cole Porter and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were regulars. The building on Place Vendôme has been open since 1898, and it has spent every one of those years being the most famous hotel in the world.
The €450 million renovation — completed in 2016 after four years of closure — was the most ambitious restoration in the history of the grand hotel. Every room was rebuilt from the walls in, every gilded surface was restored by hand, every piece of furniture was either restored or remade to the original specifications. The result is a hotel that feels simultaneously ancient and new — the patina of history preserved, the infrastructure of a modern luxury hotel installed invisibly beneath it. The renovation only deepened the magic.
"Cocktails at Bar Hemingway — where the stories are as good as the drinks."
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The service is the standard against which all Parisian hotel service is measured — formal without being stiff, attentive without being intrusive, and informed by a genuine pride in the institution. The staff here understand that they are custodians of something irreplaceable, and it shows in every interaction. The concierge team can secure reservations at any restaurant in Paris; the butler service is available around the clock; and the housekeeping is so precise that the room appears to reset itself between each absence.
At a Glance
What Not to Miss
Bar Hemingway
The most famous hotel bar in the world — named for Ernest Hemingway, who allegedly "liberated" it at the end of World War II. The bar is presided over by head bartender Colin Field, whose cocktails are legendary and whose stories are better. The Serendipity (champagne, cognac, and fresh raspberries) is the house drink; the Ritz Sidecar, made with a 1865 Cognac, is the most expensive cocktail in Paris. Reserve a stool at the bar rather than a table.
The Ritz Escoffier Cooking School
The cooking school in the hotel's basement — named for Auguste Escoffier, who codified French cuisine while working at the Ritz — offers classes ranging from a two-hour macaron workshop to a full week of professional training. The school uses the same kitchen equipment and the same ingredients as the hotel's restaurants. One of the finest culinary experiences in Paris.
The Ritz Club Spa
The spa, rebuilt during the €450 million renovation, is one of the finest in Paris — with a 17-metre pool, a hammam, and treatment rooms that draw on the Ritz's century-long relationship with Chanel. The Chanel facial is the signature treatment; the pool, lined with mosaic tiles and lit by a glass ceiling, is the finest hotel pool in the city.
Dinner at L'Espadon
The Ritz's flagship restaurant — two Michelin stars, a dining room of extraordinary gilded beauty, and a kitchen under chef Nicolas Sale that produces some of the finest classical French cuisine in Paris. The tasting menu is the essential experience; the wine list, with its extraordinary depth of Burgundy and Bordeaux, is among the finest in the city.
The Experience
The Verdict
The most legendary hotel in the world — and, after its extraordinary renovation, arguably the finest.
There are hotels with better views, hotels with larger rooms, and hotels with more modern amenities. There is no hotel with more history, more soul, or more of the particular magic that comes from a century of being the place where the world's most interesting people chose to stay.
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