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Want to take advantage of Virtuoso benefits at no extra cost, including a confirmed room upgrade, confirmed early check-in and late check-out, free breakfast, and roundtrip airport transfers with VIP meet & greet? Contact Ford ([email protected]) for more details. He doesn’t charge booking fees, and may even be able to help if you already have a stay booked.
On our quest to check out some of Paris’ best luxury hotels, we spent the first night of our trip at the Ritz Paris, which is probably Paris’ most famous hotel, and possibly one of the most famous city hotels in the world.
Let me say upfront that this is an incredible hotel, with jaw-dropping design and very good service. Just be ready to pay dearly for everything, or maybe just pretend that the Euro is in fact the Australian Dollar while on property, and you might be a little bit less shocked by the prices. The reality is that all of this hotel’s outlets seem to be consistently crowded, as people are willing to pay these prices for the scene.
In this post:
The 159-room Ritz Paris opened all the way back in 1898, so the hotel is one of the oldest in Paris. This hotel has endless history, so here are a few noteworthy things:
So yeah, I’m not saying all of those things are necessarily positives, but they sure do add to the intrigue surrounding this property.
Entry level rooms at the Ritz Paris range from 1,100 EUR to 1,700 EUR per night, depending on when you’re staying. For our one night stay, we paid 1,200 EUR.
There’s one absolute best way to book the Ritz Paris, and that’s through a travel advisor who is affiliated with Virtuoso. Virtuoso offers guests extra perks at luxury hotels around the world, all without it costing anything extra. Ford is more than happy to help with these requests, and can be reached at [email protected]
The Ritz Paris is one of the most generous hotels in the world when it comes to the perks offered to Virtuoso guests. For booking through a Virtuoso travel advisor, you receive the following perks:
This really is quite generous. Other Virtuoso properties offer an upgrade subject to availability at check-in (here it’s at the time of booking), early check-in and late check-out subject to availability (here it’s confirmed at the time of booking), and a perk valued at $100 (I can assure you roundtrip airport transfers with a VIP meet & greet at the airport would cost a lot more than that).
So yeah, the Ritz Paris has really high rates, though at least the Virtuoso perks are good. I should also mention that the perks are much better through Virtuoso than through Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts for this property, so this is definitely a property where you want to book through a Virtuoso advisor.
Let me of course acknowledge that the Ritz Paris is outrageously expensive, and for that matter this is the most I’ve ever spent for a night at a city hotel. Many are probably understandably saying “well why did you review this, most of us could never afford to stay here?” To answer that:
Like I said, 1,200 EUR per night is way more than I personally like spending on a city hotel, especially when you have the incredible Park Hyatt Paris bookable for a reasonable number of World of Hyatt points. But for a one night review on a special 30th birthday trip, it seemed like the occasion to give this a try.
When we landed at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), there was a gentleman from the Ritz Paris waiting on the jet bridge for us. He assisted us with our bags, and escorted us all the way to the arrivals hall, where a Mercedes was already waiting for us.
The drive to the hotel took around 45 minutes. When we arrived at the hotel, there was a front office associate already waiting for us. As we emerged from the car he addressed both of us by name (that’s impressive), and escorted us to check-in, and then brought us all the way to our room.
I have to say, the experience was seamless and well executed, as we were taken care of from the second we stepped off the plane, to the second we were in our room. Given how much the Ritz Paris charges for everything else, I can’t imagine what the hotel’s retail cost could have been for this.
The Ritz Paris is located at Place Vendôme, in Paris’ 1st arrondissement. Personally I love this area, mainly because it’s easy to walk to all kinds of neighborhoods from there. If you’ve stayed at the Park Hyatt Paris, odds are that you’ve walked by the Ritz without realizing it, as it’s just a couple of blocks away.
The Ritz Paris’ interior is so unbelievably over-the-top (as you’d hope, given that the renovation apparently cost almost half a billion dollars). You feel like you’re being transported to some amazing palace in a different era, and the details in design are endless. Would I want to live in a place with decor like this? Heck no. But when staying at a property in Paris with so much history, this is perfect.
The hotel doesn’t have a single “grand” lobby, but rather the public spaces mostly consist of long hallways that connect various parts of the hotel. Reception was located inside the entrance of the hotel and to the right.
Most of the hotel’s food & beverage outlets are located off the main hallway. This includes Bar Vendôme and L’Espadon Restaurant.
Salon Proust is also located just off the lobby. This is used for an afternoon tea service, but for the rest of the day it’s an area where guests can just hang out.
Towards the back of the lobby are some long corridors with many high-end shops, and at the far end of that are the hotel’s two famous bars, including Bar Hemingway and the Ritz Bar.
After a brief tour of the hotel, we were brought to our room.
We had booked the entry level superior room, and at the time of booking our room was upgraded one category to an executive room. Specifically, we were assigned room 312. Given the history of the building (this wasn’t all originally one hotel), there are many ways to get to rooms, including several sets of elevators and stairs.
Our room was on the third floor (the hotel has six floors), the first room on the left as we exited the elevator.
Executive rooms are the Ritz Paris are marketed as being 430 square feet. While not huge, they’re a great size for a room in Paris. The room featured a long entryway, with the bathroom to the right, and several hidden doors on both sides, revealing everything from closets to minibars.
The room itself was simply opulent. It’s rare you get a hotel room that looks this historic without feeling run down, but this hotel manages to accomplish that. The room featured a comfortable king size bed, a chair with a side table, and then a desk with a chair.
Waiting on one of the side tables was a welcome amenity, consisting of a bottle of water, fresh fruit, and some chocolate “keys.”
The room had a small balcony overlooking the hotel’s courtyard. This meant there was almost no street noise, which was nice.
The bathroom featured double sinks, a soaking tub, a walk-in shower, and a separate toilet.
Given that seemingly no expenses were spared with the renovation of the Ritz, I was surprised that the toilets weren’t proper bidets.
Then again, maybe the bathroom budget went towards the faucets?
Toiletries were hotel branded, and were high quality.
The minibar was back in the hallway, and was very well stocked. Get ready to take out a second mortgage if you actually consume anything — we’re talking 13 EUR for a Coke, 16 EUR for a Corona, and 26 EUR for a Grey Goose mini. 😉
One thing I found puzzling is that the hotel doesn’t have any in-room coffee or tea. That seems like a standard amenity even at a non-luxury hotel, so I’m not sure what’s going on there. Wi-Fi in the room was fast and free.
By the way, I’m impressed how often rooms are serviced at the Ritz Paris. For our one night stay we had turndown service the first night, and the next morning our room was fully refreshed again, as we had guaranteed 4PM check-out. It’s not often hotels service rooms on the day of departure!
The Ritz Paris has two famous bars, and we decided to check them both out during our stay. These are extremely popular with hotel guests and outsiders alike, so expect you may have to wait to get a table. The first bar we checked out was the Ritz Bar, which is open daily from 5:30PM until 12:30AM.
The bar is quite intimate, and has some bar seating as well as around a dozen tables (the below picture was taken the following morning, so suffice to say that the “cover” around the bar is usually lifted).
The bar has an innovative cocktail list, and cocktails retail for 32 EUR each. On the plus side, at least they serve a bunch of macadamia nuts (which aren’t cheap), and there’s also no opportunity to add a tip, unlike at most other hotels in Paris.
Bar Hemingway is open from 6PM until 2AM. The bar features just 25 seats, and the head barman is Colin Field, who has twice been named the “Best Head Barman in the World.”
Drink menus come in the form of a newspaper titled “The Hemingway Star,” which is cute.
Drinks were priced in the range of 30-34 EUR each, and I decided to have “the world famous clean dirty martini,” while Ford had a champagne cocktail.
Drinks were served with mixed nuts and olives.
In our effort to experience as much of the hotel as possible during our one night stay, we decided to have dinner at Bar Vendôme, the hotel’s all-day Parisian brasserie.
I loved the vibe here — there was a live singer and piano player, Julian, who was awesome. You can find the dinner menu for the restaurant here.
I decided to order the cod (cooked with ginger and curry, coconut, and pistachio rice), while Ford had the beef tartare. Both dishes were excellent.
Since we booked through Virtuoso, our rate included breakfast (most breakfast options otherwise cost 68 EUR per person). We could either have this via in-room dining or in the restaurant, and we decided to dine in the restaurant. Breakfast is served from 7AM until 11AM at L’Espadon Restaurant. Like the rest of the hotel, the breakfast room is a work of art.
The breakfast menu read as follows:
I ordered the “healthy breakfast,” while Ford had the “American breakfast.” My breakfast was probably the most delicious breakfast I’ve ever had in Paris. First a basket was brought out with freshly baked pastries, croissants, and bread.
We then ordered drinks, including freshly squeezed orange juice, cappuccinos, and lattes.
Ford had a fruit salad as well as a green juice.
Then my breakfast included five different dishes, including gluten free avocado toast, coconut milk yogurt with granola, almond milk and chia oatmeal, and a couple of bowls of fruit.
Ford had two poached eggs and some chicken sausage.
The breakfast was incredible, and the service couldn’t have been friendlier. Our server seemed downright disappointed that we didn’t even try the pastries, and kept pressuring us to just take them in a to-go box, because he said they were just that good. It’s always nice to get that level of service and passion without even having an option to tip.
The Ritz Club Paris is the Ritz Paris’ incredible spa complex on the basement level. The spa itself offers treatments from Biologique Recherche, a very high end skincare company.
We didn’t get any treatments, but rather just used the pool and gym. The Ritz Paris has a gorgeous pool — I think the pictures speak for themselves.
The gym was equally impressive, both in terms of the quality of the equipment, as well as the variety.
Funny enough, while there was no in-room coffee, the gym had pots of coffee, tea, and freshly squeezed orange juice. Works for us, since we usually work out first thing in the morning.
Since it’s fall, the Ritz Paris’ outdoor space wasn’t being used much anymore, but the hotel has a huge outdoor terrace and garden, which I imagine is lovely in summer.
Service at the Ritz Paris was extremely polished across the board. From the seamless check-in experience, to all the restaurant servers, employees were perfectly trained and seemed genuinely eager to please.
That being said, in general I didn’t feel like service was particularly personalized. In other words, if you’re spending a lot to stay at a hotel, it’s nice to walk into the hotel and be greeted with a “welcome back,” or something along those lines.
I think that kind of gets at one of my potential issues with this hotel. Perhaps the Ritz Paris is a victim of its own success and popularity, because an incredible number of people walk through the hotel’s doors every day, either to visit the food & beverage outlets, or the shops.
That takes away a bit from the personalization or intimate feeling you might otherwise feel as a hotel guest. For example, when we entered the hotel we were greeted with “can I help you find something?” rather than “welcome back.” It’s minor, but at the very high end of hospitality, I do think it’s noteworthy, and I usually prefer staying at a hotel where I feel like I’m at “home.”
Along similar lines, the hotel’s two popular bars are open to everyone and don’t accept reservations, and no priority seems to be given to hotel guests. I can appreciate that having a more mixed crowd adds to the vibe, but typically one benefit of staying at an awesome hotel is also having priority access to services, ahead of outside guests.
So yeah, service is friendly and professional, but it definitely has a bit of a “factory” feel, based on the number of people passing through this hotel daily.
I’ve long been curious about the Ritz Paris, and I’m grateful I had the chance to experience it. This is a hotel with so much history, and you feel like you’re being transported to a different world when you’re here. The rooms are beautiful, the food & drink outlets excellent, the gym and pool are top notch, and service here is refined.
That being said, expect to pay dearly for everything here, from the room rate, to food & drinks. The Ritz Paris is an institution, the owners know that, and they charge accordingly (and I guess they have a $450 million renovation to pay for). If cost is no object and you want this scene, then the Ritz Paris is the place to stay. Of the three hotels we stayed at (also the Four Seasons George V and Cheval Blanc), this is the one I’m least likely to return to. Why? Because it was awesome to see, but to me it was more of a “been there, done that” experience.
If you do book the Ritz Paris, make sure you book through Virtuoso, so you can get a confirmed upgrade, confirmed early check-in and late check-out, and a roundtrip airport transfer with VIP meet & greet, all at no extra cost.
What do you make of the Ritz Paris?
We are going in June for 3 nights. What about the dress code for men? Do they need to wear jacket and tie for dinner? This will be our first visit to Paris. We are so excited.
We stayed at the Ritz in June, and your review is spot on. My two children couldn’t believe the breakfast room. My daughter has celiac, so the staff immediately brought us a gluten-free bread basket that was so delicious (and heavier on cakes vs. croissants), that my non-celiac son griped that he wanted one, too. It was a rare time when my daughter felt like she had the better dining option.
The place is so…
We stayed at the Ritz in June, and your review is spot on. My two children couldn’t believe the breakfast room. My daughter has celiac, so the staff immediately brought us a gluten-free bread basket that was so delicious (and heavier on cakes vs. croissants), that my non-celiac son griped that he wanted one, too. It was a rare time when my daughter felt like she had the better dining option.
The place is so over the top, but the staff made us feel very welcome. Maybe it’s because we kind of stood out (not the most elegant dressers) and spent a few nights? It’s much more rarified air than I usually breathe, but if you can swing it, well worth the experience.
Why do you say “suffice to say” in almost every post? It’s an annoying phrase, especially when overused. You write interesting articles but your writing style is getting a bit stale. Maybe time to do some more reading yourself and improve your expression a bit? You have so many readers and I’m sure we’d all appreciate it.
Speak for yourself
No pastries? “Healthy” breakfast? Vegetarian? Pfffft
Get better genes.
Great review, nice Rimowa. Nice to see you back to doing what you do best.
My parents stayed at the Ritz when I was living in Paris in the late 80s. My meeting them there is one of my favorite stories, I wasn’t dressed appropriately for the hotel and that was made clear when I was escorted out of the lobby by security when I arrived to meet my parents. Once I told them my parents were staying there they begrudgingly let me in and helped me find their room…
My parents stayed at the Ritz when I was living in Paris in the late 80s. My meeting them there is one of my favorite stories, I wasn’t dressed appropriately for the hotel and that was made clear when I was escorted out of the lobby by security when I arrived to meet my parents. Once I told them my parents were staying there they begrudgingly let me in and helped me find their room quickly so I didn’t linger. It was even worse when my dad decided we should eat lunch in the hotel and I had to wear the ill fitting loaner jacket. Today, I’m sure they are used to people who are dressed even more casually than my torn jeans and a t-shirt(now I’m embarrassed that I would dress like that but I was young). I agree with you Ben, the Hotel is lovely, but in a city like Paris realistically how much time are you spending in your room, so why spend so much. Next time try the Hotel de Crillon, which is similarly iconic, located in a prestigious location (in front of the Place de la Concorde) or the Maurice.
Meurice
Those displays with luxury items inside (Prada, etc.) seem so vulgar to me. It’s like a message sent to the guests: “We think you’re superficial and brainwashed by consumerism, so we made that for you”.
Also, you have to pay for each glass of orange juice at breakfast? In some hotels, an employee comes to refill your glass as soon as it’s empty (which freshly squeezed orange juice, not industrial), and you don’t pay anything…
Those displays with luxury items inside (Prada, etc.) seem so vulgar to me. It’s like a message sent to the guests: “We think you’re superficial and brainwashed by consumerism, so we made that for you”.
Also, you have to pay for each glass of orange juice at breakfast? In some hotels, an employee comes to refill your glass as soon as it’s empty (which freshly squeezed orange juice, not industrial), and you don’t pay anything extra. At 16 euros per 25 mL glass, I would need at least 64 euros for orange juice only. And I would need to order every glass myself.
What do they spend for this 13 euro Coke, including the cost of the employees who refill the minibar? I guess 3 or 4 euros, at most. I guess they want the room price to be not too high, to attract people. And compensate by charging a lot for cheap things.
You forgot to mention that Coco Chanel live at the Ritz for 34 yrs since her atelier is at Rue Cambon behind the building. I was hoping you have a chance to see the suite named after her.
Nice review. However, why do historic hotels in the west look so much like museums? While I love to visit museums, I certainly don’t want to stay in them. In contrast, historic properties in the east are much more inviting yet regal. This is probably why I always choose hotels with modern rooms or art-deco style rooms (for example at the Kameha Grand in Zurich) in NA and EU.
42€ for a “Carbonara” with mushrooms and spinaches?
Well, this is insulting on many levels.
Looks like the pastries are part of the American breakfast, what Ford ordered. I wondered why they’d serve you a basket of good butter with a healthy breakfast!!
@ Stephanie Dixon — Technically that was part of the American breakfast, though the pastry basket was brought out before we even ordered anything, so it seems that it’s just offered as a standard with all options.
Thanks for the fantastic review! Felt like I was there!
Kudos for another great review Ben. For those complaining about reviewing a high end non-points hotel:
As Ben has noted, the majority of reviews are of points properties. Luxury non-points have admittedly become an increasing trend. Ford is a travel advisor so that’s a business decision (and a business expense, which certainly doesn’t hurt)
Even though he’s only at the Ritz for one night, he gets pictures of EVERYTHING, checks out as many on property…
Kudos for another great review Ben. For those complaining about reviewing a high end non-points hotel:
As Ben has noted, the majority of reviews are of points properties. Luxury non-points have admittedly become an increasing trend. Ford is a travel advisor so that’s a business decision (and a business expense, which certainly doesn’t hurt)
Even though he’s only at the Ritz for one night, he gets pictures of EVERYTHING, checks out as many on property features as he reasonably can, and writes a detailed review. Then he will do the same thing for 2 other properties. He and Ford could go to Paris for 6 nights, stay in a single luxury property, and put together a great review of it. That’s certainly what I would do. But instead Ben reviews 3 different hotels—what a pain to change hotels that often. And the reviews are detailed, unlike some other blogs who will take a couple pictures of the exterior, lobby, and room, then note there are other facilities but they couldn’t be bothered to do their job and check them out.
Really enjoyed this one and super helpful for deciding how to splurge next time I can get to Paris.
By the way, $1300-ish per night for a room at the Ritz in Paris isn’t that outrageous when you consider that some idiots gladly pay $500 for Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites properties in Florida, let alone what hotels in Hawaii or Miami Beach coast. There’s no comparison.
Idiocy is in the eye of the beholder, not exclusive to spoiled rich people.
A $20-ish per night for a bed at a hostel isn’t that outrageous when you consider that some idiots gladly pay $1300 but despise others for paying $500 for what you ultimately get is a temporary bed. There’s no comparison.
With that aside, yes I agree it’s a better deal at Ritz if you consider the price gouging and resort fees….
Idiocy is in the eye of the beholder, not exclusive to spoiled rich people.
A $20-ish per night for a bed at a hostel isn’t that outrageous when you consider that some idiots gladly pay $1300 but despise others for paying $500 for what you ultimately get is a temporary bed. There’s no comparison.
With that aside, yes I agree it’s a better deal at Ritz if you consider the price gouging and resort fees. Not hard to find Motel 6 or Super 8 charging 10x for special events or peak seasons, or some local owned motels that hold a prime spot for 50 years.
So much for Liberté, égalité, and fraternité. For a country that zealously promotes the equality of its republic, I am always amazed at how much luxury and 1% stuff there is in Paris. That aside. A few comments:
1) The airport meet-and-greet is impressive and almost comparable to the Peninsula in Hong Kong. I wonder how the Ritz handles its with international flights and passport control?
2) Marriott International used to be able…
So much for Liberté, égalité, and fraternité. For a country that zealously promotes the equality of its republic, I am always amazed at how much luxury and 1% stuff there is in Paris. That aside. A few comments:
1) The airport meet-and-greet is impressive and almost comparable to the Peninsula in Hong Kong. I wonder how the Ritz handles its with international flights and passport control?
2) Marriott International used to be able to book Ritz Paris and Ritz London rooms over the telephone. Not sure if that’s still the case. Marriott’s Ritz-Carlton also carries the Ritz London and Ritz Paris exclusive private label champagne.
3) Ritz London’s exclusivity on the name “Ritz” in the UK expired just before the pandemic if I remember right. I would not be surprised to see a Ritz-Carlton open in London once tourism fully recovers, although Marriott somewhat awkwardly already has the Bulgari and Edition — and to a lesser extent the JW Marriott Grosvenor House, which has always been a Diet Ritz-Carlton — occupying the lane a London Ritz-Carlton property would occupy.
4) It’s refreshing to see a proper luxury hotel flagged under the name Ritz. I always wonder how many people think Ritz-Carlton has something to do with the real Ritz properties in Paris and London. There’s just no comparison. Especially the newly renovated or newly built Ritz-Carlton that have the same furniture as a generic Marriott.
5) NO RESORT FEE!
At least there’s free healthcare and higher education in France, and many other benefits
My favorite content on this site are these reviews of ridiculously overpriced and poor value for money hotels that are regularly featured here. It provides a fascinating insight on how the rich spend their money.
I loved this article. While many of us will never stay at something as expensive per night, it’s nice to dream. It’s also nice to know where to go if we really want to splurge for a night or two. The reviews are always well written and informative. Love it!
Wow. Great writing Ben about an institution that I will not be able to afford until next year. We blew our 2021 vacation money on an overpriced 8 day trip to London and onward to Tenerife for 21 days.
Thank you for the detailed review!
Thanks for the review. While you take good pictures, this is one of those places that pictures don’t do hotel justice. When I was eating breakfast at L’Espadon, I pass by Salon Proust, I have to say the finishes were stunning and you have to see it in person to appreciate it. Places like Ritz Carlton and St Regis in US or in Asia may look similar, but definitely not the same. It’s like comparing…
Thanks for the review. While you take good pictures, this is one of those places that pictures don’t do hotel justice. When I was eating breakfast at L’Espadon, I pass by Salon Proust, I have to say the finishes were stunning and you have to see it in person to appreciate it. Places like Ritz Carlton and St Regis in US or in Asia may look similar, but definitely not the same. It’s like comparing nice suits you get at Nordstrom and Tom Ford suits you get on Madison Ave….a world of difference.
While personally I prefer Cheval Blanc type of aesthetic, I can certainly appreciate the old world charm of this hotel. I love the location. It’s so convenient to many places. I’m sure Ford had a good time shopping on Rue St Honore.
There’s a reason why during Paris fashion week, Ritz is consistently sold out. Cream of the crop knows where to stay.
I’m disappointed with the gold color scheme in the rooms. The gold makes the room look gaudy. Wainscotting and mounding make a room elegant, rich, and sumptuous. However, not gold. That gold stuff doesn’t work in 2021 nor did it work in 2000. That’s Trump decor (good beliefs on immigration, trade, and woke culture but bad taste, execution, and competence due to cognitive impairment).
The Ritz was a modern hotel when it was in…
I’m disappointed with the gold color scheme in the rooms. The gold makes the room look gaudy. Wainscotting and mounding make a room elegant, rich, and sumptuous. However, not gold. That gold stuff doesn’t work in 2021 nor did it work in 2000. That’s Trump decor (good beliefs on immigration, trade, and woke culture but bad taste, execution, and competence due to cognitive impairment).
The Ritz was a modern hotel when it was in its prime. It needs to keep with the times in color palate. The pool is beautiful. I don’t think I could stay at the Ritz as the prices are too high. $800 a night is really my limit with inflation.
I was always wondering the same thing about many properties that have these Victorian style or Art Nouveau design that doesn’t seem to age well for the Gen Y or Millennials.
Think of it, once the Boomers are all gone, who wants to stay at places like this.
The other Ritz or luxury chain brands are much more appealing to wider generations.
This style of decor is classic French and originated under Louis XIII, so long before Trump. It has been emulated the world over for five centuries. I, for one will be happy not to see any millennials or Gen Y in such a historic venue. Thank the Lord for small miracle!
Just imagine if one of those entitled millennials, wannabe socialists; gets denied entry for clothing etiquette, they will cry and scream racism or whatever excuse of the woke culture in all of their social media. While blaming capitalism LOL.
What do I make of the Ritz Paris?
Staying at a hotel like that, in a room like that, would give me nightmares. The décor is far too busy and old fashioned. Give me a W style room any day. I’m not so sure I would stay at the Ritz even if gifted a night there.
All of those gold colored faucets, and the swans especially, are so cheesy. It’s incredible what people…
What do I make of the Ritz Paris?
Staying at a hotel like that, in a room like that, would give me nightmares. The décor is far too busy and old fashioned. Give me a W style room any day. I’m not so sure I would stay at the Ritz even if gifted a night there.
All of those gold colored faucets, and the swans especially, are so cheesy. It’s incredible what people associate with class. egads.
There are many high-end hotels with conservative, yet contemporary style. Look at the Ritz-Carlton in Hong Kong for example.
Great review. Do like that you review hotels that wouldn’t normally be a points or certificate redemption. One never knows when and where they’d splurge on a hotel stay.
Hyper opulence makes me uncomfortable. For example Maldives might be expensive and luxurious, but its not hyper opulent. I would probably not stay there even if I could.
From what I’ve heard, one would feel out of place at the Ritz unless one was very well dressed. Was that your sense?
We just finished a stay at Le Meurice and had a similar lack of “welcome back” from the staff.
I have been to the Ritz bars a few times as a non hotel guest, the staff is always friendly and mean well. Dress code is pretty standard for this type of place to avoid being out of place… it goes from business casual to effortless chic. Think of how you dress to a Michelin star restaurant.
Trust me, you do not want to be the loud fat American in running shoes and cargo shorts that seem to have disembarked a Miami cruise anywhere in Paris, even at a Holiday Inn.
The reports I’ve heard about the Ritz go well beyond “business casual to effortless chic”. Personally, I wouldn’t appear in public in running shoes and cargo shorts.
@ Richard_ — As someone who almost always wears “athleisure,” I’ll admit that I dressed up a bit more for this stay, and wore khakis and a button down. I felt comfortable in that, though I’d hardly call that “very well dressed.”
It is in Paris. Everyone is well dressed. When I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Etoile 2 weeks ago, I tried to have some cocktails on its roof top bar. I was in the line for a seat. Looking around, everyone was either in 3 pieces suit or nice dress with long over coat, I just left.
As long as the cash is legit or the credit card doesn’t bounce, I’m sure there are plenty of Russian working girls at the Ritz Paris bars on any given that night who will gladly ignore your sartorial challenges.
In all seriousness, what kind of schmuck even thinks of going to the Ritz Paris without at the very minimum a properly fitting blazer, pants and nice shoes? You should probably watch a YouTube video on what forks and knifes to use as well.
Ben,
I know you can afford the rate easily.
Don’t keep being an apologist for having money just to appease idiots.
P.S. I like visiting the Ritz bars, but to stay not so much; La Reserve has massive rooms, and IMO a much better location – at George V its too local, at Vendome (Ritz and Park Hyatt) its too touristy, La Reserve’s location, is the best of both.
CB was not open when I was in Paris last, but look forward to trying it.
Definitely somewhere I won’t stay (Park Hyatt Vendome all the way) but great read to satisfy our curiosity.
Is the rate included breakfast limited to 68 EUR per person, or you can order unlimited though?
@ Ethan — We weren’t told about any limits, so I’d imagine you could order whatever. I also couldn’t even finish what I was served, so I can’t report back for sure.
The decor is really nice. So many grande dame hotels come out of refurbishment too white and bright and reminiscent of Restoration Hardware. It’s really lovely to see that the Ritz resisted the trend of carrara marble and gray paint.
thanks for the report and great photos. Love your reviews, especially luxury hotels. Keep ’em coming.
One of the “fun fact” about this hotel is that in 1940 Luftwaffe the nazi air forces took over this hotel as their headquarters. I can not get over what happened in those rooms including torturing their their enemies. I will never be able to stay there knowing people were tortured in those rooms.
Same for a few other luxury hotels in Paris.
The hotel was basically gutted and rebuilt during the renovation. Pretty much nothing original remains.
Since there’s been atrocities all over the world, it follows that you can’t really stay anywhere then…
Nice report.
Room seemed not particularly large? Do you know how many square meters?
35m². Rooms in Paris tend not to be very big.
@ Beachfan — The executive room we were in was marketed as 430 square feet, or 40 square meters.
Given that a night at Claridges currently starts at £675 or about 750 euros which felt like the better experience for a treat, the Ritz or Claridges?
@ Niko_jas — Great question! Of course it’s tough to do an apples-to-apples comparison between hotels in two different cities, though personally I preferred Claridge’s. I found the service to be a bit more personalized, and it was also significantly cheaper.
You forgot about another famous resident at the Ritz,
Pamela Harriman, who at the time was the US Ambassador to France for President Clinton was famous for using the Ritz pool, where she ultimately died (not to be a downer).
She was born in the UK, married Winston Churchill’s son, eventually divorced, moved to the US married a few other times, became a socialite, and ultimately a huge fund raiser for the Democratic Party which…
You forgot about another famous resident at the Ritz,
Pamela Harriman, who at the time was the US Ambassador to France for President Clinton was famous for using the Ritz pool, where she ultimately died (not to be a downer).
She was born in the UK, married Winston Churchill’s son, eventually divorced, moved to the US married a few other times, became a socialite, and ultimately a huge fund raiser for the Democratic Party which lead to her posting in Paris.
She was quite the personality.
https://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/06/world/pamela-harriman-is-dead-at-76-an-ardent-political-personality.html
I think all the grand dames can pick up plane side. The Crillon used to offer it when I stayed there, and a fellow passenger on an arriving flight was indeed received plane side by the Crillon once. I’ve also been offered it by La Reserve.
Really enjoyed this comprehensive review and the photos. Nice job, Ben–thanks for a fun read.
Should have eaten the pastries, or tried a bite. You’re in Paris
Any dated 5 star property is never worth the cost. Always go for the newest or most recently refurbished luxury property in the city.
This property was recently refurbished.
Sadly Omar, you’ve gone and embarrassed yourself yet again!
The whole point and appeal of hotels like this is that they are not new, vacuous, colorless, modern boxes where you could be anywhere. Your taste whiffs strongly of new money, which while unsurprising, is still disappointing.
Thank you for the review. Like you said, I’d never pay that much for a city hotel. And that design is so over the top, I don’t think I’d feel comfortable. I prefer a more modern luxury. But very fun to see the opulence.
I would love to know the logistics involved in this airport transfer, cause its kind of innusual to see a hotel employee waiting a guest on the jet bridge…
I’m pretty sure because it was coming off an intra Europe flight which is the Schengen zone then anyone can be in the arrivals area and even the jet bridge I think, someone correct me if i’m wrong though?
On one of Lucky’s Air France First Class reviews, from 2013 or so, he shows that a passenger who was on his LAX-CDG AF First Class flight was picked up planeside as well by Ritz personnel. I think there’s an agreement where somehow Ritz personnel can meet and assist people through.
The hotel has met us coming off a flight from the US and walked us through customs, got our bags with us before getting in the car.
I imagine it was an airport employee that took them through
@ Rafael — The top hotels in Paris all seem to at least be able to offer this service, so I suspect the hotels all have some agreement with the airport to allow this. For what it’s worth, it seems like the hotels basically have a person who is on-staff at the airport, because the person who picks you up at the gate is different than the person who drives you to the hotel.
I see you (or Ford) finally got with it and switched from the two wheeled luggage to the Rimowa spinner.
@ Anthony — Hah, sharp eye. That’s Ford’s bag, I’m still a happy Briggs & Riley guy.
@Ben – I don’t think it rare to find such an opulent room that doesn’t look run. There are many fine heritage properties across the globe which have historic significance yet look brand new – especially across Asia. I’m glad to see this review because the hotel doesn’t actually look very inviting.
*run down.
I stayed at the Ritz for six nights during a work trip but did not revisit the hotel on following trips because I didn’t enjoy the hotel nor the experience. I actually did not pay attention to the costs during my visit since employer has a liberal spending policy. The one notable experience in your review – the breakfast – I found to be underwhelming compared to the quality of breakfasts found in little cafés…
I stayed at the Ritz for six nights during a work trip but did not revisit the hotel on following trips because I didn’t enjoy the hotel nor the experience. I actually did not pay attention to the costs during my visit since employer has a liberal spending policy. The one notable experience in your review – the breakfast – I found to be underwhelming compared to the quality of breakfasts found in little cafés in the vicinity of the hotel. I tasted the hotel and gave it an 8/10 from what I recall. I did enjoy the location and the proximity to many key attractions. In summary , I consider the hotel to be just fine but not noteworthy for a return.
Who in the world do you work for that you get to stay here on a six-night work trip?
Probably at Catfish. They have a pretty liberal expense budget.
@S – I am employed by a major petrochemical corporation.
@S – Is my employer relevant? My function in the firm allows certain privileges. Do you really think these hotels manage to stay afloat simply from tourist traffic?
My first guess would be the State !
So hold on a second… you go to Paris, in one of the best hotels around, and you don’t even try the pastries 😀 ?? That sounds like a great time to say diet be damned honestly ;).
@ Clem — LOL, you have no clue how much we ate and drink in Paris…
@Ben – a Paris food review could be fun 🙂 . Glad you indulged!
Exactly! There are so many dishes that I want to try, but I don’t have the stomach for it. Sometimes, I had to tried two starters instead of one and one plate accommodated with wine. I just had to skip the desert if I still wanted to move around.
Fun review, even though I can’t imagine actually staying here. We did indeed walk past while staying at the Park Hyatt 2 months ago and I was curious about the place.
Ben, this is a phenomenal review with sensational photos. The breakfast photos alone are truly terrific. You gave a tremendous sense of what one night in one of the most overpriced hotels in the world would be like!
This is probably the most random thing, but those swan faucets are EXACTLY what my late grandpa had in his bathroom. Did he get inspiration from the Ritz? He just passed recently, this is bringing back so much memories. Now I’m so curious…..
He might order them from Paris at the same place the Ritz have them from. Those are quite family heirlooms if you decide to keep and pass them down to your grandchildren.
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Should have eaten the pastries, or tried a bite. You're in Paris
So hold on a second… you go to Paris, in one of the best hotels around, and you don't even try the pastries 😀 ?? That sounds like a great time to say diet be damned honestly ;).
This style of decor is classic French and originated under Louis XIII, so long before Trump. It has been emulated the world over for five centuries. I, for one will be happy not to see any millennials or Gen Y in such a historic venue. Thank the Lord for small miracle!
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