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Lifestyle Paris

 Welcome to RITZ

The most iconic hotel in the world reopens its doors

Mai Oui. The Ritz Paris, probably the most famous hotel in the world, and one so prestigious as to have transformed the name of its founder, César Ritz, into the sobriquet for “luxury hotel”, has finally reopened. No one would ever dream of saying “The Ritz Hotel”, since “The Ritz” suffices, omitting the unnecessary details that define something already familiar to all. Located in the legendary Place Vendôme, and just a short distance from any one of the iconic monuments of the city, the Ritz reopened in mid-June, after nearly four years of renovations, making it even more remarkable than before.
Founded by the great César Ritz – in partnership with Chef Auguste Escoffier – it was originally inaugurated in 1898. A hotel – defining it “Grand Hotel” would be a vulgar understatement – that is the utmost concept of luxury, not only in the Ville Lumière, but worldwide, as well. The building’s façade was designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart – precisely, the inventor of mansard roofs – and was then converted into a hotel only when Ritz laid eyes on it. Since then, it has always been home and haven to several of the most famous personalities of the past 120 years. Its signature register boasts the autographs of Coco Chanel: who had chosen it as her home for more than thirty yearsMarcel Proust: where else could a man so obsessed with beauty ever have lived? – Ernest Hemingway: after whom which the bar was named – in order to celebrate the liberation of Paris from the Nazis, he apparently had ordered a round of 73 Martinis – Cole Porter: legend has it that the composer had written his legendary piece, “Begin the Beguine” at the bar of the Ritz, but also Francis Scott Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, Maria Callas, Audrey Hepburn, Edward VII, and the list could go on forever. The Ritz has always been the home of aristocrats, politicians, deposed monarchs, writers, artists, and film stars who loved to enter it, but had difficulty leaving. An intrigue of elegance, glamour, and clamor, washed down with liters of champagne, cheetahs prowling around the suites (as the Marchesa Casati would have), carpets four-fingers-thick on which the waiters seemed to float instead of walk, frescoed ceilings and gilding worthy of Versailles, without forgetting its award-winning kitchen, which made everything that much better.
With the news that the Ritz – part of the international collection of independent hotels: The Leading Hotels of the World – would be restored, some were perplexed, making them look at this mammoth construction with raised brows, fearing it would be defaced. Yet, now they may change their minds before this highly meticulous – almost surgically precise – Herculean endeavor, which brought the Ritz back to being that object of desire for all. The number of rooms was reduced, in order to increase comfort. 1,500 square meters of roof were restructured using 48,000 tiles, while the ceilings and gilding were also restored, without forgetting the marble and fine carpentry, both externally and internally, and a palette of 78 colors was specially created for this project, used throughout the entire hotel. The indoor pool is more remarkable than ever, but the great innovation is the Chanel Spa, perfect for the place where Mademoiselle Coco lived for three long decades.
The King of hotels has returned. Long live the King.
maurizio Francesconi

www.LHW.com/ritzparis

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Photos SITE Ritz hotel Paris 2010Photos SITE Ritz hotel Paris 2010
LHW - The Ritz Paris - Piscine
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