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The Ritz London
London, United Kingdom · Independent · Apex Luxury
César Ritz opened The Ritz London on Piccadilly on 24 May 1906, eight years after his Paris hotel, in a Grade II* steel-framed building by Charles Mewès and Arthur Davis that helped put the adjective ritzy into English. It is the first and only hotel ever granted a Royal Warrant for Banqueting and Catering Services, and its restaurant added a second Michelin star in February 2025. Tea at the Ritz still fills the Louis XVI Palm Court, while David Lloyd George ran wartime meetings here that shaped British intervention in Greece.
- 136 rooms
- Opened 1906
- Neighborhood: Mayfair
- Architect: Charles Mewès and Arthur Davis
About The Ritz London
- Green copper lions, the hotel emblem, crown the corners of the pavilion roofs along Piccadilly, Arlington Street, and Green Park.
- The Bracewell Smith family owned the hotel until 1976; David and Frederick Barclay bought it for 80 million pounds in 1995 and spent eight years and 40 million pounds restoring it.
- The Art Deco Rivoli Bar, completed in 2001 by Tessa Kennedy, was designed to evoke the bar on the Orient Express.
- Noël Coward was a notable diner here in the 1920s and 1930s as the hotel's society reputation solidified after World War I.
- Private dining includes the Marie Antoinette Suite and rooms inside Grade II* listed William Kent House next door.
History
Designed by Charles Mewès and Arthur Davis — the same architects who built the Paris Ritz — and opened by César Ritz himself on 24 May 1906, The Ritz is a Grade II* listed building, one of Britain's earliest steel-framed structures, and the first and only hotel ever granted a Royal Warrant for Banqueting and Catering Services; its restaurant earned a second Michelin star in February 2025.
The setting
The Ritz London is a Piccadilly address in London. Buckingham Palace is roughly 8 minutes' walk. This is Piccadilly and Regent Street, the circus-and-arcade edge of the West End, not Mayfair's residential squares.
Restaurants and bars
- The Ritz Restaurant — Restaurant · Chef John Williams MBE (Executive Chef) · Two MICHELIN Stars
- The Rivoli Bar — Bar
- The Secret Garden — Restaurant
Experiences
- Afternoon Tea — Traditional Afternoon Tea with sandwiches, pastries, premium tea and Champagne.
- The Ritz Chauffeur Service — Ritz Rolls-Royce Phantom chauffeur service.
- Cigar Shop at The Ritz — Setting to sample cigars indoors or outdoors from a prestigious collection.
- Special treats for children — Hotel programme treating younger guests with fun moments.
Amenities
- Spa
- Fitness center
- Butler service
Awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN Two Keys (2026)
- AA Five Red Stars (2025)
Open The Ritz London in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
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