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Ritz Paris
Paris, France · Independent · Apex Luxury
César Ritz opened the Ritz Paris on Place Vendôme in 1898, pioneering en-suite bathrooms and electricity in every room inside Charles Mewès's palace hotel. Coco Chanel lived in a Cambon-side suite for 34 years, and the Hemingway Bar takes its name from the writer who claimed he personally liberated the Ritz in 1944. Thierry Despont's four-year restoration finished in 2016; today Forbes Five-Star and MICHELIN Three Keys recognition sit beside L'Espadon under chef Eugénie Béziat.
- 142 rooms
- Opened 1898
- Neighborhood: Paris 1er Arrondissement
- Architect: Charles Mewès; Thierry Despont
- Interiors: Thierry Despont
About Ritz Paris
- Coco Chanel made a Cambon-side Ritz suite her de facto Paris home for 34 years.
- Ernest Hemingway claimed he personally liberated the hotel in 1944; the bar still carries his name under longtime barman Colin Field.
- A top-to-bottom restoration led by Thierry Despont ran roughly 2012 to 2016 after the hotel closed for the works.
- The hotel is a Leading Hotels of the World member and appears on Robb Report's 50 Greatest Hotels on Earth list for 2025.
- Bar Vendôme and Bar Hemingway join L'Espadon as the principal dining and drinking rooms facing Place Vendôme and rue Cambon.
History
Number 15 Place Vendôme stands on Jules Hardouin-Mansart's octagon, finished in 1699, a façade César Ritz kept when he and Auguste Escoffier opened the Ritz Paris in 1898. It was among the first European hotels to put a bathroom, electric light, and a telephone in every room. Ritz had already been working the square by 1893 as jewellers colonised Vendôme. Suites later took the names of guests. Coco Chanel made a Cambon-side apartment her Paris home for 34 years.
Ernest Hemingway claimed he personally 'liberated' the Ritz in August 1944; Bar Hemingway still trades on that boast under long-time barman Colin Field. Mohamed Al-Fayed bought the hotel and renovated it from 1980 to 1987. Diana, Princess of Wales, dined here on 31 August 1997, the night she died after leaving for the Alma tunnel.
The house closed again from 2012 to 2016 for Thierry Despont's four-year rebuild of rooms, the pool, and the Vendôme and Hemingway bars. It remains independent, a Leading Hotels of the World member, with L'Espadon under chef Eugénie Béziat. The Imperial Suite is listed even though the hotel has not sought France's official Palace label.
The setting
Ritz Paris occupies number 15 on Place Vendôme in the 1st arrondissement — the perfect octagonal square designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, architect of Versailles, completed in 1699. César Ritz arrived in 1893, followed by Boucheron, Cartier, Chaumet, and Van Cleef & Arpels, establishing the square as the world's foremost haute joaillerie address. The Tuileries Garden is five minutes on foot west, the Palais Garnier nine minutes north, and the Louvre Museum 14 minutes east along Rue de Rivoli — a constellation of Paris's most iconic monuments radiating outward from what remains the single most glamorous address in the city. 1 km from Louvre.
Restaurants and bars
- L'Espadon — Restaurant · Chef Eugénie Béziat · One MICHELIN Star
- Bar Hemingway — Bar · Colin Field
- Bar Vendôme — Café
Amenities
- Chanel au Ritz spa
- École Ritz Escoffier cooking school
- Pool
- Fitness center
- Sauna
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN Three Keys (2026)
- World's 50 Best Hotels 51-100 (2026)
- Andrew Harper Members Choice (2025)
- Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards (2025)
- Robb Report 50 Greatest Hotels on Earth (2025)
Open Ritz Paris in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
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