Since its inception, The Ritz London has been a symbol of prestige and luxury. Located near Buckingham Palace, between bustling Piccadilly and the quiet gardens of Green Park, the hotel welcomed its first guests in 1906 and soon earned a reputation as a favorite place of the world’s elite. During its long history the building with copper lions on the roof was visited by so many monarchs and aristocrats, politicians and billionaires, writers and movie stars and became so closely associated with the idea of elegance and luxury that the English language got the adjective ritzy – a synonym for “chic”.
Anna Pavlova danced here, Charlie Chaplin liked to stay here and during the Second World War Churchill, de Gaulle and Eisenhower conferred in one of the suites. In the 1960s The Ritz London often hosted The Rolling Stones and Jackie Onassis said it was “like heaven. It’s just as beguiling today. In 1999 they filmed the romantic comedy Notting Hill at 150 Piccadilly, where the hotel’s head concierge Michael De Caesar appeared alongside Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. Five years ago they filmed the final season of Downton Abbey.
The hotel is closely tied to the royal court, not without reason Edward VII once said: “Where the Ritz is, there I am.” It was The Ritz London where Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles were photographed together in public for the first time in 1999, and where Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 80th birthday in 2006. Members of the British royal family are known to hold official receptions in the halls of this hotel more often than in their official residence – Buckingham Palace. In 2002 The Ritz was honoured to be the first and so far the only hotel to receive the Royal Order of Honour from His Highness the Prince of Wales.
The Ritz Restaurant has a reputation as one of the world’s most beautiful hotel restaurants, with its interior decorated with mirrors, bronze and pink marble. In 2016, the restaurant, whose cuisine (English with a French accent) is headed by Commander of the Order of the British Empire John William, was awarded a Michelin star.
Another legendary spot is the cozy Palm Court, where the famous “tea parties at the Ritz” take place: the Palm Court has hosted such fans of the Five o’clock Tea tradition as Judy Garland, Evelyn Waugh and Edward VII. But Mick Jagger once refused to be let in here: the singer disregarded the mandatory dress code for gentlemen – a jacket and tie.
In 1995 the hotel went through a complete reconstruction, as a result of which the original interiors in the Louis XVI style were revived. Antique furniture, ancient engravings, hand-embroidered silk taffeta curtains, chandeliers and bronze wall candlesticks in 136 rooms and suites accentuate the atmosphere of luxury and comfort, capable of satisfying the most demanding guests.
The Ritz London, 114 years since it opened, offers guests the same exceptional service that inspired its founders. Evidence of this is the new Reassuringly Ritz lodging package, available to guests from 2 January to 30 April 2021. In addition to a one-night stay in a superior room with a King-size bed, the offer includes early check-in and late check-out, a bottle of Ritz champagne upon arrival and complimentary English breakfast in the Ritz restaurant or directly in the room, as well as free parking. The Reassuringly Ritz package costs from £572 per room.
The hotel is part of The Leading Hotels of the World.
Photo courtesy of the press service
