Ritz Paris

The Ritz Paris is a luxury hotel at 15 Place Vendôme in the city's first arrondissement, opened on June 1, 1898, by the Swiss hotelier César Ritz in partnership with the chef Auguste Escoffier. Built behind the facade of an eighteenth century townhouse originally designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, its interior was the work of the architect Charles Mewes and was among the first hotels in Europe to give every room its own en suite bathroom, electric lighting and telephone. The hotel's Imperial Suite is protected as a French national monument, and the property, now holding 140 rooms and the two Michelin starred restaurant L'Espadon, underwent major renovations from 1980 to 1987 after its purchase by Mohamed Al-Fayed and again from 2012 to 2016. Princess Diana ate her last meal there before the 1997 car accident that killed her, one of many moments in a history that has made the Ritz one of the most storied luxury hotels in the world.