The Ritz is a Grade II listed 5-star hotel in Piccadilly.
The London Ritz, opened by Swiss hotelier César Ritz in 1906, is one of the world’s best known and most prestigious hotels.
The hotel began to gain popularity towards the end of the First World War, frequented by politicians, actors, socialites and writers. Noël Coward was a notable diner at the Ritz in the 1920s and 1930s. Prime Minister David Lloyd George held a number of secret meetings at the Ritz in the latter half of the First World War, and it was at the Ritz that he made the decision to intervene on behalf of Greece against Turkey.
The Barclay brothers purchased the hotel for £80 million in 1995. In 2002, it became the first hotel to receive a Royal warrant from the Prince of Wales for its banquet and catering services. In 2020, it was sold to a Qatari investor.
The exterior is structurally and visually heavily influenced by the architectural traditions of Paris. The interior was designed mainly by London- and Paris-based designers in the Louis XVI style. In 2022 it had 111 rooms and 25 suites.
The Ritz Club is a casino in the basement of the hotel, occupying the space which was formerly the Ritz Bar and Grill.
The Ritz’s most widely known facility is the Palm Court, which hosts ’Tea at the Ritz’.
| TIP: If you change to historical maps using the MAP YEAR option, the website will only place markers of locations existing that decade. |