An Affair To Remember

As the Ritz Paris celebrates its 120th anniversary this year, MALAVIKA BHATTACHARYA visits the iconic hotel to trace its glorious journey.

- Malavika Bhattacharya

In 1898, when Swiss hotelier César Ritz threw open the doors of the Ritz Paris at Place Vendôme, little did he know his name would become a part of English vernacular, forever. Soon after its launch, the hotel emerged as a glamorous emblem of elegance, privilege, and luxury, and in the 1920s, the word ‘ritzy’—defined as expensively stylish—entered the Webster dictionary. Later, Fred Astaire’s rendition of Irving Berlin’s song ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’ captured the collective conscience, and the phrase quickly caught on in everyday language as an idiom for being fashionably turned out.

On June 1, 2018, the Ritz Paris celebrates its 120th birthday. For more than a century, this magnificent property has played host to an exceptional clientele of royalty, heads of state, and celebrities, and, till date, retains its reputation as one of the most acclaimed, exclusive, and opulent hotels in the world.

The day I check in, Paris receives the most snow she has in 30 years. Ice crunches underfoot at the cobbled Place Vendôme as I make my way across the historic square and pass through the hotel’s heritage arches into its glittering foyer—a subtle sense of lightness fills this well-lit space. Outside, sunlight ricochets off the snow-white landscape like a thousand sparkling diamonds.