Ritz Paris, palace hotel on the Place Vendôme since 1898

The Ritz Paris, the palace hotel on the Place Vendôme, opened on 1 June 1898 at number 15. The Swiss hotelier César Ritz and the chef Auguste Escoffier founded it in the former Hôtel de Gramont, built in 1705, and the neighbouring Hôtel Crozat, transformed by the architect Charles Mewès.

In 1921 a men-only bar, the Café Parisien, welcomed American guests during the Prohibition years. Coco Chanel lived at the hotel until her death in 1971, and Ernest Hemingway was a loyal guest: the bar has borne his name since 1994. The building has been protected as a historic monument since 1930.

The Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed bought the hotel in 1979 and renovated it thoroughly. On 1 August 2012 the house closed for a complete restoration led by the architect Thierry Despont; it reopened on 6 June 2016, with 142 rooms instead of 159.

On the Place Vendôme, in the 1st arrondissement, between Madeleine, Pyramides, Tuileries and Concorde stations, the hotel welcomes guests to its rooms and salons, and the Bar Hemingway keeps the name of its most famous regular.