Inside the newly refurbished grand-dame of Paris: The Ritz

After three years and a 200 million euro refurbishment, the 117-year-old Ritz Paris is taking bookings for early next year and we have a sneak peek.

With a top-to-toe update on rooms and suites, the gardens, Bar Hemingway, Ritz Escoffier cooking school and L’Espadon restaurant, no expense has been spared. There has been a big emphasis on updating en-suite bathrooms, meaning every room will now have a separate bath and shower, as well as a heated floor.

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A private tunnel to an underground car park has also been installed, with the intention of deterring paparazzi from stationing outside the hotel’s front doors.

For those who want that extra bit of pampering during a stay, Chanel is going to open its first-ever Spa at the newly refurbished Ritz Paris.

Overall the decadent old-school feel of the hotel will remain the same. “The Ritz will stay The Ritz. You won’t find any brushed aluminium or frosted glass in the hotel when it reopens. But what you will find is that the beautiful antiques that we have will be carefully restored. The chandeliers and lamps and other fittings will all be refurbished. On the surface it will look the same, but behind the walls you’ll have a 2015 hotel with the latest airconditioning system, with great water pressure, with a new elevator system" says the hotel’s general manager, Christian Boyens.