Famous places down the street where I work The Ritz (150 Piccadilly)
Every tourist to London knows about The Ritz, but only a select few get to stay here. It's the capital's most exclusive hotel, so the management would have you believe, although that doesn't necessarily make it the best. The Ritz is huge, six stories high and then another two in the roof, towering over Piccadilly like a giant ocean liner. Top-hatted footmen guard the entrances, sneering politely at the clientele and keeping the passing rabble at bay. Take your pick from the Ritz Hotel, the Ritz Restaurant or the Ritz Club, and please don't forget to wear a tie (ladies, this probably doesn't apply to you).
The Ritz owes its existence to its main competitor - the Savoy. Richard D'Oyly Carte opened the Savoy Hotel in 1889, importing chef Auguste Escoffier and hotelier César Ritz from France to ensure its glittering success. And glittering it was. Ritz soon reckoned he could strike out on his own and so opened two eponymous hotels, the first in Paris in 1898 and the second in London in 1906. Piccadilly was the perfect location, within parading distance of all the places that high society might want to be seen, and soon famous faces from politics, stage and screen came flocking. Included on that list were Charlie Chaplin, Aristotle Onassis and Noel Coward. Every suite was decorated differently in elegant Louis XVI style and the kowtowing service was second to none.
More recently The Ritz descended into a mockery of its former self, snobbish for snobbery's sake, until rescued by the reclusive Barclay Brothers in 1995. The hotel has a ratio of two staff to every guest room, which sounds a bit excessive to me but I guess it's useful if you ever need someone to help you slip on the complimentary bathrobe while someone else fetches breakfast. You'll also find a jewellers, a gentleman's barber, a ladies hairdressers with a 7th floor view, a bar with Lalique panels and a casino with red drapes, just to save you ever having to go outside. And then there's that English institution, tea at the Ritz, a snip at £32 so long as you don't mind nibbling on cucumber sandwiches and booking weeks in advance. Crackers.
Famous places down the street where I work
Every tourist to London knows about The Ritz, but only a select few get to stay here. It's the capital's most exclusive hotel, so the management would have you believe, although that doesn't necessarily make it the best. The Ritz is huge, six stories high and then another two in the roof, towering over Piccadilly like a giant ocean liner. Top-hatted footmen guard the entrances, sneering politely at the clientele and keeping the passing rabble at bay. Take your pick from the Ritz Hotel, the Ritz Restaurant or the Ritz Club, and please don't forget to wear a tie (ladies, this probably doesn't apply to you).
More recently The Ritz descended into a mockery of its former self, snobbish for snobbery's sake, until rescued by the reclusive Barclay Brothers in 1995. The hotel has a ratio of two staff to every guest room, which sounds a bit excessive to me but I guess it's useful if you ever need someone to help you slip on the complimentary bathrobe while someone else fetches breakfast. You'll also find a jewellers, a gentleman's barber, a ladies hairdressers with a 7th floor view, a bar with Lalique panels and a casino with red drapes, just to save you ever having to go outside. And then there's that English institution, tea at the Ritz, a snip at £32 so long as you don't mind nibbling on cucumber sandwiches and booking weeks in advance. Crackers.
