Ritz Paris

The Ritz Christmas Tea in the Salon Proust proved to be pretty underwhelming. The hotel and the room are both lovely, and beautifully decorated for the holidays. The tea experience itself was only okay - especially compared to other choices in Paris. Our table was not ready at the time of the reservation, which is not a big deal. But after we were seated it took more than 15 minutes for a server to come over to us. So it was almost half an hour past our appointed time by then. We knew this would be a traditional French sweet tea. However, we did expect the sweets offered to be a bit more special. The best part was the chef's special dessert as a starter. Both of our choices were delicious. The sweets them served were okay, but not what one might expect from the Ritz - especially in Paris, which in general has lovely pastries. My husband's coffee was served cold, and it took quite some time to catch a server's eye to ask that it be corrected. Overall, the atmosphere was a 10. The staff were all very gracious, if a bit harried. The food was about a 4 or 5, unfortunately. I would return to have a meal or a drink at this beautiful hotel, but I cannot recommend having tea there.

I've never experienced such consistent service excellence. Every interaction, from the valet to housekeeping, reflected a deep commitment to guest satisfaction. The property maintained an ideal temperature and humidity level throughout, creating a comfortable environment regardless of the weather outside. The evening turndown service included thoughtful touches that made

We were hoping to come in and have lunch at the cafe in the lobby, but the employee who was standing just inside the revolving doors was on us the second we entered, asking why we were there and making sure we knew we weren’t allowed to go any further into the hotel. We had been out walking all day and weren’t wearing head to toe fur coats or carrying Louis Vuitton bags, so he clearly knew we weren’t good enough to be in the building and wanted to make sure to keep out the riffraff. Plenty of other people walked by without his comment, their noses in the air, and that of course was no problem to the doorman because those people clearly belonged. It’s ironic that a space that ought to exist to make people feel welcome instead does the opposite. Stuffy, “exclusive” Parisian hotel culture at its worst.

I attended the Escoffier class in the morning and was escorted to the room personally, a lovely touch. However, another woman's purse and luggage was located within. Prompt apologies were communicated and my luggage was delivered within 15 minutes or so. My fatigue was overwhelming so I declined the offer to unpack. Later, I looked in the Hemingway bar which intimate but doesn't open up for conversation with its limited seats at the bar. You need to bring your friends with you. I moved to the Vendome bar with lovely piano tunes and had a lively conversation with an attorney from Finland and later, a couple from Australia. Ambiance and environment were super.

This was my first stay at the Ritz, but it won’t be my last. Every staff member that I encountered was professional but friendly and made me feel quite welcomed. One of the great perks of a stay at the Ritz is that your room is ready when you arrive, regardless of the time (as long as you let them know your arrival time in advance). Many flights from the US arrive quite early in the morning, so this was a huge plus for me. It is also possible to delay check out until 3 pm on your day of departure. I have already booked a second stay for January 2025