The Ritz Hotel, London
The Ritz London | |
---|---|
General information | |
Location | 150 Piccadilly, London, United Kingdom |
Opened | 24 May 1906 |
Owner | Abdulhadi Mana Al-Hajri[1] |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Charles Mewès Arthur Davis |
Developer | César Ritz |
Other information | |
Number of rooms | 111 |
Number of suites | 23 |
Number of restaurants | 3 |
Website | |
www |
The Ritz London is a
The hotel was opened by Swiss hotelier César Ritz in 1906, eight years after he established the Hôtel Ritz Paris. It began to gain popularity towards the end of World War I, with politicians, socialites, writers and actors in particular. David Lloyd George held a number of secret meetings at the Ritz during the latter half of the war, and it was at the Ritz that he made the decision to intervene on behalf of Greece against Turkey. Noël Coward was a notable diner at the Ritz in the 1920s and 1930s.
Owned by the
The
The interior was designed mainly by London and Paris based designers in the Louis XVI style. Marcus Binney describes the great suite of ground-floor rooms as "one of the all-time masterpieces of hotel architecture" and compares it to a royal palace with its "grand vistas, lofty proportions and sparkling chandeliers".
The Ritz's most widely known facility is The Palm Court, which hosts the famous "Tea at the Ritz". It is an opulently decorated cream-coloured Louis XVI setting, with panelled mirrors in gilt-bronze frames. The hotel has six private dining rooms – the Marie Antoinette Suite, with its
History
Construction and early history
Swiss hotelier César Ritz, the former manager of the Savoy Hotel, opened the hotel on 25 May 1906. It was built on the site which had been the Old White Horse Cellar, which by 1805 was one of the best known coaching inns in England.[7] The financial backers of the Ritz felt that they had secured one of the prime sites in London for their project.[8] They began negotiations in 1901,[9] and completed the transactions for the simultaneous purchase of the leasehold for the Walsingham House Hotel and the adjacent freehold estate of the Bath Hotel for £250,000 in 1902.[8] Demolition of both of the hotels began in 1904.[10]
The building is
After opening, a long-running feud between the hotel and Lord Wimbourne, a steel magnate who lived next door at Wimbourne House, lasted for years in a dispute over land. A number of locals were also concerned about the building and the impact it would have on their health.[13][a]
While the Ritz was still under construction, a series of events highlighted the need for another luxury hotel in London. A 3 June 1905 Daily Mail news story reported it was both Derby Week and the height of the tourist season, making hotel accommodation almost impossible to find. The Savoy had to refuse reservations, while Buckingham Palace turned offices into makeshift hotel rooms for visitors. An estimated 2,500 more persons needing rooms were expected shortly with the coming visit of the King of Spain.[16]
Though the opening of the Savoy had brought about a marked change in how hotels provided services to its guests, Ritz was determined that his London hotel would surpass its competitor in their delivery.[b] The Ritz installed two large lead-lined tanks on its roof to provide a steady stream of hot and cold water. The hotel's bathrooms were all spacious with each having its own heated towel bar. Every bedroom in the hotel was provided with its own working fireplace.[18]
Ritz shunned free-standing wardrobes due to his fear of dust settling on them; instead he built cupboards into the rooms with doors matching the panelling.[19] Ritz's ideas of cleanliness and hygiene prompted him to originally have all bedrooms painted in white and all beds made of brass, not wood, for the same reasons.[20] Anything new or potentially useful was available to the guests of the Ritz.[21]
César Ritz's health had declined after his 1902 collapse at the Carlton, but he was feeling well enough to assume an active role in the plans for the hotel's opening dinner on 24 May 1906. Unlike the opening of the Paris Ritz, which had catered to society, most of those invited to the Ritz, London opening were members of the national and international press. Major British newspapers such as the Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror and The Daily Telegraph were invited to the dinner along with newspapers which included the Berliner Tageblatt, The Sydney Morning Herald and The New York Times. Ritz's guest list also included the engineer and architects of the structure along with key staff members of the new hotel and their wives.[22]
The hotel was not immensely profitable in its opening years; smaller than many of the new hotels springing up in that period, it was not fashionable initially, and was resented by many of the London elite who considered it vulgar.[23][c] It took £3628 in 1908, over a thousand pounds less than the previous year, and the hotel lost over £50,000 between 15 May 1906 and 31 July 1908, which led to the replacement of the manager Elles with Theodore Kroell and appointment of Charles Van Gyzelen as manager of the restaurant.[24][d]
The hotel also suffered a blow upon the death of King Edward in 1910, when 38 planned dinners and functions were cancelled, but began to prosper the following year, made fashionable by the Prince of Wales who regularly dined here. King Edward was particularly fond of the cakes made at the Ritz. The hotel would regularly send him a supply, but this was kept in confidence so as to not embarrass the King's personal chef.[25][e] Ritz retained control of much of the hotel's operation for many years. He hired world-famous chef Auguste Escoffier to provide cuisine to match the opulence of the hotel's decorations; he placed a special bell in the entryway by which the doorman could notify the staff of the impending arrival of royalty. By 1929 the hotel was still being praised for its architecture; Professor Charles Reilly wrote about the Ritz in Building magazine in 1929, calling it the "finest modern structure" in the street, with "an elegance of general form".[27]
High society
On 4 August 1914,
In September 1917, a shell exploded in Green Park in close proximity to the Ritz, and according to Lord Ivor Churchill it broke all of the windows to adjacent Wimbourne House.[30] David Lloyd George held a number of secret meetings at the Ritz during the latter half of the war, organised by Sir Basil Zaharoff, and it was at the Ritz that he made the decision to intervene on behalf of Greece against Turkey.[30] The Duke of Marlborough recorded dining at the Ritz; "I lunched at the Ritz. The whole social world goes there, prices being cheap. All women there from M. Paget to the latest tart."[31] A November 1917 article in the Daily Herald titled "How they starve at the Ritz" detailed the lavish meals on offer despite national food shortages. The story was extensively reprinted in leaflets and some historians believe that it pushed the government into introducing compulsory rationing.[32][33]
When asked to summarise hotels in London in the early 1920s,
The Ritz became popular with film stars and executives when staying in London, although the hotel has kept most of the names of many of its luminaries a secret in its records. Douglas Fairbanks was known though to frequent the Ritz in the 1920s, and director Alexander Korda's talent scout held a table at the Ritz in the 1930s.[39] Noël Coward, also a regular diner at the Ritz in the 1920s and 1930s, met with Michael Arlen in the restaurant in 1924 to discuss the urgent problem of generating the funding for his new play, The Vortex. Arlen gave Coward a cheque for $250 without question, and The Vortex would go on to be his first major success.[40] Coward's song, "Children of the Ritz", which featured in the 1932 revue Words and Music was penned while Coward was lunching in the Ritz with Beverley Nichols.[39] Numerous authors began to meet at the Ritz during the same period, and it began to creep into literature itself. In Michael Arlen's 1922 novel Piracy, the hotel was described as a "very stout and solid building in the manner of the old Bastille, originally conceived no doubt with a fearful eye on class prejudice", and R. Firbank had a running gag in his novels about there being "fleas in the Ritz".[41][42] Later, the hotel appears in Anthony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time. The narrator Nicholas Jenkins meets poet Mark Members at the Ritz, and the golden nymph in the Palm Court of the hotel is mentioned. [43]
"It had a special atmosphere about it and the Palm Court was always filled before luncheon with 'society beauties', debutantes and their boyfriends, and famous actors and actresses—though the latter seldom seemed to actually lunch there. Bejewelled American ladies used to parade up and down the corridor awaiting their guests, The Ritz was more like a club than a hotel; you were bound to see your friends there. To 'meet at the Ritz' was the obvious choice. It had the combination of elegance and cosiness. The Ritz had an essentially happy atmosphere which radiated from the staff. All the waiters knew everybody and became personal friends. The Ritz in those days had a courtesy and elegance unlike any other hotels; it was thought of as 'home' in a sense that never applied to anywhere else".— Sir Michael Duff, 3rd Baronet on life at the Ritz as a young man in the 1930s.[44]
In the 1930s, Aletto became the restaurant manager of the Ritz, a "popular and much-mimicked character" according to Montgomery-Massingberd and Watkin.
The Ritz suffered from the effects of the
World War II
During World War II, the Ritz became integral to political and social life among the elite, and a number of eminent royals, aristocrats and politicians moved into the hotel.
Due to Zog's concerns about safety during air raids, the ladies' cloakroom was converted into a private shelter for the Albanians. Following an air raid, when a bomb fell between the Ritz and the Berkeley in Piccadilly, shattering glass in the Ritz, most of the Albanian royal family moved to Chelsea, but Zog remained until the spring of 1941 until he was offered Lord Parmoor's house in Buckinghamshire.[54] In total, the Ritz was damaged nine times during bombing raids, and the Restaurant had to be closed twice.[58]
According to
Post-war years
The hotel was owned for some thirty years by the
Several
Nonetheless the Ritz continued to be a social hub for the aristocracy and attract the world's elite in the 1950s.
In January 1959,
George Criticos served as head porter of the Ritz for 45 years, retiring in 1960 for health reasons; he had been recommended for a job at the Ritz by Sir Basil Zaharoff.[75] In his 1959 book, George of the Ritz, Criticos remembered some of the notable people and events during his years of service. Criticos once acted as an agent to the Aga Kahn at the racetrack, having been given US$45,000 by the monarch to place bets in his name. He was also asked to take the 18-year-old Prince Aly Khan on a monthlong tour of the United States to help the young man forget a failed romance. When Criticos saw an unshaven man in coveralls entering the hotel, he called out to the man to stop him. When the man turned to face Criticos, he recognised him as King Boris of Bulgaria, who was a railroad buff and was returning from driving a special train.[76][77][k]
Later history
The social scene changed dramatically in London in the 1960s, with Beatlemania and the sexual revolution, and British aristocracy in the capital was not what it had been. By this time the general impeccable standards of the Ritz had fallen. Peregrine Worsthorne noted the change: "Precisely that it was not all Ritzy, in the sense of being conspicuously luxurious...the glitter had long since faded and shabbiness set in. The place was usually empty, kept alive by memories of former glories and a clientele who preferred nostalgia to comfort".[78] Yet celebrities often held parties at the hotel, and the
In the 1970s, the hotel fell into a turbulent period. Terrorist threats from the Provisional Irish Republican Army became the chief concern, and bomb scares were not uncommon.[80] The oil crisis in the early 1970s directly affected business and prompted the Bracewell-Smith family to sell their stake to Trafalgar House on 5 April 1976 for £2.75 million.[81] At the time of the sale, the hotel's occupancy rate was just 45 per cent; the Ritz Grill Room had been closed and it had lost quite a bit of money in recent times.[50] In 1984, the Ritz brought back its weekly Sunday tea dances which were popular during the 1920s and 1930s.[82] Because of demand, the hotel considered restricting afternoon tea at the Ritz to hotel guests only, as those staying at the Ritz were often unable to get a table. Many Londoners who would have been barred by this restriction voiced disapproval and the Ritz compromised by requiring reservations for afternoon tea at the hotel.[83] Proper attire for tea is a must; the Ritz once refused to admit Mick Jagger for tea because he was not wearing a jacket and tie.[50]
There has been criticism because the Ritz has not paid any corporation tax since being taken over by the Barclay twins. The accounts indicate that the profitable hotel uses a series of tax reliefs to reduce its corporation tax to zero. David Barclay’s son, Aidan, has stated that the company abides by UK law.[90] In March 2020, it was sold to a Qatari investor.[1]
Architecture
Authors Montgomery-Massingberd and Watkin describe the Ritz as "the product of one of those near miraculous convergences of civilised patron and architects and craftsmen of genius working together in complete harmony both with each other and with the social and architectural fashions of the day. The building has been regarded as a masterpiece from the day it was finished..."[91] Both of the architects,
According to Montgomery-Massingberd and Watkin the exterior is both structurally and visually Franco-American in influence with little trace of English architecture. For them the exterior "represents an evocative confluence of various Parisian architectural traditions"; the Piccadilly arcade echoes the arcaded ground floor in the Place Vendrome and the Rue de Rivoli, the steep mansarded skyline on the Green Park facade echoes
Excavation for the hotel began by contractors Waring White Building Co. Ltd in June 1904, and it was completed by 1 October 1905, and opened the following May.
The total estimated cost was £345,227. 8s. 1d., with £102,000 going to Messrs Waring and Gillow, £49,000 to French decorators and over £15,000 to the English decorators.[95] John P. Bishop and the Swedish-born Sven Bylander were consultant engineers during the building phase.
The facade on the Piccadilly side is roughly 231 feet (70 m), 115 feet (35 m) on the Arlington Street side, and 87 feet (27 m) on the Green Park side. The irregularity of the site presented initial problems for the builders. Davis dealt with this by "brilliant perspective effects" according to Binney, using curving walls to "cleverly conceal the rapidly diminishing space at the back of the hotel".[99] The purpose of the arcaded front was to provide more space for the bedrooms above.[100] Expensive Norwegian granite is the material on ground floor, with Portland stone above it.
The steel frame of the building was made in Germany and is based on a model made in the early 1880s in Chicago to increase fire resistance.[94][n] It was erected by Messrs Potts & Co. of Oxford Street. Fireproofing of the walls were conducted by the Columbian Fireproofing Company Ltd. of Pittsburgh and London, with steel-ribbed bars allowing for ventilation, while remaining sound proof and free from vibration.[101] The internal walls consist of "hollow, porous, terra-cotta blocks" covered with plaster,[97] and the hotel's flooring was also made fireproof.[96] At the corners of the pavilion roofs of the Ritz are large green copper lions, the emblem of the hotel.[100]
Interior
The hotel was designed mainly by London and Paris based designers in the
The Palm Court
The Ritz's most widely known facility is the Palm Court, an opulently decorated cream-coloured Louis XVI setting. It is decorated with lavish furnishings, including gilded Louis XVI armchairs with oval backs, which the architects had designed based on research into French neo-classical furniture design of the 1760s and 1770s, which were made by Waring and Gillow. The room, with its, "panelled mirrors of bevelled glass in gilt bronze frames" and "high coving ornamented with gilded trellis-work", according to Montgomery-Massingberd and Watkin "epitomizes the elegantly frivolous comfort of Edwardian high life".[106]
There were originally large windows at either end of the court, then known as the Winter Garden, and were replaced with twenty panels of mirrors after 1972.[108] The fountain of the court, known as "La Source", is made of Echaillon marble and is extravagantly sculpted.[109] A nymph, gold in colour, is featured in a lair.[110] A wrought-iron and glass roof of the Palm Court contains two gilded wrought-iron lanterns, and the ceiling contains lion skin motifs. [111]The room is done in soft apricot and has remained so since 1906. César Ritz chose the colour to flatter the complexions of women after weeks of experimentation with various hues.[112]
The Palm Court is the setting for the world-famous institution that is "Tea at the Ritz",
Dining
The hotel has six private dining rooms, the Marie Antoinette Suite, with its
César Ritz once commented that the room was so heavily designed in bronze that it was fortunate that the hotel was built from steel, or the "walls would collapse with the weight of all that bronze".
On the northern end against the Piccadilly arcade are floor-to-ceiling mirrors, divided into panes, which give the room a spacious effect, especially when the lights are on all day during the winter.[117] At the south end of the restaurant is a watercolour by Davis and gilded figures known as "The Thames and the Ocean", with a buffet made from Norwegian pink marble below it, believed to be inspired by Louis Seize's "Buffet of Mansart".[118]
During the 1977 major renovation of the hotel, the scaffolding used in the project was hidden by a clean cloth during mealtimes in the Louis XVI restaurant so as not to upset diners with a possibly disturbing sight. During the renovation, the columns in the hotel's lobbies were stripped of many coats of cream-coloured paint to display their original pink marble.[51] Most of the work done in the renovation was done to restore and clean while keeping the original 1906 colour scheme. Much of the furniture from the original opening was still in use; new items were faithful copies styled after the originals.[119] The hotel retained its nightstand call buttons for maid, waiter, valet and servant, refusing to make its patrons dial a telephone for services.[120]
From its inception, the kitchen was run mainly by French chefs, and it had a specialist in Russian soups and Viennese pastry; its cakes became so famous that King Edward made regular orders from Buckingham Palace.
Marie Antoinette Suite
The Marie Antoinette Suite is accessed from the main restaurant and is temporarily closed from January 2023. According to Marcus Binney "the gilded detail of the room has the lustre and crispness of gilt bronze, even the egg-and-dart in the boldly modelled cornice". Floral motifs are a common feature of the room, given the namesake, Marie Antoinette, and represents the flowers at one of her feasts.[125] Over the overmantel is a basket of flowers, with "flowers spilling out over the frames of the oval lunettes".[126] In the small entrance lobby of the suite are two terracotta statues of Spring and Summer, with "drum-shaped pedestals ornamented with gilt-bronze flowers and ribbons".[127] The ventilation grilles, of considerable size, are decorated in bronzed lattice. On the walls are a series lamp holders held by miniature Apollo lyres, with each bulb holder containing around 25 leaves opened out. The lights, according to Binney, are hung on "cords from ribbons tied in bows, entwined at intervals with flowers, descending to a cluster of tassels". [126] The panels of the walls are treated like picture frames, with inner and outer mouldings, in contrast to the window frames and the wall mirrors which are surrounded by "clusters of reeds, with an inset behind which a curtain could hang without obscuring the moulding", according to Binney.[126]
Rooms and suites
The Ritz London has 136 guestrooms, of which 111 are bedrooms and 25 are suites. The main bedrooms are divided into three principal categories: Superior Queen/King/Twin, Executive King/Twin and Deluxe King/Twin. The Superior Queen and King rooms are 215 square feet (20.0 m2) and 260 square feet (24 m2) in size respectively,[128] while the Executive and Deluxe king rooms are 320 square feet (30 m2) and 385 square feet (35.8 m2)[129] The suites are divided into the categories: Junior Suite, Executive Suite, Deluxe Suite, and also include the Signature Suites: The Trafalgar Suite and The Green Park Suite, each with their own unique style.[130] The Executive Suites typically face south, and are 320 square feet (30 m2) in size, with a small lounge area and antique furniture.[131] The Junior Suites, with "fireplaces, gilded mouldings and antique furniture" are above Piccadilly, and are 495 square feet (46.0 m2) in size,[132] while the 3-5 bedroom suites range in size from 1,990 square feet (185 m2) to 2,802 square feet (260.3 m2).[133]
William Kent House
William Kent House, also known as Wimbourne House, was opened as an extension of The Ritz and is temporarily closed from January 2023.[134] The house has been converted into a complete function area with the Music Room, the Burlington Room, the Queen Elizabeth Room and the William Kent room. It also accommodates three of the Ritz' top suites: The Arlington Suite, the Royal Suite as well as the Prince of Wales Suite. Several of the rooms have Louis XVI chimneypieces.[135] The Grade II building was carefully restored and given a modern touch with period furnishings concealing things like flat screen televisions. The restoration won a Royal Institute of British Architects national gold medal in 2007.[136]
The Ritz Club
The Ritz Club was a casino in the basement of the hotel, occupying the space which was formerly the Ritz Bar and Grill. In the original structure, this was where the Ritz ballroom was located.[20] A May 1906 edition of Truth magazine described the basement with the Grill Room and Banqueting Hall as palatial, ivory-white in decor, with "mirrors on all the walls reflecting an endless intersection of arched ceilings".[105] The rooms were used for dinners, balls and theatrical shows, with a stage at the south end of the Banqueting Hall. By the mid 1920s the Grill Room had been relocated into the Banqueting Hall, and furnished with circular tables with oval back wicker chairs. One 1926 brochure stated that it was the scene of "some of the finest private and public balls ever given in London".[137]
During World War II it became known as the nightclub La Popote. The interior of the club was made to simulate a combat dugout complete with sandbags. The club's chandeliers were made out of various types of empty liquor bottles with candles in their necks for light. The dance floor was crowded during wartime, but it later declined in popularity.[137][138] Laurie Ross was in charge of the Ritz Bar and Grill for many years. The bar, known to its regulars as "Laurie's Bar", closed when Ross retired in 1976.[139] By the 1970s the basement rooms were closed to the public.[137]
In 1977, Trafalgar House agreed to lease the basement to Mecca Sportsman and Pleasurama, and the Ritz Club was opened the following year, under separate management from the hotel.
In 1998, the club was purchased by
This is now closed.
In popular culture
Evelyn Waugh's 1942 novel Work Suspended features a scene at the Ritz in which the narrator falls in love with a friend's wife during a luncheon.
Controversy
In recent years the Ritz has taken measures to enforce their trademark against infringement. Lawyers have notified competitors using the name to surrender their websites and Facebook accounts marketing under the trademark, even though they had been using these names for many years. The Desborough Ritz, which had been using the name since the 1930s, changed its name in 2012 after being advised by solicitors to do so.[148] That same year, a Northamptonshire wedding location named The Ritz changed its name to the Banqueting & Conference Suites at the Kettering Ritz after another notification. The Brighouse Ritz, which has operated under the name since 1938, was notified in 2017 to change its name or face legal action.[149]
Discrimination controversy
In April 2023, The Ritz faced a discrimination controversy when a job applicant, Jerelle Jules, was told that "Afro-style" hair was banned among staff at the exclusive London hotel.[150] Jules received the hotel's employee grooming policy after reaching the final interview stage for a dining reservations supervisor position. He declined the final interview, stating that the policy, which dated back to 2021, was an example of "corporate ignorance" and "institutional racism."[151]
The Ritz issued an apology, stating that an out-of-date and incorrect grooming policy was mistakenly sent to Jules and reiterated that they did not condone discrimination of any form.[152] Andy Slaughter, Labour MP for Hammersmith, described the hair policy as "blatant discrimination" and criticized The Ritz's response as inadequate.[153] Jules has invited The Ritz to discuss diversity and inclusivity in their recruitment process.
See also
References
Notes
- ^ The initial plans were for the Ritz to also occupy the site of Wimbourne House, however Lord Wimbourne refused to sell his property to Ritz.[14]One hundred years after César Ritz made an initial offer, the hotel was able to buy the property.[15]
- ^ Prior to the opening of the electrically-lit Savoy, hotel guests were billed for the candles used to light their rooms. They were also billed for any services provided by the hotel's staff, as the assumption was that guests would travel with their own servants to tend to their needs.[17]
- ^ Socialite Lady Diana Cooper later recalled that young single women were not allowed to enter hotels unaccompanied. Her mother made an exception for the Ritz because it was beautiful and her mother appreciated its beauty.[24]
- ^ At the end of 1908, the hotel's chairman, William Harris, proposed the removal of the name "Ritz" from the hotel. He also proposed the promotion of the Ritz name in North America.[24]
- ^ The King's mistress, Alice Keppel, was a regular patron of the Ritz.[26]
- ^ After the ado Chaplin's stay caused, the Ritz manager vowed to "never again" have film stars as guests at the Ritz.[38]
- ^ The Aga Khan maintained a suite at the Ritz for forty years.[45]
- ^ Edward VIII's coronation celebration was scheduled to be held at the Ritz Hotel. One of those signed to perform was American vocalist Hildegarde, who was one of his favourite performers.[47]
- ^ In his book George of the Ritz, former head porter George Criticos claimed that the song was never played at the Ritz as it was considered to be "vulgar".[50]
- ^ Other news sources say Hill's throat was slashed and that the Baron then strangled himself with his own suspenders tied to a bed post. News accounts describe the Baron as well to do. In 1949, he was said to have chased his bride to be and her father from his castle in Pléchâtel with a rifle the day before the planned marriage. The couple married three months later but divorced within a few months. Hill and de Laitre had registered at the Ritz as man and wife and were staying in Room 223. Hill's father, a policeman, described his daughter as secretive and said he had never heard of Baron de Laitre before. Hill's friends said she met de Laitre about a year before the murder-suicide A note was found when the bodies were discovered in the blood-spattered hotel room, but police did not reveal its contents. French police, upon learning of the event, believed Hill had threatened to jilt de Laitre.[65][66][67] French police later said de Laitre operated a hotel and bar in Dinard and that he also operated as a smuggler, using a motor boat to travel between France and Britain. French customs officials were demanding payment of £4,000 from de Laitre just prior to the fatal incident.[68][69]
- ^ George Criticos died in London on 17 July 1961; he had been retired from the Ritz for one year at the time of his death.[76]
- ^ Many of the electrical fixtures of the original construction are still in use-both chandeliers and wall sconces.[84]
- ^ The Walsingham House hotel formerly occupied the site of the Ritz.[98]
- ^ English building laws of the time required that the exterior street level walls had to be 39 inches thick.[101]
- ^ Strictly speaking, Tea at the Savoy is the original version.
Citations
- ^ a b c "Ritz buyer revealed as brother-in-law of Qatar's ruler". Financial Times. 22 April 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "London Campus signs collaborative agreement with The Ritz London". Coventry University. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ^ "Ritzy" meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary
- ^ Definition of "ritzy" by Merriam-Webster
- ^ "Ritzy" at Wiktionary
- ^ "ritzy (adj.), sense 1". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. July 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ Binney 2006, p. 20.
- ^
- ^ Macqueen-Pope 1972, p. 119.
- ^ Jackson, Alastair A. (2 May 2012). "The Development of Steel Framed Buildings in Britain 1880–1905" (PDF). Construction History, Vol. 14, 1998. pp. 34 and 37.
- .
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, pp. 63–4.
- ^ Burland, Standing & Jardine 2001, p. 88.
- ^ "William Kent House, London, W1". Architecture.com. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
- ^ Binney 2006, p. 83.
- ^ Binney 2006, pp. 84–85.
- ^ Binney 2006, pp. 83–86.
- ^ Binney 2006, p. 91.
- ^ a b Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 51.
- ^ Binney 2006, p. 94.
- ^ Binney 2006, pp. 80–81.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 69.
- ^ a b c Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 68.
- ^ Newnham-Davis 1914, p. 186.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 66.
- ^ Binney 2006, p. 29.
- ^ Newnham-Davis 1914, p. 185.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 70.
- ^ a b Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 74.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 75.
- ISBN 978-1-317-70423-2.
- ISBN 978-1-137-60388-3.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, pp. 80–82.
- ^ a b Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 96.
- ^ Binney 2006, p. 115.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, pp. 82–3.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 82.
- ^ a b Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 84.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 87.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, pp. 91–92.
- ^ Waugh 2012, p. 155.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 90.
- ^ a b Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 101.
- ^ a b Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 94.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 95.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 99.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, pp. 100–01.
- ^ a b c d Dexter, Nancy (20 April 1976). "Now Uncle Sam's putting on the Ritz". The Age. p. 17. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ a b Smith, Ron (17 April 1979). "The Ritz: A London Hotel You Won't Soon Forget". The Evening Independent. p. 17A. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 93.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 97.
- ^ a b c d Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 105.
- ^ a b Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 106.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 111.
- ^ "Ballroom blitz: sex and spying in London's wartime hotels". The Guardian. 30 October 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 119.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 107.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, pp. 110–11.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, pp. 115–16.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 122.
- ^ "Peter Beatty Falls to Death; Had Faced Total Blindness". The Milwaukee Journal. 26 October 1949. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
- ^ Montgomery-Massingberd & Watkin 1980, p. 125.
- ^ "French Allege that the Baron Was a Smuggler". Keystone News Agency. 11 March 1953. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
- ^ "Photo of Eileen Hill and Baron de Laitre". Keystone News Agency. 11 March 1953. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
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51°30′26″N 0°8′29″W / 51.50722°N 0.14139°W