Quickly gaining a reputation as London’s most prestigious hotel, it attracted a host of both famous and fashionable guests.
During its early years, the hotel enjoyed the patronage of The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII) who was a loyal client of César Ritz and is reputed to have said; “Where Ritz goes, I go”.
Other iconic figures include Pavlova, the Russian Prima Ballerina who danced at The Ritz in 1912, the Aga Khan and Paul Getty had suites, and Winston Churchill, Dwight Eisenhower and Charles de Gaulle met in The Marie Antoinette Suite to discuss operations during the Second World War.
Lady Diana Cooper, who lived in Arlington Street, recalled that The Ritz was the first hotel, which allowed young unmarried women to go unchaperoned.