In popular culture

15. 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. Alan Bennett's allegorical play, Forty Years On was later set in the basement of the Ritz during the war.^[48] In the universe of the book Good Omens, two primary characters, the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley, often frequent the Ritz. The hotel is mentioned in the song "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" as well as in Queen's "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy".^[140] Large portions of the 1999 romantic comedy Notting Hill were filmed in and around the hotel.^[141]
    

    Controversy

    In recent years the Ritz has taken measures to enforce their 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 1930's, changed its name in 2012 after being advised by solicitors to do so.^[142] 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.^[143]
    

    See also

    • Hôtel Ritz Paris
    • Leading Hotels of the World

    References

    Notes

    1. 
       
16. 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.^[9]One hundred years after César Ritz made an initial offer, the hotel was able to buy the property.^[10]
17. 
    
18. 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.^[12]
19. 
    
20. 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.^[19]
21. 
    
22. 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.^[19]
23. 
    
24. The King's mistress, Alice Keppel, was a regular patron of the Ritz.^[21]
25. 
    
26. After the ado Chaplin's stay caused, the Ritz manager vowed to "never again" have film stars as guests at the Ritz.^[31]
27. 
    
28. The Aga Khan maintained a suite at the Ritz for forty years.^[38]
29. 
    
30. 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.^[40]
31. 
    
32. 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".^[43]
33. 
    
34. 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.^[58][59][60] 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.^[61][62]
35. 
    
36. 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.^[69]
37. 
    
38. Many of the electrical fixtures of the original construction are still in use-both chandeliers and wall sconces.^[77]
39. 
    
40. The Walsingham House hotel formerly occupied the site of the Ritz.^[91]
41. 
    
42. English building laws of the time required that the exterior street level walls had to be 39 inches thick.^[94]
43. 
    
Strictly speaking, Tea at the Savoy is the original version.