Marie Antoinette Suite

The Marie Antoinette Suite is accessed from the main restaurant. 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.^[118] Over the overmantel is a basket of flowers, with "flowers spilling out over the frames of the oval lunettes".^[119] 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".^[120] 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". ^[119] 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.^[119]

Rooms and suites

A Junior Suite at the Ritz

As of 2015, The Ritz London has 134 guestrooms, of which 111 are bedrooms and 23 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,^[121] while the Executive and Deluxe king rooms are 320 square feet (30 m²) and 385 square feet (35.8 m²)^[122] The suites are divided into the categories: Junior Suite, Superior Suite, Executive Suite, Deluxe Suite, the Trafalgar Suite and the Berkeley Suite, and also include the signature suites the Royal Suite and the Prince of Wales Suite, each with their own unique style.^[123] The Executive Suites typically face south, and are 320 square feet (30 m²) in size, with a small lounge area and antique furniture.^[124] The Junior Suites, with "fireplaces, gilded mouldings and antique furniture" are above Piccadilly, and are 495 square feet (46.0 m²) in size,^[125] while the 3-5 bedroom suites range in size from 1,990 square feet (185 m²) to 2,802 square feet (260.3 m²).^[126]

William Kent House

William Kent House, also known as Wimbourne House, was opened as an extension of the Ritz.^[127] 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.^[128] The Grade II building was carefully restored and given a modern touch with period funishings concealing things like flat screen televisions. The restoration won a Royal Institute of British Architects national gold medal in 2007.^[129]

The Ritz Club

The original Ritz ballroom in 1906

Sign above the western entrance to the arcade

The Ritz Club is 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.^[15] 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".^[98] 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".^[130]
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.^[130][131] 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.^[132] By the 1970s the basement rooms were closed to the public.^[130]
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.^[130] The basement was restored in the hotel's Louis XVI style of 1906, and the decorations included 6,000 sheets of gold leaf.^[133] Gold leaf was not spared on moldings, cupids and garlands and a blue sky with fluffy clouds painted on the ceiling above the gaming tables. The restoration consisted of repainting, cleaning and recovering all in the original color scheme. Furniture was restored to its original state and replicas replaced what could not be restored. Stephen Pulman was appointed Head Chef, after being recruited from the exclusive club and restaurant Annabel’s.^[134] When it opened, the Ritz Club was open to members and hotel guests only.^[112][135] However, unlike most casinos, it charges a fee to enter.^[136] The games are considered "high stakes" in that the minimum bet is usually very high. They offer roulette, black jack, baccarat, and poker, as well as some slot machines.^[137]
In 1998, the club was purchased by London Clubs, who moved their premises from the Devonshire Club on St James's Street to the basement of the Ritz. A new company was formed in June 1998, the Ritz Hotel Casino Ltd., which was granted legal permission to open a casino. After very quick refurbishment, it reopened on 12 September with exclusive membership, although members are permitted to invite a guest. As of 2006 the Ritz Club was divided into four main areas—the restaurant, bar, lounge and the private gaming room, situated in the former Banqueting Hall.^[138] In July 2014, London High Court heard a case against the club, in which Nora Al-Daher claimed she was 'taken advantage' of and asked for £2 million in losses.^[139]