César Ritz - King of the hoteliers

César Ritz was born in 1850 in Niederwald (Switzerland).

César Ritz - Source picture: Wikipedia

He was the youngest of 13 children in a poor family. 

When César Ritz was twelve years old, he was sent to a Jesuit college at Sion.

In 1872, César Ritz became floor waiter of the Hôtel Splendide in Paris.
There he met many rich selfmade American guests.

In 1873, he was a waiter in Vienna at the time of the International Exhibition.
During the winter of 1873, César Ritz was member of the management of the
Grand Hôtel in Nice (France).

Beach of Nice in France

From 1878 till 1888, César Ritz became manager of the Grand Hôtel National in

Lucerne and the Grand Hôtel in Monaco.

In 1888, César Ritz and Auguste Escoffier opened a restaurant in Baden-Baden. 

Later the two were invited to London to become the first manager and chef of the

Savoy Hotel. But in 1898, César Ritz and Auguste Escoffier were both dismissed

at the Savoy Hotel.

In 1898, César Ritz opened Hôtel Ritz at the Place Vendôme in Paris. He

cooperated again with Auguste Escoffier, a famous French chef and father of the

modern French cooking.

Old own picture of  the Place Vendôme in Paris - 

taken by a disposable camera

In 1906, there was the opening of the Ritz Hotel in London. This became one

of the most popular meeting places of the era for the rich and famous.

In 1910, the Hotel Ritz Madrid opened in Madrid (Spain) inspired by

King Alfonso XIII's desire to build a luxury hotel like the Ritz in Paris. 

César Ritz died in 1918 at Küssnacht in Switzerland.

He is buried in the village of his birth.

In fact, Ritz and his luxurious hotels became a legend. It was not bad for the

youngest son of a poor family. 

Finally here  is a famous quote of César Ritz :

'The customer is always right'