The honest review of Ritz Paris

If you're booking for the lore and mythology of Paris, the Ritz delivers — but if you want George V-level dining, that's a different hotel.

This kind of Paris palace stay isn't always the rational best-room-for-the-price decision — it's about the room, the bar, the spa ritual, Place Vendôme, and feeling like you're inside Paris mythology. If that's what you're after, occasional mixed reviews shouldn't scare you off, but I'd lock in quiet room placement, birthday recognition, and spa timing ahead of arrival. For pure dining, the Four Seasons George V is the safer bet with more Michelin stars than you can count.

Even the hotel pen tells you something about this place — nothing beats it for elegance.

I like to keep a pen as a small souvenir from every fancy hotel I stay at, and while the Four Seasons does a good job, nothing beats the Ritz Paris pen for elegance and quality. It's a tiny detail, but it says a lot about the level of care that goes into everything here.

I called ahead about Bar Vendôme and it still turned into a mess of contradictions between staff at every step.

A stay defined by internal disorganization rather than the polish I expected from a name like the Ritz. What stung wasn't the denied bar access itself but how differently each staff member explained the situation — one said no problem, another said fully booked but come wait, then we were turned away entirely once we got there. For an address that's supposed to define French hospitality, the lack of coordination undercut the whole experience.

We were literally holding hotel hot chocolate as proof we were guests and still got rushed out by a rude doorman.

We'd been invited via social media to see the Christmas tree, but a doorman asked why we were there and told us to hurry up, then physically ushered my husband out even though we were holding Ritz hot chocolate as evidence we belonged. The lobby wasn't even crowded — we were the only ones there — which made the whole thing feel even more baffling given how welcoming their holiday marketing made it seem.

We showed up in suit and tie as instructed, and then watched families in shorts sit next to us during afternoon tea.

We followed the advertised dress code to the letter, only to find families in shorts sitting nearby, staring at us like we were overdressed. The afternoon tea itself was disappointing too — just hot drinks and cake, not a sandwich to be found. Having done afternoon tea at the London property many times, this felt like enough of a letdown that we don't plan to come back.

I had a suite for a week and it was the worst hotel experience of my life — too many influencers and zero recognition.

My wife couldn't get a coke at the pool after waiting 45 minutes — it just never arrived and we gave up. Despite staying a full week, staff never seemed to remember us, and because there's no real access control, people kept questioning why we were there when we came back late at night. Between the influencer crowd and the lack of personal recognition, I'd steer people toward the Four Seasons instead.

I'd steer a proposal toward the George V for the food, but the Ritz still has an edge in pure atmosphere and location.

The George V has three Michelin-starred restaurants on property, while the Ritz has just one, and honestly the bars at both are kind of forgettable compared to nearby options like the Bulgari. That said, I noticed the Ritz draws a similar crowd of posers as the Plaza Athénée — lots of people dressed down trying to look the part while spending their parents' money. For pure hard product and dining, the George V wins, but it depends what you're optimizing for.

The Four Seasons wins on food, but honestly the Ritz just has better energy to be around.

I'll admit the Four Seasons George V wins overall on food and service, but there's something about the Ritz's energy that makes it more enjoyable to simply exist in. Being tucked into that cloister of palaces on Place Vendôme surrounded by luxury is phenomenal in a way that's hard to replicate. My one real complaint is that the food doesn't quite live up to the hotel's stature, which stings a bit given the price point, but for pure atmosphere it's hard to beat.

I went in expecting 'quite good' and left thinking it bordered on great — the quiet, the swans, the sheer comfort of the bed won me over.

I stayed in a deluxe junior suite on the fifth floor with courtyard views, and despite being in the center of Paris, it was completely silent. The bed had a proper top sheet without me even asking, and I slept better than I have in ages, even with a lot of red wine in me. The rainfall shower had incredible pressure and the tub was a real size, not the token luxury tub you sometimes get. You have to love the golden swans and old-school Ritz aesthetic, but if that's your taste, this place delivers exactly what it promises, right down to a welcome party of five staff waiting outside when my car pulled up.

Compared straight after Rosewood Crillon, the Ritz just felt smaller and dated on the hard product, even if the service held up.

Going from Rosewood into the Ritz right after, I found Rosewood wins on almost every hard product measure — water pressure, lighting, room amenities, spa, gym design. The Ritz service is still high level, don't get me wrong, but the overall feeling is more cramped and the classical aesthetic isn't for everyone. If you want that intensely French, old-world feeling this delivers it, but if you prefer modern touches blended with history, Rosewood is the better mix.

I've stayed here multiple times, and this last visit was truly exceptional — the hotel actually knows me now.

This was my second stay within a year and the difference was clear: the hotel already knows me, and it genuinely feels like family, which is rare even among the world's best luxury hotels. Breakfast is one of the best hotel breakfasts I've had in Paris, and when I mentioned loving the hotel caps, they surprised me with two as a gift. They also let me keep my room complimentary until 7PM, which I don't take for granted at this level — the spa, pool, and overall attention to detail make it feel like paradise, and yes it's extremely expensive, but worth it.

I paid over 4K a night and got left standing at the entrance while staff refused to update me on a simple garden table.

On our first night in an executive suite, the concierge told us the summer garden was open for a pre-dinner drink, so we went — only to be told to go back and wait at the entrance. After ten minutes we checked back in since there were clearly open tables, and staff curtly repeated that we weren't ready and needed to wait again with no explanation or timeframe. It was shockingly unprofessional for a first Ritz stay that could have made me a regular for life.

I switched from decades of loyalty to the George V, and the Ritz has completely converted me — six visits a year and counting.

For years I was a loyal Four Seasons George V guest, and I thought I'd never switch, but my family convinced me to try the Ritz and I've never looked back. Everything here feels perfect: the service is impeccable, the rooms elegant and comfortable, the food genuinely excellent, and there's a sense of history and magic the moment you walk through the doors. I stay here about six times a year now, and no matter how short the visit, the team makes it feel personal — they've even started monogramming my pillows.

The Sunday brunch buffet floored me — French ingredients across the board and desserts I couldn't say no to.

I did the Sunday brunch and the quality of the buffet was completely phenomenal, with everything sourced from France. There was a huge variety of starters — salads, seafood, cold meats, cheeses — followed by a great selection of mains, especially the seafood, plus a cheese table and desserts that were impossible to resist. Service was flawless throughout and the room itself felt like a complete dream; I'm already looking to go back.

Getting denied entry to the boutique felt like being profiled, especially with excuses that kept changing on the spot.

My friend and I were denied access to the boutique after the security guard looked us up and down, first claiming it was too late despite being within opening hours, then objecting to a camera we immediately offered to put away, then finally claiming the store was 'at capacity' when it clearly wasn't. I'd had a similarly disappointing experience at the Ritz London bar until staff realized we were hotel guests and space magically appeared. Luxury should be about how you're treated, not just beautiful spaces, and this felt anything but classy.

Every time I come back to Paris, even when I stay somewhere else, I still hope to run into the Ritz doorman who remembers me.

This hotel is one of the reasons I keep wanting to return to Paris. On an earlier stay they showed me Coco Chanel's room, and when I fell and hurt myself on the cobblestones outside, staff personally took care of my injury on the spot. On a more recent trip I stayed elsewhere in the city, but was genuinely happy when the doorman still remembered me from before — that level of professionalism stuck with me.