"The Ritz Paris first opened in 1898 — and it didn't close for the first time until 2012. The well-deserved break, which lasted several years, was in the service of a delicate overhaul by lauded French architect Thierry W. Despont. The Ritz called the revamp 'modernisation with discretion.' Ceilings were raised, windows added and the restaurant got a retractable glass roof. But overall, The Ritz is still the Belle Époque icon where Ernest Hemingway was once a regular." - The MICHELIN Guide