César Ritz

César Ritz (1850-1918) was a Swiss hotelier born in Niederwald, Valais, remembered as the king of hoteliers and the hotelier of kings. He opened the Hôtel Ritz on the Place Vendôme in Paris in 1898, followed by the Ritz in London in 1906. His partnership with chef Auguste Escoffier at the Savoy defined modern palace service, and his name gave rise to the adjective ritzy.