Ritz-Carlton

Contact: Sue Lowry / Melanie Childs

Magellan Public Relations

Tel: 020 8875 2850

Anna Mueller-Stutzer

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.

Tel: 020 7591 1187

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.

A Legacy of Service and Innovation

The history of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. originates from The Ritz-Carlton, Boston. The standards of service, dining and facilities of this Boston landmark serve as a benchmark for all Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts worldwide.

The legacy of The Ritz-Carlton, Boston begins with the celebrated hotelier, Cesar Ritz… the "King of hoteliers and hotelier to Kings". His philosophy of service and innovations redefined the luxury hotel experience in Europe through his management of The Ritz Paris and The Carlton London.

The Ritz-Carlton, Boston revolutionised hospitality in America by creating in a luxury setting:

Private bath in guest room
Lighter fabrics in the guest room to allow for more thorough washing
White tie and apron uniforms for the waiting staff, black tie for the Maitre d' and morning suits for all other staff, conducive to a formal, professional appearance
Extensive fresh flowers throughout the public areas
A la carte dining, providing choices for diners
Gourmet cuisine, utilising the genius and cooking methods of Auguste Escoffier
Intimate, smaller lobbies for a more personalised guest experience

Cesar Ritz died in 1918 but his wife Marie continued the expansion of hotels bearing his name. In the United States, The Ritz-Carlton Investing Company, established by Albert Keller, bought and franchised the name. In 1927 The Ritz-Carlton, Boston, opened and other hotels followed in New York (at Madison & 54th), Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Atlantic City and Boca Raton. However, by 1940 none of the hotels were operating except The Ritz-Carlton, Boston simply because a wealthy owner was able to maintain its operation.

The Ritz-Carlton, Boston

The Ritz-Carlton, Boston embodies the vision of Cesar Ritz, Yankee ingenuity and Boston social sensibilities.

In 1927, Edward N. Wyner, a local Boston real estate developer, was asked by Mayor Curley to build a world-class hotel. Wyner, who was building an apartment building and was up to the second floor at the time, agreed and changed the apartment building into a hotel: The Ritz-Carlton, Boston.

In the tradition of Cesar Ritz, Wyner was meticulous about maintaining his guests' privacy, a policy strictly adhered to today in all Ritz-Carlton hotels. Therefore the elite were drawn to his hotel. However, he was also very aware of the role and reputation the hotel had in the community: during the Depression, Wyner kept the lights on in vacant hotel rooms to portray an aura of success.

Essentially, The Ritz-Carlton, Boston was a private club for the very wealthy. Up until the 1960's, the hotel was very formal. Guests were regularly checked to see if they were in the social register, sometimes going so far as to examine the quality of writing paper on which they wrote to the hotel (if it was not of high enough quality, they were refused).

Dress codes were enforced for all guests, in great part due to the formality of Boston society. Restaurants were also very stringent with regard to whom they admitted. Women were not allowed to lunch alone in The Café. Unescorted women were not allowed to enter The Ritz Bar until 1970.

Cuisine in the hotel restaurants was created in the hallowed tradition of Cesar Ritz's partner August Escoffier. The cuisine at The Ritz-Carlton has always been classic but never boring, innovative but never trendy. The popular entrée "Lobster au Whiskey" was served on the hotel's opening night in 1927 and remains a favourite dinner item today.

The combination of cuisine and atmosphere ensure the restaurants were "the place" to swing, previewing such musical greats as Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey. The Roof closed in 1944 but was reopened to great success for the summer season in 1995. Today, guests can enjoy gourmet dining and dancing under the stars to a live Big Band.

More plays were written or reworked at the Boston hotel than anywhere else in the United States. "Ten Cents a Dance", "Edelweiss" and two songs for "The King and I" were composed by Rodgers and Hart whilst guests at the hotel. In addition to hosting numerous famous personalities, the hotel also played host to an extraordinary number of animals including: Rin Tin Tin, Morris the Cat and Louis the Wan, the central character of E.B White's children's book, "The Trumpet of the Swan".

The hotel maintained its own upholstery and print shops and even had a craftsman in-house whose sole job was to paint the gold stripes on the hotel's furniture. As a result of this convenience, Wyner often catered to the whims of important guests. A suite for Joan Crawford was decorated with Peppermint Lifesavers and re-upholstered, and another guest room was furnished in red for Winston Churchill.

Edward Wyner died in 1961. The land developers Cabot, Cabot & Forebes and their chairman and major shareholder, Gerald W Blakeley, owned and managed the hotel. However, The Ritz legacy endured with Charles Ritz, son of Cesar Ritz, who was an active board member of The Ritz-Carlton until his death in 1977. In 1983, Blakeley sold the hotel and the rights to The Ritz-Carlton name to William B. Johnson, who established The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.

The Ritz-Carlton Logo

The lion and crown Ritz-Carlton logo is a combination of the British royal seal (the crown) and the logo of a financial backer (the lion). This logo was designed by Cesar Ritz.

The Cobalt Blue Goblet

Every Dining Room and Café at Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts worldwide set their table with the signature cobalt blue glass. For as long as The Ritz-Carlton, Boston has been in existence, blue goblets have been part of the place setting. These goblets were designed to match the blue Czechoslovakian crystal chandeliers in The Dining Room (they still hang there today). Coincidentally blue glass was considered a status symbol in 1920's Boston. Window glass imported from Europe underwent a chemical reaction when hitting the Boston air and turned blue. Blue glass windows meant the homeowners could afford imported glass. The Ritz-Carlton, being quite fashionable, ordered glasses in this colour.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.

The Company has quickly grown from this one hotel in 1983 to the current roster of 43 hotels today. Several of these hotels are themselves historical landmarks, among them The Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel, Pasadena, Calif., The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach, Miami, Fla., The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans, La. and The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco, Calif.

When The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans opened on 6th October 2000, the first five-star calibre property to open in the city since 1985, it brought life to a pair of Crescent City architectural landmarks, The Maison Blanche and The Kress Building. Following a US$200 million restoration effort that preserved the glazed terra cotta exterior, prismatic glass and other turn of the century design elements, the former shopping emporium has been transformed into a 452-room luxury hotel. - more -

A landmark building in the heart of one of Miami's most vibrant neighbourhoods, the former The DiLido Hotel - to be reopened as The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach - is currently being restored to its 1950s Art Moderne signature style and transformed into the city's first five star calibre hotel. Located on Lincoln Road at Collins Avenue, directly on the ocean, the US$100 million project, scheduled to open 1st March 2002, will bring a new level of sophistication and luxury to the area.

The Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel was built in 1906 and became a resort escape for the wealthy in the 1920's. Celebrated writers, entertainers, royalty and businessmen gathered around the hotel's Olympic-sized swimming pool, the first in California. Other noted aspects of the hotel include the Picture Bridge, upon which 41 pictures of famous California sites were painted by artist Frank Moore. After extensive renovation, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company took over the management in 1991.

An 83-year old neo-classical Nob Hill landmark, The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco, was originally hailed as a "temple of commerce" when it opened in September 1909. The building was originally the Pacific Coast headquarters of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and later the main campus of Cogswell College. The 17-columned marble building opened as The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in 1991.

Note for editors: - The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. manages 43 award-winning hotels in Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East and North America. For information or reservations, please contact The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company on 0800 234 000 toll free in the UK or visit The Ritz-Carlton Web site at www.ritzcarlton.com. Photography available upon request.

Updated: 16th January 2002