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Few things scream London like The Ritz. The Queen and Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and red double-decker buses: they’re all fine, but do they do afternoon tea? No. The Ritz is an icon that has grown over its 100-plus years of development in London, while always remaining regal and luxurious. Now there are new plans, though, to refurbish and upgrade this bastion of elegance and sophistication.
The Piccadilly landmark was taken over by new owners last year who have decided that it’s not stylishly up-to-date enough, and who have proposed a £300m modernisation that is set to be given the green light. The project includes digging down to create a five-storey basement with a spa, pool, gym, sauna, juice bar and all your other subterranean health and wellbeing needs. Also in the proposal is a new secure car park for all the hotel’s high-profile visitors. Which seems fair enough: the Queen (no less) had her eightieth birthday bash there.
The plans also include the addition of 53 new bedrooms, an extension at roof level to the hotel’s Arlington Street wing, and a completely new building on a site currently occupied by office blocks due for demolition. The scale of the plans may partly be in response to the brand-new Londoner hotel (which has six underground levels) opening to rave reviews, while the Ritz’s venerable peer Claridge’s is also embarking on a subterranean extension.
Westminster Council planning officers have recommended approval for the scheme, with the final decision to be made by councillors at a committee meeting next week. So while the Ritz’s famous façade will continue to be an iconic central London sight, there will be plenty of new stuff to check out behind (and below) the scenes.
The Ritz, 150 Piccadilly, W1J 9BR.
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