The Ritz Paris

Founded in 1898 by César Ritz, this hotel on Place Vendôme was the world's first to offer private bathrooms and electricity in every room, setting the global blueprint for luxury. It was famously the favorite refuge of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Coco Chanel, who lived in the hotel for over 30 years. Even after its monumental four-year restoration led by Thierry Despont, the hotel remains a bastion of the "Ritz Style"—a specific fusion of Louis XIV grandeur and Belle Époque intimacy that has hosted every major cultural figure of the 20th century.