Guests returned in June to the Ritz Paris after a reported $450 million renovation closed the landmark hotel since 2012.

Recast by the New York-based design firm Thierry W Despont, the Ritz Paris is as dazzling as ever. The newly designed Grand Jardin is sumptuous. Decorative objects and paintings charm as irresistibly as the furnishings, now freshly restored to their full splendour. Cutting-edge technology is present everywhere, yet the spirit of the Grand Siècle persists. There are three restaurants and as many bars, including one that famously honors the Ritz loyalist, Ernest Hemingway, the new Salon Proust with its fireplace and library, 15 meticulously restored historic suites, the swimming pool and the world's first ever Chanel Spa.

The Ritz Paris is composed of two buildings: the former residence of the Duke of Lauzun and the Duke of Gramont, facing the place Vendôme, combined with a building at the back, facing the rue Cambon. Renovations began on the Cambon side — it took four weeks — and then, during six weeks, it was the turn of the Vendôme side and the gardens. One miracle: nothing was broken. At the risk of tempting the devil, the chandelier in the Imperial Suite was too large to get through the door so it was removed through a window with the help of a crane.

“We made a point of listening to our clients”, emphasises Nassim Yaghmaei, Design Manager of the Ritz Paris. “We think that luxury no longer has the same meaning that it did in the 1980s. Most important of all was to optimize space and light. Three model rooms were considered with nine colors harmonies, various silks and other fabrics. The strength of the design is due to that distinctive approach”.

The preservation of many small historic details was also a priority. It was imperative to continue offering the peach-colored bathrobes and bath linens favored by César Ritz, because, he notes, “the color softens and flatters women’s complexions”.

The former 159 rooms have been transformed into 142 rooms, including 71 suites.

Regular guests will recognize the swans on the bathroom fixtures, the cords to call for the Valet and Maid, the famous old-fashioned key for regulating lighting at the room’s entrance, the tulip lamps, the typical dressing table and the Marthe porcelain service by Haviland, which is manufactured and hand-painted in Limoges and has been used at the Ritz since its opening in 1898. Fine woodwork and fabrics in delicate pastel colors create an intimate décor. Artwork adorns the walls. The new rooms are also equipped with clever contemporary resources. A television is camouflaged behind mirrors and another is hidden in an easel. The Louis XVI desk is wired with all the necessary cables tucked under a leather desktop. In total, there are some two kilometers of cables in each room.

The 15 Prestige Suites recall certain of the Ritz’s most illustrious guests: Gabrielle Chanel, Marcel Proust, F. Scott Fitzgerald, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Charlie Chaplin or Maria Callas.

Ernest Hemingway once wrote, "When I dream of afterlife in heaven, the action always takes place in the Rits Paris."