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Own a part of the Ritz Paris’ rich history as 10,000 items go up for auction
By Tempus | 1 March 2018 | Lifestyle, Travel, Wealth
The Paris hotel is auctioning historic features following its €400m renovation
* The facade of the Ritz Paris on the Place Vendome is one of the French capital’s most iconic hotels
The Hôtel Ritz in Paris finally completed its four-year, €400m renovation two years ago reclaiming its 'Palais' status, but although the French capital's best-known hotel is being celebrating for its new look, collectors and enthusiasts are still just as fascinated by its rich heritage as the hotel prepares to auction off 10,000 exclusive lots from its history – including its first bathtub from 1898.
The Ritz Paris has long been synonymous with glamour and luxury, thanks to its perfect location on the Place Vendome and elegant clientele. Designer Coco Chanel was a resident for 30 years, including during World War II, when Nobel prize winning poet Ernest Hemingway famously claimed to have "liberated the hotel bar" after Nazi occupation of Paris ended. Hemingway once wrote: "When I dream of after-life in heaven, the action always takes place in the Paris Ritz".
The hotel also had fans in the British royals, including Edward VIII – later the Duke of Windsor – who stayed there with his wife Wallis Simpson, and Diana, Princess of Wales who spent her last days there with Dodi Al Fayed in 1997. >>
Related: Take a look at the new hotel opening next to the Palace of Versailles
* The Hemingway Bar, named after Nobel prize winning poet Ernest
Hosted by Artcurial, which has organised sales for hotels including the Crillon in Paris and Monaco's Hotel de Paris, the auction includes items such as Louis XV and Louis XVI style furniture, chandeliers, a minibar thought to be worth €600, and a desk that should fetch around €7,200. Items will be on sale 17-21 April following an exhibition at the Champs-Elysees Artcurial headquarters.
"It really is a unique opportunity for people to go home with their own piece of the emblematic legend of the most famous hotel in the world," Artcurial's associate director Stephane Aubert said. "It is an exciting sale, a major event for the Ritz itself and a celebration of the distinctive style that makes it much more than a hotel, more a castle on the Place Vendome with a special place in French history."
* One of the renovated bedrooms of the Ritz Paris