Hoteliers: César Ritz

In the history of modern hospitality and hotel management, no-one has equalled César Ritz. From unpromising beginnings, Ritz climbed to the top of the hotel industry and then transformed it. He introduced the concepts of discretion, comfort, hygiene, exemplary service and gastronomic excellence. Known as the ‘king of hoteliers and hotelier to kings’, his innovations are now considered mandatory for any hotel of quality. And of all the hoteliers who have given their names to, or had them taken by, the international hotel industry, none is as synonymous with luxury and fine living as César Ritz.

Early Life
In the small mountain village of Niederwald in the Swiss Alps, César Ritz was born on 23 February 1850 as the 13th child of a farming family. Despite the humble condition of his family, Ritz’s sharpness didn’t go unnoticed — his mother saw in him a lot of creative potential and insisted that he continue with his education. At the age of 12, Ritz was sent to a French-speaking boarding school in Sion run by Jesuit Fathers — he gradually learned French, a little German and some English there — but the young César showed little interest in the subjects that were taught by his professors. At 15, Ritz’s father decided to move him to Brig, to apprentice as a sommelier at the Hôtel des Trois Couronnes et Poste. Unfortunately, Ritz didn’t seem to be much appreciated by his superiors and was dismissed by the patron of the hotel.

He spent the next few years learning how to be a locksmith, although knew the key to his future lay in…