César Ritz

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César Ritz (February 23, 1850–October 24, 1918) was a famous Swiss hotelier and founder of several hotels, most famously The Ritz Hotel. His nickname was "king of hoteliers, and hotelier to kings," and it is from his name and that of his hotels that the term ritzy derives.

Ritz worked as the first manager of the Savoy Hotel before he opened the Hôtel Ritz in Paris, France in 1898. He went on to open The Ritz Hotel in London, United Kingdom and the Hotel Ritz Madrid in Madrid, Spain. Ritz enjoyed a long partnership with Escoffier, the famous French chef and father of modern French cooking. The partnership lasted until Ritz's breakdown.

Ritz was born in Niederwald, Switzerland, and died in Küsnacht, near Lucerne, Switzerland.