The landmark London hotel is planning a £300 million upgrade, creating a five-storey basement with a spa, pool and juice bar.
The famous London hotel which has hosted everyone from Queen Elizabeth II and Jacqueline Onassis to the cast of Downton Abbey, is getting a multi-million pound makeover. The Ritz London in Piccadilly is planning the biggest refurbishment in its 115-year history. London's Evening Standard reported that the luxury hotel has submitted plans to create a five-storey basement, which would include a two-level spa with 20-metre swimming pool, gym, steam, sauna and treatment rooms, a juice bar and a beauty salon.
The overhaul — at an estimated price tag of £300 million — is aimed at modernising a hotel that has fallen behind the standards now expected at the world’s elite destinations, the newspaper said. Competitors such as Claridge’s in Mayfair and Leicester Square’s The Londoner have huge basement levels. Qatari tycoon Abdulhadi Mana Al-Hajri, who is the brother-in-law of the Gulf state’s rulers, bought The Ritz for a reported £800 million in 2020.
