500 jobs go as Ritz closes for 2y

AROUND 500 staff are set to lose their jobs at the famed Hotel Ritz in Paris as owner Mohamed Al Fayed said he is to close the doors for two years during an “unprecedented renovation project”.

Another luxury hotel – the city’s Crillon – is also said to be looking to close for refurbishment and to complete upgrade works.

The drastic moves come after they missed out in the launch of the coveted Palace label for luxury hotels.

They are also facing pressure from new challengers, like the Mandarin Oriental and Shangri-La which are looking at applying for the palace label held by the Bristol, Meurice, Plaza Athénée and Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme. The Plaza is also to close to allow for works on an extension.

The Ritz, which is where Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed dined before their fatal car crash in 1997, will see all 160 rooms and suites get topto- bottom refits including the “latest technological innovations”.