 " It had a special atmosphere about it and the Palm Court was always filled before luncheon with ' society beauties ' , debutantes and their boyfriends , and famous actors and actresses — though the latter seldom seemed to actually lunch there . Bejewelled American ladies used to parade up and down the corridor awaiting their guests , The Ritz was more like a club than a hotel ; you were bound to see your friends there . To ' meet at the Ritz ' was the obvious choice . It had the combination of elegance and cosiness . The Ritz had an essentially happy atmosphere which radiated from the staff . All the waiters knew everybody and became personal friends . The Ritz in those days had a courtesy and elegance unlike any other hotels ; it was thought of as ' home ' in a sense that never applied to anywhere else " . — Sir Michael Duff , 3rd Baronet on life at the Ritz as a young man in the 1930s . 
