 The hotel also suffered a blow upon the death of King Edward in 1910 , when 38 planned dinners and functions were cancelled , but began to prosper the following year , made fashionable by the Prince of Wales who regularly dined here . King Edward was particularly fond of the cakes made at the Ritz . The hotel would regularly send him a supply , but this was kept in confidence as the King 's chef may not have wanted it known that food he did not prepare was served at Buckingham Palace . Ritz retained control of much of the hotel 's operation for many years . He hired world @-@ famous chef Auguste Escoffier to provide cuisine to match the opulence of the hotel 's decorations ; he placed a special bell in the entryway by which the doorman could notify the staff of the impending arrival of royalty . By 1929 the hotel was still being praised for its architecture ; Professor Charles Reilly wrote about the Ritz in Building magazine in 1929 , calling it the " finest modern structure " in the street , with " an elegance of general form " . 
