 The hotel was owned for some thirty years by the Bracewell @-@ Smith family , who also had significant stakes in the nearby Park Lane Hotel . Although the family were quick to earn a profit from the hotel , there was a turbulent period in the years after World War II , with a workers strike in 1946 , and the restaurant attracting significant criticism in its quality of cuisine . On one occasion , a group of patrons of the Ritz , known as the " Friends of the Ritz " , met with Sir Bracewell Smith in Park Lane Hotel to complain about the standards ; Smith himself dined at the Ritz and informed them that it was quite satisfactory . 
