Afterward,he worked at a series of luxury hotels and restaurants,eventually becoming general manager at the Splendid in Paris before moving on to Grand Hotel in Lucerne,Switzerland,and then the Grand Hotel in Monte Carlo and Savoy in London. When his large following of wealthy businessmen and royalty urged him to open his own hotel in Paris,he obliged in 1898,after obtaining financial backing,with the Ritz following a two -years renovation of two adjacent mansions in the Place Vendome.