Mohamed al-Fayed, (born January 27, 1929, Alexandria, Egypt—died August 30, 2023), Egyptian businessman who acquired a number of prestigious holdings throughout his career, including the Ritz Hotel in Paris and Harrods department store in London.
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In 1995, Marriott International purchased a 49% stake in The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, and in 1998, they purchased an additional 50% stake in the company, giving it 99% ownership of the company.
The new proprietor of The Ritz is Abdulhadi Mana Al-Hajri, a 40-year old business tycoon who is also brother to the second wife of Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, the Emir (ruler) of Qatar.
Although no price was given, people close to the deal say the Qatari investor paid between £800 million and £1 billion ($975 million and £1.2 billion) for the Ritz.
London Ritz's Sale Fetches Less Than 800 Million Pounds“It is a privilege to become the owner of the iconic Ritz Hotel and have the opportunity to build on its innate style and grand traditions,” a spokesperson for the new owner said in the statement Friday.
At the time of his death, Al Fayed had already sold off two of the biggest brands in his portfolio, Harrods and the London soccer team Fulham FC. He still owned The Ritz in Paris.
London's famous Ritz Hotel has been sold to a Qatari investor as the family feud between its long-time owners rumbles on. Quarrelling billionaire brothers Sir Frederick and David Barclay have owned the luxury property since 1995, when they bought it for £75m.
The Ritz has become so associated with luxury and elegance that the word ritzy has entered the English language to denote something that is ostentatiously stylish, fancy, or fashionable. The hotel was opened by Swiss hotelier César Ritz in 1906, eight years after he established the Hôtel Ritz Paris.
A subsequent government investigation into the takeover, officially published in 1990, found that Al Fayed and his brother had been dishonest about their wealth and origins to secure the takeover. They called the claims unfair. Five years later, his first application for British citizenship was rejected.
However their marriage was short-lived, with Khashoggi filing for divorce after two years reportedly because Al Fayed had been unfaithful. Khashoggi went on to marry Saudi Ambassador Anas Yassin, with the pair having a daughter, Jumana Yassin. She died in March 1986 from a heart attack at the age of 51.