Ritz Shop

Basically means “an ostentatious display of elegance“, Ritz come from the name César Ritz (23 February 1850 – 24 October 1918), who is known by many as a hotelier and founder of several hotels. Famously branded for the Hôtel Ritz in Paris and the Ritz Hotel in London, Ritz, who lives hails from Switzerland got the moniker “king of hoteliers, and hotelier to kings,” from the people close to him. It is from his name and that of his hotels that the term “ritzy” was derived.

About Cesar Ritz

Born in the Swiss village of Niederwald, Cesar Ritz is the youngest of 13 children in a poor peasant family. At 12 years old, he was sent as a boarder to the Jesuit college at Sion, and at fifteen, having shown only loosely imaginative leanings, was apprenticed as a sommelier at a hotel in Brig. While functioning there as a trainee wine waiter he was dismissed by the client of the hotel from his position, saying, “You’ll never make anything of yourself in the hotel business. It takes a special knack, a special flair, and it’s only right that I tell you the truth—you haven’t got it.” He returned momentarily to the Jesuits as a sacristan, then left to seek his fortune in Paris at the time of the 1867 Universal Exhibition.

Just like Ritz, many people did not believe that we can make a name in the Balloon Decoration Industry. Yes, it takes a special knack and we think we are on the right path. Unlike many artists who have been to formal and paid training and seminars, Cebu Balloons learned almost everything from free references such as friends, suppliers, clients and competitors. Now, we are able to express our artistry in the balloon decorations that we make. In most cases, customers will just leave the designs to us and she will just be surprised to see the transformation of the kiddie party venue. There are times when clients ask us to give a quotation for new or weird designs – and we would be glad to give them a fair price. In fact, we lean towards giving them a cheaper price if it is the first time we make it. This way it will be a “win-win”; we learn something through experience and the clients gets a nice design at a budget-friendly price. Becoming a florist is also part of our future plans. Flowers and balloons can blend well together, especially for weddings, debut and other formal events.

At Cebu Balloons, we continue to make Cesar Ritz our inspiration. Aside from constantly making the classic balloons, we innovate and make elegant designs and eventually become “King of Balloons”.