Serena Williams recently expressed disappointment with The Peninsula Hotel in Paris. On August 5, she shared on X (formerly Twitter) that she and her family were denied a table at the hotel’s rooftop restaurant.
Williams tweeted, “Yikes @PeninsulaParis I’ve been denied access to rooftop to eat in an empty restaurant of nicer places 🫠 but never with my kids. Always a first. 🙄 #Olympic2024.” The Peninsula Hotel quickly responded, offering an apology. They explained that the rooftop bar was fully booked and the empty tables were reserved for the gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc.
The hotel’s statement read, “Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment you encountered tonight. Unfortunately, our rooftop bar was indeed fully booked and the only unoccupied tables you saw belonged to our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was fully reserved.”
Serena Williams Appeared “Unrecognizable”
Maxime Mannevy, an employee at L’Oiseau Blanc, commented on the situation, explaining that Williams appeared “unrecognizable” when she arrived. “When she came there were only two tables available and they had been reserved by clients of the hotel,” Mannevy said. He added that his colleague did not recognize Williams and feels terrible about the misunderstanding.
The Peninsula Paris reiterated their admiration and respect for Williams. “We have always been honored to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again. The Peninsula Paris,” they posted in a follow-up tweet. Despite the incident, Williams and her family continued to enjoy their time in Paris, attending various Olympic events and supporting other athletes.
Williams participated in the Olympic torch relay, joining notable athletes like Rafael Nadal and Carl Lewis. Reflecting on her Olympic experiences, Williams expressed her excitement about watching other athletes compete.
“It’s fun! I mean, the Olympics in Paris is really, really incredible,” Williams told NBC reporters. “I did do the London/Wimbledon combination, but I was a little jealous of here!”