After the tennis G.O.A.T. called out the Peninsula Paris for denying access to her and her children, the luxury hotel's rooftop restaurant issues a public statement explaining the situation.
- Aug 6, 2024
AceShowbiz - The drama continues. After Serena Williams called out the Peninsula Paris for denying access to her and her children, the luxury hotel's rooftop restaurant issued a public apology to the Grand Slam winner.
Replying to Serena's X post, Peninsula Paris wrote on Monday, August 5, "Dear Mrs. Williams, Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment you encountered tonight." The statement continued, "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."
It continued, "We have always been honored to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again. The Peninsula Paris."
A staff member additionally recalled what happened during the incident, stating that the situation was "nothing personal." Per Hollywood Unlocked, a staff member at the Peninsula's rooftop restaurant, Maxime Mannevy, claimed that the tennis champ arrived at the establishment looking "unrecognizable." Serena, who came with a stroller, was joined by another woman at the time.
"When she came there were only two tables available and they had been reserved by clients of the hotel," Maxime explained. "My colleague didn't recognize her and feels terrible, but he told her what he would have told any other client, which is to wait downstairs in the bar for a table to become available. That was absolutely nothing personal."
Prior to this, Serena took to X, formerly Twitter, to call out Peninsula Paris for denying her and her children access to the hotel's rooftop restaurant. The former athlete, who was in Paris to enjoy the 2024 Olympics, 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."
Fans quickly showed support to the tennis legend with one saying, "How does one get denied when they are Serena Williams...... lol." Another added, "Who doesn't make room for a queen?"
However, some others criticized Serena for her alleged entitled behavior. " 'I'm a celebrity, kick a regular person out so I can eat,' " one person sarcastically wrote. One other said, "Now, why don't you give an apology to the restaurant for acting like an overprivileged brat. So you just expected someone else to lose their seat because you are Serena. Sorry your privilege card doesn't work everywhere."
