Serena Williams publicly called out a swanky hotel in Paris for denying her family access to a rooftop restaurant.
The legendary tennis player took to Twitter on Monday and put The Peninsula Hotel on blast, venting her frustrations. “Yikes @peninsulaparis I’ve been denied access to rooftop to eat in an empty restaurant of nicer places 🫠 but never with my kids,” she wrote. “Always a first. 🙄#Olympic2024.”
The 42-year-old star made sure to add a photograph of the hotel’s sign, making it abundantly clear to fans that she was singling them out for the mishap.
Dear Mrs. Williams,
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.— The Peninsula Paris (@peninsulaparis) August 5, 2024
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 30: Serena Williams and her daughter Olympia Ohanian attend the Artistic Gymnastics Women’s Team Final during day four of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Paris Arena on July 30, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
Williams didn’t quite get the experience she hoped for while in Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics and now her 10.3 million followers on Twitter are well aware of the problem she faced when she tried to dine with her family.
Fans immediately responded to her post, including one fan that wrote, “Who doesn’t make room for a queen?”
Another fan replied by writing, “you were denied access because they were serving prejudice. Shame on them.”
We have always been honored to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again.
The Peninsula Paris
— The Peninsula Paris (@peninsulaparis) August 5, 2024
The hotel replied to Williams’ complaint by issuing a response to her tweet.
“Dear Mrs. Williams,” they began. “Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment you encountered tonight.”
They continued by offering an explanation about what unfolded on the night in question.
PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 04: Thomas Bach, Serena Williams and David Haggerty attend the Men’s Singles Gold medal match between Carlos Alcaraz of Team Spain and Novak Djokovic of Team Serbia on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Roland Garros on August 04, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
“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.” (RELATED: Medics Rush To Assist As Olympic Swimmer Tamara Potocka Collapses Right After Race)
The hotel signed off by writing, “we have always been honored to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again. The Peninsula Paris.”
Williams has not yet responded to their note of apology and explanation.
