On Monday, Serena Williams accused a Paris restaurant of refusing her and her children entry. She posted on X (formerly Twitter) that The Peninsula Hotel, a Michelin-starred venue, “denied” them a table despite the restaurant being empty.
The restaurant quickly responded with an apology: “Dear Mrs. Williams, we deeply regret the disappointment you faced. The rooftop bar was fully booked, and the empty tables you saw were part of our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was also fully reserved.”
Additionally, a Peninsula staff member, Maxime Mannevy, told Variety that the available tables were already booked by hotel guests. “When Serena arrived, only two tables were open, and they were reserved for hotel clients,” Maxime explained. “My colleague did not recognize her and informed her as he would any other guest, asking her to wait in the bar. It was not a personal issue.”
