Paris restaurant apologies to Serena Williams, says was fully booked
PARIS, Aug 6 (Reuters) -A luxury Parisian hotel has apologised to tennis great Serena Williams after she complained, in a social media post seen by millions, that she and her family were turned away from its restaurant on Monday.
"Yikes @peninsulaparis I've been denied access to rooftop to eat in a empty restaurant of nicer places but never with my kids. Always a first," Williams said on X.
Williams, a four-times Olympic gold medallist, was one of the Olympic flame's torchbearers during the Paris Games' opening ceremony. She is also among celebrities who have come out to see U.S. gymnastics star Simone Biles compete in the Games.
Her post was seen by more than 4 million viewers.
The Peninsula Paris, a five-star hotel whose gourmet restaurant offers a view of the Eiffel tower, swiftly responded: "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."
A second message followed, saying: "We have always been honored to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again."
Some of the responses to William's post were supportive, saying it was unacceptable that the restaurant didn't make room for her, others said that celebrities have no more right to a fully booked restaurant than anyone else.
Williams was much more positive after the Games' July 26 opening ceremony, saying on X: "Have you ever had an unforgettable moment? That was yesterday for me. Truly unforgettable. From being part of an amazing Open Ceremony at the Paris Olympics - to riding in the boat in the rain - and it was pouring! So much so my lashes came right on off. Unforgettable!"
Writing by Ingrid Melander
Editing by Christina Fincher
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
