Peninsula restaurant faced backlash after tennis legend Serena Williams revealed she was denied entry to their establishment while attending the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Unfortunately, this won’t be the first time the tennis star has faced discrimination despite her international accomplishments.
In 2017, Serena Williams was at the center of a lawsuit that claimed she was branded “disgusting” by “racially disparaging” managers at a luxury shoe company.
Whitney Wilburn, a black former employee, filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against Gianvito Rossi, alleging that Williams was denied the same discounts as white celebrities.
The lawsuit regarding Williams adds: “For instance, world-famous athlete Serena Williams, via her staff, asked for a discount on her extensive purchases. Gianvito’s managers responded with racially disparaging comments about Ms. Williams, which made it clear that the company did not want African-American women to wear its shoes. (They) referred to Ms.Williams as ‘disgusting’ and refused to offer discounts.”
On Monday, the tennis champion slammed the Paris Peninsula for an encounter between staff and her family, including her children with husband Alexis Ohanian, six-year-old Alexis Olympia, and 11-month-old Adira River.
“Yikes @PeninsulaParis, I’ve been denied access to the rooftop to eat in an empty restaurant of nicer places 🫠but never with my kids,” she wrote on X, captioning a photo of the hotel’s sign. “Always a first. 🙄 #Olympic2024,” Serena Williams wrote on X.
However, the restaurant quickly responded with an apology and explanation, stating that the rooftop was “indeed fully booked.”
“Dear Mrs. Williams, Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment you encountered tonight,” the hotel wrote in a reply to Williams’ post.
“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.”
They added, “We have always been honored to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again.”
The Peninsula expressed a similar sentiment in a statement to Today.
“In response to Mrs. Williams’ tweet, for whom we have the utmost admiration and respect, as we do for all our esteemed guests, we can only reiterate our deepest apologies for her perception of tonight’s situation. Today, August 5th, our rooftop bar was indeed, unfortunately, fully booked, and the only unoccupied tables at that time belonged to our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was also fully reserved tonight. She has always and will always be more than welcome with her family to The Peninsula.”
On X, Williams’ post prompted users to take sides. Users either supported the tennis star’s criticism of the restaurant or accused her of being entitled.
