Serena Williams Publicly Hits Back At Paris Hotel That Denied Her Service
Retired American tennis star Serena Williams had a terrible experience at a Paris hotel during her Olympics visit, so she criticized the establishment on social media.
After staying at The Peninsula Paris, Serena left a scathing review on social media, condemning their service for refusing them a spot at their rooftop restaurant, which was fully booked according to the establishment.
Williams said in her post tagging the business publicly, "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."
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 19: Founding & Managing Partner of Serena Ventures Serena Williams speaks onstage during TechCrunch Disrupt 2022 on October 19, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch)
As Fox News Digital relayed, the hotel issued an apology for the inconvenience and welcomed back the aggravated Serena.
The hotel's response read, "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. We have always been honored to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again."
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 04: Serena Williams, former tennis player of the USA is seen during the march between Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during the Men's Singles Gold medal match on Court Philippe-Chatrier at Roland-Garros Stadium during the Paris 2024 Olympics Games on August 04, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo By Oscar J Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images)
Not providing a former tennis star with anything less than 5-star treatment would be a public relations nightmare for any establishment.
For as long as sports have boomed in this country, star American athletes have been accustomed to fine dining and accommodations. That tradition has been slipping in recent years, including a recent complaint by NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Davis made against United Airlines after they handcuffed him on a flight to Southern California.
An aspect worth addressing from this ordeal is the new age's style of complaining about service, which is to publicly tag a business for a complaint. The method is quite uncouth — honest opinion — but in Wililams' case, it worked. Whether it was Williams or her ardent fan base mocking the business, the hotel was humbled in the end.
Jul 11, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Former tennis star Serena Williams arrives on the red carpet before hosting the 2024 ESPYS at Dolby Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
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