Serena Williams Says She Was Denied Table at Restaurant in Paris, Restaurant Responds

Mar. 15, 2025

Serena Williamsexpressed her disappointment with one fine dining restaurant in Paris.

On Monday, August 5, the retired tennis player revealed onX (formerly known as Twitter)that The Peninsula Hotel in Paris denied her and her children with husbandAlexis Ohanian—Alexis Olympia Jr., 6, andAdira River, 11 months — a table 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,” she wrote. “Always a first. 🙄 #Olympic2024.”

The restaurant then replied to the four-time Olympic gold medalist, 42.

“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,” read the company’sfirst replyon Monday.

“We have always been honored to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again. The Peninsula Paris,” asecond postfollowed.

Representatives for Williams and The Peninsula Paris did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Monday.

An employee at L’Oiseau Blanc, Maxime Mannevy, toldVarietythat Williams looked “unrecognizable” when she arrived at the restaurant with another woman and a stroller.

Serena Williams and The Peninsula hotel.Marc Piasecki/WireImage; Pierrick Rocher/BFA.com/Shutterstock

Marc Piasecki/WireImage; Pierrick Rocher/BFA.com/Shutterstock

YOAN VALAT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The Peninsula Paris also issued a statement toTODAY. “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," the hotel said.

The statement continued: “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.”

The Peninsula Hotel in Paris on March 6, 2021.Alamy

Alamy

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Williams and her family arrived in Paris just before the Olympic opening ceremony. During the opening ceremony on July 26, the 23-time Grand Slam winner joined several athletes as a torch bearer.

After the opening ceremony, Williams stayed in the French capital and madeappearances at different Olympic events. She attended the match in which Serbian tennis proNovak Djokovic defeated Spain’s Carlos Alcarazand scored gold in the men’s singles tournament.

source: people.com