Paris Hotel Staff Feels ‘Terrible’ For Not ‘Recognizing’ Serena Williams

A staff member at the five-star Paris hotel Serena Williams put on blast has claimed they didn’t recognize the tennis legend when she showed up at their establishment.

Williams accused the hotel’s rooftop restaurant of denying her and her kids access, claiming it had tables available.

The Peninsula Paris has since explained the situation online, noting that it was “fully booked,” and has apologized to Serena Williams for the experience.

A staff member at the five-star Paris hotel that’s been trending for turning away tennis star Serena Williams has finally opened up about the incident.

The individual, Maxime Mannevy, who works at the hotel’s rooftop dining, spoke to Variety about Williams being unrecognizable.

Mannevy noted that her colleague, who was working during Williams’ visit, informed her of what happened, stating they felt “terrible” for not noticing it was the tennis star at their establishment.

“When she came there were only two tables available and they had been reserved by clients of the hotel,” Mannevy said. “My colleague didn’t recognize her and feels terrible, but he told her what he would have told any other client, which is to wait downstairs in the bar for a table to become available.”

“That was absolutely nothing personal,” Mannevy added.

The comments from the hotel’s staff come after Williams took to social media to criticize the restaurant for refusing entry to her and her kids.

Williams’ post on X (formerly Twitter) was shared on Monday night, shocking many.

She claimed that The Peninsula denied her access to their rooftop establishment despite seemingly having multiple empty tables.

Her post included a snap of the hotel and a short message decrying the treatment she and her kids received.

“Yikes. @peninsulaparis I’ve been denied access to rooftop to eat in a empty restaurant of nicer places but never with my kids,” Williams wrote. “Always a first.  #Olympic2024.” The message included a melting face and rolling eyes emoji.

The hotel responded to Williams’ tweets on X, explaining that the only free tables were for their gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was fully booked for the night. It also apologized to the tennis star for the “disappointment” she encountered at their establishment.

“Dear Mrs. Williams,  Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment you encountered tonight,” the hotel’s tweet 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.”

In a follow-up tweet, the hotel said, “We have always been honored to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again.”

The Peninsula Paris hotel has since released a statement explaining that it always tries to accommodate walk-in guests; however, it tends to be challenging.

“We do always try to make space for walk-in guests but sometimes this is not possible,” the statement read, per the New York Post. “On August 5th, our rooftop bar was indeed fully booked, and the only unoccupied tables at that time belonged to our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was also fully reserved.”

“As an alternative, Ms Williams was offered an outside table downstairs at the hotel’s La Terrasse Kléber,” the hotel added.

When Williams called out the hotel on social media, many of her fans on the platform joined in to criticize them for turning her away.

One person wrote, “How does one get denied when they are Serena Williams…… lol,” while another said, “You’re better off not going, their food is subpar — I’ve unfortunately had to pay for it quite a few times.”

However, not everyone online was on Williams’ side, with some slamming the Olympian for being “entitled” and having celebrity privilege.

An X user wrote, “Wait are we really telling this place that because she’s a celebrity they should have figured it out? No. If they’re booked, they’re booked and it’s entitled as heck to be upset that they didn’t figure it out because ‘I’m special.'”

A second person wrote, “They responded and explained their situation. Stop trying to be above everyone and expecting special treatment. Not a good look.”