Tennis champion Serena Williams has an estimated net worth of $340 million. Then add Four Olympic medals. Seven Wimbledon singles titles, and the title as arguably the greatest Grand Slam player of all time.
But talent, fame, and wealth did not stop the mother of two from being denied entry to one of France’s top hotels for lunch with her children while attending the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. She and her husband Alexis Ohanian, are parents to Olympia, 6, and babygirl Adira, who was born in December 2023.
It’s unclear when the incident went down but Williams took to social media on Monday, Aug. 5, to call out the restaurant. She said, “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. #Olympic2024.”
This was followed by hundreds asking, “Who Denied the GOAT entry?”
While Williams never stated the exact reason for being blocked entry with her kids, news of the slight quickly spread, with many pointing to racial or national discrimination as the root of the disrespect.
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. 🙄#Olympic2024 pic.twitter.com/lEGJR5WoEn
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) August 5, 2024
“Everyone knows the French don’t like black folk,” one person wrote on The Shade Room’s post about the hotel’s refusal to seat Williams and her family.
Another added, “Between Jamaican women withdrawn from their events to Sha’Carri and Shelly being denied entrance, Coco being treated unfairly on the court, and Serena being turned away from a nice rooftop restaurant… Paris seems to not favor black people.”
Another blatantly asked, “Why was she denied? Did they give a reason, or was this Racism?”
Sha’Carri Richardson and Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce were briefly denied entry into the warmup area before the 100-meter race after a new rule change and Jamaican runner Shericka Jackson withdrew from the 200-meter race on Sunday.
Williams considers Paris her second home, even buying a two-bedroom pied-à-terre, which is a small apartment, in the 7th arrondissement in 2007. She has spoken fondly of her time there before the recent pushback.
One person said, “The City of Light” is: “Paris is that mean/introvert friend who invites you over but doesn’t want you to really show up or touch anything.”
Some on social media blasted the Olympics’ committee for the bevy of nightmare stories this year about how athletes of color are being treated.
“Paris and this Olympic drama. They should never host the Olympics again,” someone said. “They have been HORRIBLE in their treatment of athletes – particularly those that are black & brown.”
Others suggested this is a broader French problem, comparing it to another recent event that put the racist treatment on blast.
“Paris is giving Cannes red carpet,” read one post, referencing the May 2024 incident where singer Kelly Rowland was shooed into the venue on the red carpet of the “Marcello Mio” premiere at the Cannes Film Festival by a front-facing staffer at the event.
Many deemed Rowland as angry for wagging her finger and frowning at a white woman, who was one of the security guards, for rushing her off the red carpet stairs and into the venue. Meanwhile, other celebrities of color on the red carpet did not receive the same treatment.
The Destiny’s Child singer was quick to say that this was a blatant act of discrimination.
But in this case, with Williams, there is not enough information to examine what really happened.
One post said, “Perhaps they don’t want kids on the rooftop. More context is needed.”
The Peninsula Paris, which has been named the best hotel in the city, has a rooftop restaurant and bar, L’Oiseau Blanc, which offers its patrons views of the city, according to the website.
While hotels, in general, are family-friendly, policies regarding children in specific areas like the rooftop can vary. Typically, fine dining and bar areas may have restrictions or specific guidelines for young children.
For now, fans just know that one of the most decorated tennis players in the world was not allowed in.
Many have already begun bombarding the European establishment with negative reviews on Google.
Others just encouraged Williams to “support a Black-owned restaurant in Paris” next time she’s in Paris.
The hotel later issued a statement, apologizing to the tennis icon for the mix-up.
“Dear Mrs. Williams, Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment you encountered tonight,” read a message on the restaurant’s X page. “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.
— The Peninsula Paris (@peninsulaparis) August 5, 2024
The Peninsula Paris
In a Variety report, Maxine Mannevy, who works at the Peninsula’s restaurant, claimed that Williams looked “unrecognizable.”
“When she came there were only two tables available and they had been reserved by clients of the hotel,” Mannevy explained. “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.”
