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Following the tennis player's disclosure that she and her family—which includes her husband Alexis Ohanian's daughters Olympia, 6, and Adira, 12 months—had been refused entry to the Peninsula restaurant in Paris during their trip to France for the 2024 Olympic Games, the establishment reacted to her allegations by outlining the rationale for the regrettable occurrence.
"Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment you encountered tonight," the hotel said on August 5. "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 said, "We have always been honored to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again."
Following Serena's criticism of the restaurant on X, where she claimed she and her family were not permitted to eat on their rooftop, the apology was made.
@peninsulaparis, yikes I've never been allowed to eat on a rooftop with my kids in a fancy restaurant that is closed," the woman wrote. "Always the first.
The tweet from The Peninsula Paris regarding Serena's experience is consistent with an earlier statement the restaurant sent to E! News, stating that it has "the utmost admiration and respect" for the Olympian.
The statement began, "We can only reiterate our deepest apologies for her perception of tonight's situation," before stating that she will be and have always been "more than welcome" at the establishment. I guess too many kids isn't a good look for them.
Serena isn't letting the restaurant mishap ruin her vacation in the City of Love, though, especially because she was able to join fellow Olympians Rafael Nadal, Carl Lewis, and Nadia Comaneci in the Opening Ceremony on the Seine River.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist in tennis has been sharing her time in the French city on Instagram and finding time to support her fellow competitors.
In an Instagram photo on August 4, the 42-year-old said, "Walking in Paris." "No one makes me feel the way you do."
Olympia, the daughter, even stopped to enjoy the city, posting a picture of herself and her younger sibling on Instagram on August 6 with the message, "Sisters in Paris."
