Arnon Grunberg

Almost impeccable

Thé

I have been many times to Hotel Le Meurice in Paris, albeit only to the bar and the tearoom.
This afternoon I wanted to enter the tearoom.
A lady in her twenties stopped me and asked me rather haughtily: “Are you a guest of the hotel?”

I answered: “Non, mais je voudrais boire un thé.”

The lady said: "Oh no, the tearoom and bar are just for hotel guests.”

An unfortunate development, what good is a hotel bar when only hotel guests are allowed to enter the hotel bar?

But I’m happy to report that the service in Hotel Le Bristol – I stayed two nights at Le Bristol – was impeccable as ever. Well, almost impeccable.