Zadig & Voltaire is opening up a hotel in Paris. Cool! It's going to be small, only 40 rooms, and intimate. Sounds good! They're going to "select" the guests. Okay, this is getting a bit snobbish. It won't be open to Chinese tourists. What?
Such was our train of thought when we read
WWD
's article on the upcoming hotel, a surefire Parisian hot spot from a chic, exclusive brand. As of September 28, the insider mag quoted Zadig & Voltaire founder and owner Thierry Gillier as saying:
"It will be a slightly private hotel, not open to everybody, with 40 rooms. We are going to select guests. It won't be open to Chinese tourists, for example. There is a lot of demand in Paris — many people are looking for quiet with a certain privacy."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
At some point, WWD quietly changed the quote to read "busloads of tourists," making absolutely no acknowledgment of the controversy. Of course, we've always been fans of both the brand and the publication, so we'd love to give both the benefit of the doubt and say it was a misquote. A crowded interview spot, or a bad phone connection, maybe. But as you have surely surmised, "busload" and "Chinese" don't really sound very similar. And even without that particular discriminatory remark, the idea of selecting guests makes us a bit uncomfortable. (Jezebel)
Is this quote as inflammatory as it sounds? Or is it just an unfortunate accident? Either way, we don't think the "all press is good press" rule applies.
Photo: Courtesy of Zadig & Voltaire.