Paris Official Throws Shade At American Tourists Over Their Most-Wanted Hotel Amenity

One of the quickest ways to spot a tourist? Find out what they complain about.

People from different parts of the world travel with different expectations, and those expectations don’t always line up with local customs.

New Yorkers head to Florida every winter so they can thaw out…and then find out that the state can have some nights with temperature that are below freezing, too. Travelers from the UK are often disappointed if their hotel room doesn’t have an electric kettle for tea. And right now, soccer fans seem convinced every cruise ship on Earth should somehow be showing every World Cup match.

Americans?

Well…a lot of us really, really like our air conditioning.

And that’s exactly what prompted a Paris official to throw some serious shade at American tourists after they criticized France’s limited air-conditioning infrastructure during the record-breaking heat wave that’s been gripping much of Europe.

Audrey Pulvar, Paris’ deputy mayor for international relations, didn’t mince words in a lengthy post on Instagram and Facebook after American tourists and social media users mocked France for not having air conditioning in more hotel rooms while temperatures climbed as high as 104°F.

“Dear American journalists and social media ‘influencers’: for days, some of you have been criticizing and making fun of Paris because the city does not have A/C in every room…OMG, this is so rich!” Pulvar wrote.

Pulvar argued that the criticism was misplaced, pointing out that the United States is the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

“As the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, you bear a significant amount of responsibility for global warming and the consequences we, in France, are experiencing. Your cities ‘90% air-conditioned’ are not unrelated to this. In Paris, we take responsibility.”

She added that Paris has been working to reduce its environmental footprint and adapt to climate change for years.

“If every American city made the same ecological transition efforts as Paris and many European cities, believe me, the whole world would be better off. So please, enough with the lecture. Just start doing your part,” she concluded.

Here’s the Instagram post in question: