US Billionaire's $85 New York Hotel Breakfast Results In Social Media Backlash

An American billionaire investor recently drew flak after he vented about an $85 room service bill at an unnamed hotel in New York City. Kyle Bass expressed outrage by tagging US President Joe Biden, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and the Federal Reserve, in his social media post.

Taking to X, Bass complained about what he termed a “terrible inflation milestone” for a breakfast tray consisting of waffles, “heritage bacon,” orange juice, and Diet Coke. However, the response from social media users was not having it at all.

After Bass’s post went viral this week, many users on X pointed out the exorbitant pricing typically associated with room service in luxury Manhattan hotels. One of the users said, “You ordered room service in a 5-star Manhattan hotel. What were you expecting?” Others questioned whether the issue was truly inflation-related or simply a reflection of the notoriously high prices of hotel services in the city.

In response to the backlash, Bass explained that he had not checked the menu before ordering and expressed his shock at the final bill. “I did send this earlier this morning to revolt against the craziness of hotel food pricing in NYC,” Bass clarified. “I grew up lower middle class…graduated college dirt poor…and appreciate each meal to this day. The hate here was unexpected,” he added.

On Thursday, the US government reported that prices rose 0.3% from December to January, up from 0.1% in the previous month. Prices were up 2.4% from a year earlier, down from a 2.6% annual pace in December and the smallest such increase in nearly three years. Even though average paychecks have outpaced inflation over the past year, many Americans remain frustrated that overall prices are still well above where they were before inflation erupted three years ago. That sentiment, evident in many public opinion polls, could pose a threat to Biden’s re-election bid, The Associated Press reported.