Whoever is left in the swamp, they’re going to need a sidecar full of cash for an evening of cocktails at the Trump Hotel in Washington, DC.
Just a month after seating its first guests, the hotel’s Benjamin Bar & Lounge upped prices by about $1-3 a drink. Now, thanks to vigilant work by The Washingtonian, it was discovered the hotel bar has—again—raised prices on its drinks menu. On average, prices went up 43% this time. This second hike since the hotel opened Sept. 12 bumped prices by as much as $11 extra dollars; on average, prices went up 43% and the cheapest cocktail on the menu is now $24.
A person could spend the same amount and buy three Bud Lights, or just take a five-minute cab to a nearby Walmart and buy a 30-pack. But if a fancy hotel bar is what you’re looking for, just walk 10 minutes to the POV rooftop bar at the top of The W Hotel. The cocktails there run a much cheaper $16, and the view of the White House is far superior (among the best in the capital).
Setting aside buzz about the Trump Hotel drinks list, the entire building remains one of US president-elect Donald Trump’s most glaring conflicts of interest as he prepares to assume office Jan. 20. Foreign countries have already sought to win his favor by planning events there.
Perhaps more damning is the lease Trump signed on the property in 2013, which includes a clause that says “no … elected official of the Government of the United States … shall be admitted to any share or part of this Lease, or to any benefit that may arise therefrom.”
So. Who needs a drink?