Even the ultrawealthy had to wait in long lines at Davos — and they were reportedly annoyed about it

A big pain point for Davos attendees this year was the long wait times — seemingly everywhere.

Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg Creative Photos

• Davos attendees complained about the long lines they had to wait in, NYT reported.
• Some guests at the conference's go-to hotel reportedly had to wait up to an hour to get in.
• Tech execs and the ultrawealthy also had to wait to get into the hottest parties. 

No one is a fan of waiting in line — especially the uber-wealthy.

The "biggest complaint" among those who attended the World Economic Forum in Davos this week might just be the long lines they were stuck in, The New York Times' Dealbook reported.

Business Insider was in attendance at Davos, and can confirm there were long lines to enter both the conference's go-to hotel, the Grandhotel Belvédère, and some of the hottest parties.

At the Grandhotel Belvédère, the wait times just to enter the building were up to an hour, Dealbook reported. The delay was partly due to the building's advanced security measures, which one executive told the Times were even more of a hassle than airport security. Apparently, the exec was required to remove his Apple Watch every time he entered the building.

Guests at Davos are assigned a badge that determines their level of access to the events — and their social status. White badges are designated for the most elite and well-heeled attendees. They're often heads of state, high-profile executives, and key media figures. Other guests get orange badges, green badges, purple badges, and so on.

But even the most-coveted white badges don't guarantee you can dodge the long lines.

At some of the most-frequented parties at Davos, wealthy executives and regular attendees alike had to wait in the cold to get inside. At a party hosted by Salesforce on Thursday — which was reportedly the "hottest ticket of the week" and featured a performance by the musician Sting — the ultrawealthy were forced to wait with "everyone else," according to Dealbook.

Some white-badge holders also had to wait outside a party hosted by cloud services company Cloudflare as it reached capacity, BI can confirm. However, they got to wait in a shorter line than other attendees and got priority entrance. The event featured an open bar and a musical performance by Davos' "Piano Man" Barry Colson. Colson is known as a Davos icon and has previously played for guests.

It all goes to show — sometimes even money can't help you buy your way out of a line.

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