Hotel owner taking $100 = US Fed is printing money
In both cases "value" has been created when it really isn't there.
In the example the traveller was none the wiser. In real life the rest of the world is wary of the printing of money and hence USD has tanked against all other currencies.
Once the actual US citizens cotton on to the impact of printing money, Weimar republic style hyperinflation here we come.
Of course the US citizens could be too stupid to ever realise and this would probably be the best outcome. In which case the stability of the US (world?) financial system is essentially reliant of the continued stupided of the average US citizen. LOL.
