Culture Irish hotelier refuses to give blogger free stay, blogger reeeeee's about it - Apparently she's a "social media influencer" and that means she deserves free shit

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-42750803

A British YouTuber says people have told her "to die" - just for asking if she could stay at a hotel for free.

Elle Darby, who's got 90,000 subscribers on the site, offered to make a video about her stay if she didn't have to pay.

But the owner of the Charleville Lodge in Dublin - Paul Stenson - shared Elle's email online, accusing her of not having "self-respect and dignity".

Newsbeat has approached Mr Stenson for comment, but he hasn't got back to us.

Image copyright Elle Darby
Image caption Elle also has 80,000 followers on Instagram
Speaking exclusively to Newsbeat, Elle says the backlash has exposed her to a "tidal wave of hate."

She says her original email was "a very normal thing to send if you work as a social media influencer."

She offered to vlog about her stay on her channel, "to bring traffic to [the] hotel and [encourage] others to book up."

But in a Facebook post that's been shared by thousands of people, the hotel owner asked: "If I let you stay here in return for a feature in your video, who is going to pay the staff who look after you?"

He then announced that all vloggers were banned from the hotel - and accused Elle of getting her fans to leave him bad reviews, something she denies.

Image copyright Snapchat/WhiteMooseCafe
Image caption Some of Paul's response was posted on Snapchat, where he has a big following
"The sense of entitlement is just too strong in the blogging community," he wrote.

"The nastiness, hissy fits and general hate displayed after one of your members was not granted her request for a freebie is giving your whole industry a bad name.

"I never thought we would be inundated with negative reviews for the simple reason that somebody was required to pay for goods received or services rendered."

Elle says Paul's followers have since sent her threats.

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End of Youtube post by Elle Darby

"I've had people telling me to top myself, asking me to go play in traffic and die - just for literally doing my job. That email is something that every single blogger has sent out.

"People just are not taking responsibility for what they say online. I don't think it's easy to remember that when you send a tweet it is going to someone's profile who is a human with real emotions.

"For the service I was offering Paul, a lot of bloggers would've charged for that. Paul works in hotels, he will know this.

"Bloggers are sent to the Maldives and to Bali and all sorts of glamorous places and they don't just go for free - they are paid to go because they have such a large following. Social media is one of the biggest ways of marketing around right now."

Paul Stenson, incidentally, is the proprietor of the White Moose Café, who triggered vegans by not catering to their eating disorder, triggered the alt-health crowd because he said he wouldn't serve gluten free stuff without a doctor's note confirming they are coeliac, and triggered Brazilians by making a joke at their expense.

At the end of the day, though, he makes a valid point. "Exposure" and channel views ain't paying the bills.

 

[AnOminous]

IMO that's very different from her throwing a hissy fit simply for being told "no" after requesting free shit (which is how everyone in this thread is perceiving it), and it's unprofessional of the owner. He should have just politely told her to fuck off and then went on with his day instead of trying to stir the pot publicly. But it seems he wanted publicity and got it, even if makes them both look bad.

I gather she wasn't the first of these entitled parasites either. These people are getting as annoying as any other kind of street beggars, going around demanding free shit and acting like you're supposed to be grateful for the opportunity to give away the products of your hard work for free to some serial beggar. Seriously, who the fuck calls themselves a "social media influencer" and then, moreover, actually has the gall to call going around demanding free shit a "job."

Actually they're more annoying than street beggars, some of whom actually really need to do that. They're more on the level of those scumbag squeegee guys who smear a filthy rag across your windshield and then demand money for cleaning it off and start screaming and yelling when you flip them off and spray them with windshield washer fluid instead.

The best thing is, the guy has now banned all vloggers from staying in his hotel because of this entitled bitch.

This is another plus for this place of business. The last thing I want when I'm checking into some hotel or eating a meal is some millennial cunt sticking a goddamn camera in my face or babbling into a phone while taking selfies, when I'm paying for my meal and this parasite is getting it for free.

 

[Ginger Piglet]

This is another plus for this place of business. The last thing I want when I'm checking into some hotel or eating a meal is some millennial cunt sticking a goddamn camera in my face or babbling into a phone while taking selfies, when I'm paying for my meal and this parasite is getting it for free.

Quite. Indeed, most professional hotel or restaurant reviewers actually pay their way (or get their employer if they work for a paper or magazine to reimburse them afterwards) because they are after trying to report on the actual customer experience as a whole.

And her video on the incident makes it sound even more like payola than before. What's the betting everything she namedrops on her Instagram or Twatter or her Youtube videos are free shit she's blagged in exchange for an endorsement. Like that jumper she's wearing from some store I'd never heard of that makes her look like Jennifer Beale in Flashdance if the latter was a massive chav.

 

[Dysnomia]

Vlogging isn't a job. I saw her video where she's moaning about this incident and how this is the only job she's ever loved. Well let's see where it gets you in 20 years. Does vlogging come with a pension? Any sort of job security? Nope. It's not a career, snowflake. It's not a secure job at all and I really hope you have a good backup plan for when this all inevitably falls apart. You can't build a retirement plan on vlogging. I don't care how many sponsored products you shill. It's not exactly what you'd call a good future plan. What do you even put on a resume? "I'm really skilled at trying on different brands of makeup".

You don't get a free ride because you are an "Influencer". I've heard about these people. Apparently you shill products to get more sponsorships (i.e. kissing brand ass for money) and beg for free stuff in exchange for good reviews.

I'm proud of the hotel owner for telling her to stuff it. People like her don't realise that those making an honest living the real way can't just roll out the free ride carpet for every snowflake with a vlog. Like he's supposed to pay his staff with good reviews. She might as well offered him monopoly money.

She's really got an inflated idea of just how important her good word is. If the hotel is good then it probably gets good reviews already. When most people look for a hotel they check out reviews online to make sure it's not a rat trap anyway. That's not a new thing.

This whole influencer thing is stupid to me. I don't really follow social media unless there are lolz or salt to be had. I don't watch someone's video review then immediately order the product they are shilling. The stuff she's doing is an oversaturated market anyway. You should see how many beauty, fashion and lifestyle vloggers there are all doing the same damn thing. In reality it's all about shilling for sponsorship money anyway. She even mentioned that other vloggers get paid to be sent to exotic locations where here she is doing this guy a favor for free.

She was probably hoping to work her way up to getting paid to go on luxury vacations in exchange for reviews. And since she doesn't have a real job that's the only way she'd be getting those types of trips unless she's so popular she makes millions. And since she's in such an insanely oversaturated market I doubt she gets that much.

Imagine the gall you have to have to think you are so important on the internet that you can go around contacting hotels for freebies.

Correct. Her and her partner, according to her cryin rn video (which I cannot get through more than five minutes of without wanting to gouge out my optic nerves because she uses jump cuts so liberally to cover up her inarticulacy and everything in her flat is white and only just above "Live, Laugh, Love" wall sticker tier and she has a voice that would infuriate a Buddhist monk) were planning a getaway to Ireland and she e-mailed a number of hotels trying to cadge a free stay in exchange for clicks.

I'm thinking I should hit the Beauty Parlour and do a proper thread on her. There is surely more content here than just this.

I tried to watch the whole video and I started going insane so I had to turn it off. Her face is weird. I think it's the makeup she's wearing or the fake tan or something. It makes her look like she's made of plastic. And the raging eye infection made me want to hurl.

I'd be willing to bet she has cow potential. Makes me wonder what else she's tried to pull.

 

[Echo_Ender]

Quite. Indeed, most professional hotel or restaurant reviewers actually pay their way (or get their employer if they work for a paper or magazine to reimburse them afterwards) because they are after trying to report on the actual experience.

BINGO. Both the Business AND the Reviewer lose creditability if something is given for free. It makes the business appear to be paying someone off and makes the Reviewer look like a bribe-taking shill.

This isn't an uncommon thing with younger "Bloggers", though. They like to blatantly push for free shit and overtly imply that their "Fans" will review-bomb a business if they aren't properly bribed.

It's actually why a lot of small businesses hate Yelp and similar sites. They don't have the time and money to counter extortionist review bombs.

 

[Koby_Fish]

BINGO. Both the Business AND the Reviewer lose creditability if something is given for free. It makes the business appear to be paying someone off and makes the Reviewer look like a bribe-taking shill.

This isn't an uncommon thing with younger "Bloggers", though. They like to blatantly push for free shit and overtly imply that their "Fans" will review-bomb a business if they aren't properly bribed.

It's actually why a lot of small businesses hate Yelp and similar sites. They don't have the time and money to counter extortionist review bombs.

I think the theory these parasites are working around is "If you give me free accomodation/whatever and I promote your business, you'll get more than enough customers to make up for what I didn't pay for".

Unfortunately unless you tripped and fell in their establishment and could sue for thousands or millions, or you won a prize, there's literally no reason to get this for free.

 

[AnOminous]

Quite. Indeed, most professional hotel or restaurant reviewers actually pay their way (or get their employer if they work for a paper or magazine to reimburse them afterwards) because they are after trying to report on the actual customer experience as a whole.

It's basic ethics. It's the most basic and fundamental thing anyone who wants any credibility as a reviewer has to do.

And her video on the incident makes it sound even more like payola than before.

It's a combo of payola and extortion. Give me free shit and I'll spend two minutes with some babbling bullshit review and act like I'm doing you a favor, or if you don't give me free shit, I'll sic a horde of dipshit followers on you to flood you with libelous fake reviews.

 

[TowinKarz]

I just thought I'd stop by and say that "Hotelier" is one of those words that sounds made up until you look it up.

And the "give it to me for free, because I'm paying you with EXPOSURE" is something that causes my graphic artist Brother to see red and have to suppress homicidal urges, the number of times he gets ebeggars demanding work from him and offering anything BUT money in return....

 

[AnOminous]

I'd be willing to bet she has cow potential. Makes me wonder what else she's tried to pull.

@Feline Darkmage created a thread.

 

[Positron]

She says her original email was "a very normal thing to send if you work as a social media influencer."

I happen to be a "social media influencer" with a vlog about the fuckability of women. Can I have free sex with you? It is a very normal thing to ask you know.

Paul Stenson, incidentally, is the proprietor of the White Moose Café, who triggered vegans by not catering to their eating disorder, triggered the alt-health crowd because he said he wouldn't serve gluten free stuff without a doctor's note confirming they are coeliac, and triggered Brazilians by making a joke at their expense.

My kind of man!

And the "give it to me for free, because I'm paying you with EXPOSURE" is something that causes my graphic artist Brother to see red and have to suppress homicidal urges, the number of times he gets ebeggars demanding work from him and offering anything BUT money in return....

I know of a case in which a group of shameless mothers (10 or so) extort a professional photographer to take pictures of their tots' birthday party. They say he'd turn a profit when they post the picts on Facebook and "give him exposure".

So you don't even need a blog or a vlog; the lack of human decency is enough.

 

[DangDang]

most professional hotel or restaurant reviewers actually pay their way (or get their employer if they work for a paper or magazine to reimburse them afterwards) because they are after trying to report on the actual customer experience as a whole.

It's not fair to review a restaurant or hotel if you are getting a freebie because it implies you will get the red carpet and they will get a good review.

 

[ADN_VIII]

The entitlement of some people is just maddening. If a maid took or broke something of yours, sure, ask for a free night as recompense. Asking for a free night because exposure is asking to be A: made fun of and B: look like a spoiled cunt in front of the world.