Earlier this week, social media influencer Elle Darby had a business idea. She would stay at a Dublin hotel with her partner for an early Valentine’s Day weekend. For free.
In return, she would share a series of aesthetically pleasing photos and videos to her 79,000 Instagram and YouTube followers, complete with the hotel’s location and social tags to “bring traffic” and “recommend others to book”.
Only, she picked the wrong hotel.
Upon receiving this email, the White Moose Café and Charleville Lodge’s owner, Paul Stenson did not share Darby’s enthusiasm for this exciting opportunity for mutual gain.
But rather than reply with a simple but effective ‘No thanks’, he instead posted a screenshot of Darby’s proposal on Facebook along with some choice words that summed up exactly how he felt about her request.
“Thank you for your email looking for free accommodation in return for exposure,” he wrote.
“It takes a lot of balls to send an email like that, if not much self-respect and dignity. 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?
“Who is going to pay the housekeepers who clean your room? The waiters who serve you breakfast? The receptionist who checks you in? Who is going to pay for the light and heat you use during your stay? The laundering of your bed sheets? The water rates? Maybe I should tell my staff they will be featured in your video in lieu of receiving payment for work carried out while you’re in residence?”