Dublin hotel owner sends about Rs 39 crore invoice to freebie-seeking blogger, after email goes viral
In a viral online face-off between a UK lifestyle blogger/YouTuber and a Dublin cafe owner, who was asked by the former for a free stay in lieu of coverage, things took an interesting turn when not only was the cafe owner furious at the 'request' but also sent the blogger an invoice for Rs 39 crore approximately, for boosting her image online.
A cafe owner in Dublin, Ireland, took to Facebook as he ‘exposed’ a ‘social media influencer’ who had written to him asking for free stay at their hotel in return for “bringing traffic and recommending others to book up”. He shared a screenshot of her email to him, blackening out her ID and details of her online account handles, but criticised her for expecting free accommodation. Uploaded on January 16, his Facebook post has gone viral, with over 3,500 shares already at the time of writing. While many supported him, others called his response “kiddish” and a “bit too harsh”.
The influencer said she and her partner were going to Dublin for an early Valentine’s weekend during February 8-12 and she “would love” to feature their hotel in her “YouTube videos/dedicated Instagram stories and posts… in return for free accommodation”. She wrote that she has worked with Universal Orlando in Florida and “it’s been amazing for them”.
In his Facebook post with the letter, the cafe’s owner Paul Stenson responded, “Lucky for us, we too have a significant social media following. We have 186k followers on our two Facebook pages, an estimated 80k on our Snapchat, 32k on Instagram and a paltry 12k on our Twitter, but Jesus Christ, I would never in a million years ask anyone for anything for free. I also blog a bit (www.paulvstenson.com), which as far as I’m aware is another way of saying “write stuff on the internet'”. He also shared the link to a small, satirical video called the ‘House of Influencers’ for them to “learn from”.
This is the Facebook post shared on the restaurant’s Facebook page and signed by Stenson, which subsequently went viral.
“Dear Social Influencer (I know your name but apparently it’s not important to use names),
Thank you for your email looking for free accommodation in return for exposure. 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?
Lucky for us, we too have a significant social media following. We have 186k followers on our two Facebook pages, an estimated 80k on our Snapchat, 32k on Instagram and a paltry 12k on our Twitter, but Jesus Christ, I would never in a million years ask anyone for anything for free. I also blog a bit (www.paulvstenson.com), which as far as I’m aware is another way of saying “write stuff on the internet”. The above stats do not make me any better than anyone else or afford me the right to not pay for something everyone else has to pay for.
In future, I’d advise you to offer to pay your way like everyone else, and if the hotel in question believes your coverage will help them, maybe they’ll give you a complimentary upgrade to a suite. This would show more self-respect on your part and, let’s face it, it would be less embarrassing for you. Here is a little video I produced which you may learn from: http://bit.ly/2mKTDTD
Best regards,
Paul Stenson”
A cafe owner in Dublin, Ireland, took to Facebook as he ‘exposed’ a ‘social media influencer’ who had written to him asking for free stay at their hotel in return for “bringing traffic and recommending others to book up”. He shared a screenshot of her email to him, blackening out her ID and details of her online account handles, but criticised her for expecting free accommodation. Uploaded on January 16, his Facebook post has gone viral, with over 3,500 shares already at the time of writing. While many supported him, others called his response “kiddish” and a “bit too harsh”.
The influencer said she and her partner were going to Dublin for an early Valentine’s weekend during February 8-12 and she “would love” to feature their hotel in her “YouTube videos/dedicated Instagram stories and posts… in return for free accommodation”. She wrote that she has worked with Universal Orlando in Florida and “it’s been amazing for them”.
In his Facebook post with the letter, the cafe’s owner Paul Stenson responded, “Lucky for us, we too have a significant social media following. We have 186k followers on our two Facebook pages, an estimated 80k on our Snapchat, 32k on Instagram and a paltry 12k on our Twitter, but Jesus Christ, I would never in a million years ask anyone for anything for free. I also blog a bit (www.paulvstenson.com), which as far as I’m aware is another way of saying “write stuff on the internet'”. He also shared the link to a small, satirical video called the ‘House of Influencers’ for them to “learn from”.
This is the Facebook post shared on the restaurant’s Facebook page and signed by Stenson, which subsequently went viral.
“Dear Social Influencer (I know your name but apparently it’s not important to use names),
Thank you for your email looking for free accommodation in return for exposure. 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?
Lucky for us, we too have a significant social media following. We have 186k followers on our two Facebook pages, an estimated 80k on our Snapchat, 32k on Instagram and a paltry 12k on our Twitter, but Jesus Christ, I would never in a million years ask anyone for anything for free. I also blog a bit (www.paulvstenson.com), which as far as I’m aware is another way of saying “write stuff on the internet”. The above stats do not make me any better than anyone else or afford me the right to not pay for something everyone else has to pay for.
In future, I’d advise you to offer to pay your way like everyone else, and if the hotel in question believes your coverage will help them, maybe they’ll give you a complimentary upgrade to a suite. This would show more self-respect on your part and, let’s face it, it would be less embarrassing for you. Here is a little video I produced which you may learn from: http://bit.ly/2mKTDTD
Best regards,
Paul Stenson”
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