Dublin hotel owner Paul Stenson, of the White Moose Café and Charleville Lodge, said a social-media influencer with more than 80,000 followers, chose the wrong hotel owner to ask for a freebie.
When the unnamed blogger asked for a complimentary stay in exchange for promotional vlogs and Instagram updates, Stenson posted his outraged response to his company’s Facebook page.
“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?” Stenson writes in the post. “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.”
Stenson’s caustic reply went viral, when Elle Darby, outed herself in a 17-minute video complaining about Stenson’s hurtful treatment and describing him as a “dream-stealer.” The blogging community supported her and its’ irate members said it was “malicious” and “unprofessional.”
“I was embarrassed, I felt humiliated,” Darby, 22, says in her rant. She defends her career, concluding “I’m just a young girl trying to live their best life.”
Stenson, who posted a spoof YouTube video, mocking social-media influencers like Darby, has “apologized” to Darby and “all bloggers.”
“I am kicking myself that I didn’t think about you before now,” he writes in a new Facebook post. “If each one of you is pissed off . . . there is a fair chance that you will all speak badly to your followers about us, which will result in a huge number of people hearing about our brand collectively.”
He adds, “Thank you for all your hard work, and don’t forget to continue to spread the word about our business!”
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