Influencer gets a FIRM NO to her offer from a Cafe and/or Lodge, the answer from the firm's

[SWBTATTReg]

owner is worth reading and is a wonderful response...as you can tell, I don't really like most 'bloggers', especially those that offer their services in exchange for something in return from the business. Talk about high end mooching, eh? Here's the article (parts of it, I didn't copy all of it, it's in today's edition of "Women's Health", titled "The Hotel This Influencer Wanted To Stay At For Free Is Now Billing Her Millions", Story by Tess Koman • 1h ago). Score a win for the owner, IMHO.

Now don't get me wrong, but I would suspect that any business that needed to drum up business, etc. already has things going on that would do the same thing, generate more business for the business, and not need the services of a 'blogger'. It seems that I hear all of the time of blogger efforts to score freebies from a score of businesses that write about their encounters with so called bloggers, it seems to be kind of an ongoing practice within the blogger community.

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Soon after YouTuber Elle Darby asked Dublin's White Moose Cafe and Charleville Lodge if she could stay for free, NY Mag reports the hotel's owner Paul Stenson shut her way, way down.

In a January 16 Facebook post, Stenson screengrabbed Darby's apparent email in which she asked for a comped stay essentially in return for traffic to the hotel. She notes her tens of thousands of YouTube and Instagram followers as proof this arrangement would be beneficial to the hotel.

"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," Stenson's reply begins. He continues:

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?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. Best regards, Paul Stensonwww.charlevillelodge.ieP.S. The answer is no.

(rest of article goes on)...

I don't know if this owner's excellent response to this request of freebies from the business will stop this practice, but as a business owner owning 10 units of a very small lodging business (trout fishing), even 1 unit given up for free for a duration of time would have cut into my operating expenses, being that there were numerous other lodging businesses also competing for business in the area.

Enjoy, especially for those of us who do have small Mom and Pop businesses.