Malaika
The influencer culture is really getting out of hand.
Just because you have a few followers doesn’t mean you can get free things whenever you go. Apparently Influencers don’t really get this. You can’t actually pay someone with likes.
So they go around ‘begging’ people just so they can continue to live ‘luxurious lifestyle’ without actually have to pay a dime. And no exposure doesn’t pay the bills. That is probably why this Hotel was sick and tired of this and decided to teach one Influencer a lesson.
The Hotel name? White Moose Cafe. Following is what the influencer had to say in the email.
Source: Facebook
Don’t think they’ll be well after reading this.
Is that supposed to be impressive?
Has it been though?
I don’t think you do.
And then the sh*t-storm came when the Hotel actually decided to reply.
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, 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.
Best regards,
Paul Stenson
P.S. The answer is no.
But they didn’t just stop there.
If you think we’re done, you’re wrong because they also decided to release t-shirts. Inadvertently the Influencer did manage to get them a lot of exposure.
So what did we learn today? Never make anyone with a following angry.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings