A luxury hotel in Tagaytay City, Philippines, recently encountered a social media influencer with 100k followers, seeking to barter social media services for a free stay. Botchi Santos, the hotel’s marketing consultant, revealed the exact conversation on social media, including screenshots of the influencer’s message and the hotel’s reaction.
The influencer’s message, which requested a one-night stay and provided the hotel a two-month window to choose a date, was not deemed unreasonable. The influencer’s subsequent remark, “Thanks for the seen zone,” was deemed unprofessional. Furthermore, the influencer’s need for a rapid response and the message’s timing at midnight on a Sundayas well as the message’s timing at midnight on a Sunday, did not sit well with Santos.
“There is also the small matter of you messaging on a Sunday midnight. The people who decide decide on such requests have other obligations (READ: live their own private personal lives) as well on weekends 😅,” read the post.
The hotel responded by acknowledging the influencer’s request but explaining that the hotel’s decision-making process and response time may fall short of the influencer’s expectations. The hotel also criticized the message’s timeliness and the expectation of a complimentary stay without sufficient discussion.
This incident serves as a lesson for influencers to be mindful of their approach and timing when approaching possible business relationships.
