Courtesy: Joshua Barrie | News Source: mirror.co.uk

Last week, cafe and hotel owner Paul Stenson published a request for a free stay he had received from a reasonably well-known YouTube blogger.

Paul Stenson, who owns the White Moose Cafe and the Charleville Lodge Hotel in Dublin, aired his disdain for 'social media influencers' and shared on Facebook a message from blogger Elle Darby.

Elle, from Bath, requested a free room over the Valentine's Day weekend in exchange for promotion. The 22-year-old has 87,000 YouTube subscribers and around 87,000 Instagram followers and had asked whether Paul might be interested in 'collaborating'.

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"I would love to feature you in my Youtube videos/dedicated Instagram stories/posts to bring traffic to your hotel and recommend others to book up in return for free accommodation," she wrote.

Paul, rather than offer Elle board and lodging, shared the email on Facebook and made his feelings clear. The post sparked a fierce debate.

Some feel blogging is part of modern business – essentially a form of advertising, PR. Others believe the wave of young 'influencers' are merely chancers out for a free meal and holiday.

Either way, Elle's message and Paul's reaction granted both parties a great deal of publicity - far more, it's fair to say, than either would've possibly hoped to have received.

Paul – despite Elle already having accused the hotelier of "bullying" – has waded back into the row. Now, he's sent the blogger a bill for €4.3m plus VAT. It's a stunt, of course, but also Paul's estimation for all the publicity Elle's received thanks to his Facebook post.

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The invoice states that Elle should be charged for "the provision of features in 114 articles across 20 countries with a potential reach of 450 million people".

Paul also shared a photo of a jug of 'bloggers' tears' after the mayhem caused as a result of the exchange.

Elle hasn't yet responded to Paul's latest comments, but at the time did reply with a video, titled: "i was exposed (SO embarrassing)".

She told viewers: "These were all 30 years-plus people internet bullying a 22-year-old girl who is just trying to run her own business and raise awareness of what appeared to be a stunning Dublin hotel."

Elle claimed to have "cried my eyes out in my car alone" after being shamed, and said that the response was an example of [older generations] "hindering the younger generation from doing what they enjoy".

In his original post, Paul didn't name Elle, but did write that he felt the blogger lacked "'self-respect and dignity."

Paul didn't hold back

Elle was upset

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He said: "Thank you for your email looking for free accommodation in return for exposure....

"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?"

In a follow-up, Paul announced he had banned bloggers from the business following a number of negative reviews from supporters of Elle.