A British vlogger named and shamed after she asked for a free stay in a Dublin hotel in return for ‘exposure’ has put out another video on the saga.
Elle Darby, 22, from Somerset, has hit out for a second time against Paul Stenson, the owner of the White Moose hotel, and her critics in general.
In her latest video she refutes Stenson’s allegation that she exposed herself to the scandal, and says it was actually his fault for not blanking out her name properly when he posted a copy of her original email to Facebook.
Darby says Stenson is now selling t-shirts referencing this fact, with one design reading: ‘I got exposed by the White Moose.’
Elle Darby, the ‘social media influencer’ called out by a Dublin hotel after asking for a free stay, has made another video hitting out at her critics
In it she refutes several aspects of the story, saying it was Paul Stenson, owner of the White Moose hotel, that exposed her identity, and not herself. She points to t-shirts being sold by the hotel as proof, including this one
The White Moose logo is surrounded by highlighter that does not obscure the text underneath, which is how Darby says her identity was revealed.
She also denies being angry that Stenson had declined her ‘business proposal’ when she filmed her first video, saying instead: ‘My issue was with how he reacted.
‘A simple way to go about it would have just been a “no” or for the email to have been ignored, instead of me having death threats and cancer threats.’
Darby’s video, published on YouTube on Tuesday, is just the latest episode in an online drama that started when she emailed Stenson asking if he would like to ‘collaborate’ with her.
‘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.
But her note was greeted with disdain by Mr Stenson, who not only poured scorn on the request but also posted the exchange online.
Another shirt being sold by the White Moose, which Darby has accused of exposing her to attacks and online bullying
Darby’s video comes after Stenson also sent her this invoice for the publicity she has gotten in the wake of their exchange going viral – valued at €4.3m plus VAT
That led Darby to issue a video response in which she attacked Stenson’s behaviour while saying she did ‘absolutely nothing wrong’.
While some attacked Darby for her brazen request, others went after the hotel, leading to Stenson banning all social media influencers from the premises.
He then went one step further, and on Monday sent Darby an invoice for the publicity she has received in the wake of their exchange going viral.
The invoice states that she is being charged for ‘the provision of features in 114 articles across 20 countries with a potential reach of 450 million people’, and that the publicity Mr Stenson has obtained for her would be valued at €4.3m plus VAT.
Joker: Mr Stenson, famously barred vegans from his cafe in 2015 and has now also banned bloggers from his venues, placing a jug of ‘tears of bloggers’ on his counter
Influencer: Ms Darby has 87,000 YouTube subscribers and 76,000 Instagram followers
The 22-year-old blogs and records videos about beauty and fitness
He also posted a picture of a jug containing ‘tears of bloggers’ to go alongside one that reads ‘the ashes of vegans’.
In his original post on social media, Mr Stenson included Ms Darby’s email requesting a free stay, as well as his own reply to her, in which he told her she lacked ‘self-respect and dignity.’
‘Thank you for your email looking for free accommodation in return for exposure,’ he said.
‘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?
She asked about a ‘possible collaboration’ involving free accommodation at Charleville Lodge Hotel (pictured) in Dublin
Elle Darby wrote to Paul Stenson, the owner of the White Moose Café and Charleville Lodge Hotel in Dublin, asking about a ‘possible collaboration.’ He poured scorn on her request and shared it on Facebook
‘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?’
Despite not being names in the post, Ms Darby responded by posting a video on her YouTube channel, with the title: ‘i was exposed (SO embarrassing)’.
In the video, she claimed people over the age of 30 ‘had no idea how social media works these days’ and revealed she had received hundreds of messages of abuse.
‘I feel disgusting having to say this. As a 22-year-old girl, who’s running her own business from her home, I don’t feel like I did anything wrong,’ she said.
Ms Darby responded by posting a video on her YouTube channel, with the title: ‘i was exposed (SO embarrassing)’
Ms Darby claimed Mr Stenson’s actions had led to her being targeted by online trolls
Ms Darby also claimed the response of hindering ‘the younger generation from doing what they enjoy’
The emotional vlogger accused internet trolls of targeting her.
She added: ‘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.’
Ms Darby also claimed the response was hindering ‘the younger generation from doing what they enjoy’ and that she ‘cried my eyes out in my car alone’.
In a follow-up post on Facebook, the hotel announced that all bloggers are banned from the business.
Mr Stenson wrote: ‘I never thought we would be inundated with negative reviews for the simple reason that somebody was required to pay for goods received or services rendered.
‘The girl in question was never identified in my original post, but she herself went on to create a video explaining how she was ‘exposed’ with ‘malicious intent’ for asking for a freebie.
‘This kind of victimisation is very prevalent in the blogging industry, and is in keeping with their general modus operandi of wanting everything for nothing.
‘If any of you attempt to enter our premises from now on, you will be ejected.’