Originally Posted by
Astrophsx
I think the hotel was in the right to call out the behavior.
From the waste of space blogger in question, yes. Frankly if Ben wanted a free room in your hotel you'd be a mug to say no. It is to his credit that he doesn't.
However, as I run comped and paid stay reviews on my site, I can honestly say that the reviews where we pay are worse. Why? Because we don't get access. A comped stay will normally include meals, tours of all the different room categories and lots of useful back-story information. You don't get that sort of stuff on a paid stay. I'm running one tomorrow on a hotel which I never saw in daylight because I arrived so late and left so early. Not exactly enlightening but it is a new property of interest to readers so it runs.
There are also two sorts of comps. There are comps where you decide you want a free holiday in Turkey and you spend a month badgering every hotel you can find until one gives in (which obviously we don't do). Then there is the comp where a hotel offers you a stay in a city you don't really want to visit - and will cost you hundreds in air fare, taxis etc to visit - but which you cover because it is good editorial and somewhere you think your readers would find interesting. THAT is what most of us do.
Since I doubt any user of FT still believes that business travel is in any way glamorous or exciting, I don't quite understand why - when the business is blogging - these trips somehow become more attractive. I have a wife and two little kids and frankly the less time I spend in hotels on my own, even if they are five star and free, the better, which is why I pay someone a full time salary to do most of our reviews.