84fiero

Those who were hoping for Ben to "spread his wings" a bit more in the locations he visits, will be disappointed in his current trip to Easter Island. He's staying at the all-inclusive Explora Rapa Nui luxury resort (part of Explora boutique hotel group) with its pre-arranged daily itineraries, etc. Which is what some people prefer and isn't wrong, though it's a shame IMHO, as Easter Island is an ideal place to just freestyle where your rental 4x4 and map take you that day. And there are tons of locally owned properties of various types including B&B type places with homemade breakfast and in-room wifi if you want - for way less than what Explora charges, even factoring in the food and activities.

But in any case what appears to be his first post of the trip is bemoaning that the hotel "forces you to disconnect" with *gasp* limited wifi only in public places and no internet or TV in the rooms! You see, he's a very busy man who is constantly working!

He asks readers their opinions of being "forced" to disconnect.

A number of reader comments point out that he wasn't forced to disconnect, as he could have chosen another property with in-room wifi if that was important to him. And he indicates that he was aware of the wifi situation prior to booking so I don't know why he's complaining now.

Long Train Runnin

There is also pretty decent 3G coverage on Easter Island. if it has that important I would hope/imagine someone like him has a decent international data plan and he could just tether in his room. I remember my phone being faster then the in room wifi where I stayed I ended up using that to make calls/etc...Guess it depends on where you are staying. I mean it is one of the most remote islands in the world if you need gigabit internet speeds at all time, maybe that isn't the place to be.

kokonutz

Was it maybe comped?

84fiero

I don't believe so as he says

hockeystl

4th day of 2018. Already a dozen credit card blog posts. Pump pump pummmmmmp those referral links Lucky!

84fiero

New year, new...err...same old me?!

oliver2002

Well 2018 bought personal CSR affiliate links

84fiero

Ah yes that's true! I can almost hear Auld Lang Syne playing softly in the background right now...

A post today is titled "Is the Hyatt Credit Card Worth the Annual Fee?"

...you won't believe what the answer is!!!

iadisgreat

Ohhh that explains Lucky and Gary's simultaneous posts on a CSR review.

ckx2

At least he's going to experience Tibet this year, as he found out to like nature places. A true classic Tibet experience on the horizon at the St. Regis!

gpapadop

AND Hyatt Visa ones!

not2017

When the vloggers on Youtube hit a 100,000 followers, all the travel suppliers provide them with whatever they need, as long as the travel supplier is featured in the vlog. OMAAT has way over 100,000 followers. I am sure the Easter Island trip was comped. If not, it was highly discounted. Otherwise he would not be going to Easter Island since it isn't a place that miles/points people go.

84fiero

While he may be shady about not promoting non-affiliate-link credit cards, I've never seen any evidence or gotten the sense that Ben doesn't disclose comped trips, etc. In the past he has disclosed such comps. There are things to be critical of with OMAAT lying by omission about comped trips doesn't seem to be one of them, unless there is some actual evidence to the contrary.

People who are into miles & points do indeed go to Easter Island. I went last year and other FTers have. Besides, except when it comes to promoting CC affiliate links, Ben isn't so much into miles at this point as he once was, as evidenced by how often he purchases revenue tickets, even for J/F.

Astrophsx

Some bold claims being made about not ever asking for free handouts. I think it has been pointed out that his contributors have taken free handouts without disclosing. I know Daniel had a trip to the Middle East and didn’t disclose that they were free stays on each review. Also begs the question if he asked for free stays or the hotels reached out to him. He doesn’t seem to have a significant following. So he either asked or the hotels offered it to OMAAT.



At the end of the day Ben may not directly ask for a free stay, but he has been know to frequently reach out to hotels prior to his stay to let them know he will be gracing them with his presence and how “excited” he is to stay with them. Not as bad as pandering for free stays, but typically those suite upgrades cost more than the basic rooms. So in my opinion he is still playing the social media influncer game. An unbiased review would be him using an alias and also using a secondary social media account to reach out to hotels when things go wrong as to not get preferential treatment.

Maybe that is why some choose to call them trip reports vs hotel reviews? I think Ben is talented and I enjoy his content for the most part, but I think the hotel was in the right to call out the behavior.

ctownflyer

I think you guys are taking these TRs too seriously. In the end of the day it's about entertainment, not journalism.

Even if he doesn't email ahead, most companies do their research and know who they need to please. I'm sure he didn't tell El Al or Etihad that he was flying them, but both showered him with things that regular customers wouldn't get and even boasted online about his flying experience.

I think the vast majority of readers understand all that and are just fine with that.