The Points Guy: We never accept free flights [merged TPG discussions]
Nov 18, 2015, 4:09 pm
#212
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: UA-1K, MM, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Titanium
Posts: 4,432
Well Ben will be PO'd Im sure he would want to do the Residence with the BF. Oh well. Id rather read Brian's review then Ben's.
Nov 18, 2015, 4:22 pm
#213
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,737
Seems like there could be a sequel to the deleted drunk shower video at 36,000 ft? If it's comp'd do you think they'd allow him to bring his boyfriend?
Nov 18, 2015, 4:26 pm
#214
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: UA-1K, MM, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Titanium
Posts: 4,432
He'd probably demand it using the logic that the price is for two people (IIRC) I am so glad I didn't see the drunk shower video at 36K feet. Im afraid to ask what it was about.
Nov 18, 2015, 5:44 pm
#215
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,182
Nov 18, 2015, 7:31 pm
#216
Join Date: May 2004
Location: LAX
Posts: 1,849
"John, it's gonna be huge! so many clicks, so many credit card applications!".
John agreed, paid $30K, a drop for a corporation...
Nov 19, 2015, 1:03 am
#217
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 677
But that is what makes me curious - how is this good for business at all (if it fit with anyone's readership, it would be Ben's)? He still has people on his site asking how many miles their award ticket will earn. The Residence cannot be achieved with miles/points (well, if you have millions of Etihad miles) and therefore the effort is lost for his readership. Instead, it will just come off like a "look what I did because I can) type thing. And that never plays well. Check out his post from a while back about paying $1,400 a night for a hotel in Paris.
Nov 19, 2015, 7:49 am
#219
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Programs: Airline Free Agent, Fairmont Lifetime Platinum, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Honors Diamond
Posts: 3,041
Nov 19, 2015, 8:36 am
#220
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Digital Nomad Wandering the Earth - Currently in LIMA, PERU
Posts: 58,611
But that is what makes me curious - how is this good for business at all (if it fit with anyone's readership, it would be Ben's)? He still has people on his site asking how many miles their award ticket will earn. The Residence cannot be achieved with miles/points (well, if you have millions of Etihad miles) and therefore the effort is lost for his readership. Instead, it will just come off like a "look what I did because I can) type thing. And that never plays well. Check out his post from a while back about paying $1,400 a night for a hotel in Paris.
Not repeatable using points, but no one has to know that!
Nov 19, 2015, 9:44 am
#221
Join Date: May 2004
Location: LAX
Posts: 1,849
Novelty. None of those clowns has flown in it yet, so for sure
it will bring clicks. Beating omaat probably will make his day...
This kind of silliness.
Business? I predict it's gonna fade out until next world wide crisis.
There is simply no way to advertise aspirational trips anymore.
Unless your readers cannot count to 3...
You can see how many blogs are pretty much dead right now,
some bigger ones like mommything etc. I'm pretty sure their cc income
is the thing of the past.
Nov 23, 2015, 7:43 am
#222
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP, mid-tier with pretty much everyone else
Posts: 873
I'm glad he's bringing a video producer onboard The Residence today. His pictures aren't bad by any means but having a professional along will make the content much better I think.
Nov 23, 2015, 8:45 am
#223
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,737
I do have to say I did not think TPG would be paying cash for that seat. Kudos to him for being upfront. It is a business expense, but even more than that I can see how this kind of fits right into his feud with Lucky over who has the better blog and who is more successful. To pay out of pocket and state that it is a business expense vs asking your readers to pay for your ticket (because he's doing it for you guys!) when we all know Ben could afford it.....
I have to wonder if TPG thinks that this will go viral like the guy who did the $60,000 trip around the world on points? How else would one justify paying that amount for a ticket other than bragging rights?
Nov 23, 2015, 11:02 am
#224
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Airline nobody. Sad!
Posts: 26,062
I do have to say I did not think TPG would be paying cash for that seat. Kudos to him for being upfront. It is a business expense, but even more than that I can see how this kind of fits right into his feud with Lucky over who has the better blog and who is more successful. To pay out of pocket and state that it is a business expense vs asking your readers to pay for your ticket (because he's doing it for you guys!) when we all know Ben could afford it.....
Nov 23, 2015, 11:52 am
#225
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP, mid-tier with pretty much everyone else
Posts: 873
It doesn't look like he is bringing anyone. You have to be joking when you say TPG's photos aren't a bad thing. They are some of the worst ever featured on a travel blog. The photos you are seeing in recent articles were taken by his editor after he contacted the airline and asked to board 15 minutes early and to access the residence to take photos/videos.