Influencers

[minecachair]

For a special anniversary treat,my husband booked us two nights at the Shard hotel in London.One of the attractions there is the infinity pool on the 52nd floor.I decided on a mid morning swim and was happy to find it empty.I was gently swimming back and forth when a woman and two men arrived.She was wearing a scrap of a bikini while one of the men fussed over her trowelled on makeup and hair extensions (not being bitchy,I've never seen such thick foundation and eyebrows while her hair reached her waist but didn't look real.) Second man asked me to leave the pool.They obviously weren't staff so I asked why."We need (need?) to make this video with Shalimar-she has thousands of followers who've been looking forward to her day at the Shard."So Shalimar was an "influencer".I replied that I'd just started my swim-they could make their video while I was in the pool or,if they really need it empty,wait until I was finished.He said they'd only be 20 minutes,half an hour at most,so why couldn't I get out now?I repeated I'd just got in and I was staying in until I'd finished.I wasn't splashing around so couldn't they just film around me?Whereupon video man went over to a member of staff and explained his vitally important mission.I assumed the staff member would support me but she asked me-very politely-if I'd be prepared to vacate the pool for half an hour and she'd give me a complimentary drink.Not much of an enticement since I don't drink so I stood my ground or rather trod water.I actually ended up staying in the pool longer than I intended just to be awkward while the threesome applied even more make up and practised camera angles on the edge of the pool but do you think I was being unreasonable?(I was also extremely happy when a party of six arrived and got into the pool just as I was finally leaving.)

Good on you, as someone who works with a lot of influencers they think they are Alist celebs, you wouldn’t find Brad Pitt asking you to exit the pool

Urgh hate this narcissism!! In my opinion Instagram is one of the worst things that ever happened. (No I don’t use it) totally fake and fuelling mental health issues in very young girls.
Good on you, you’ve paid just like them so why do you have to leave?!

I'd have got out of the water for her, just after finishing my dump.

Somebody from the hotel must have given them permission, and decided to sing it on how it would affect other paying guests. I worked in hotels for a long time and we always said no to influencers. However, influencers ARE really influential if they have hundreds of thousands of followers, so as part of their digital marketing campaigns, hotels and restaurants are now much more likely to collaborate than before. Businesses fear negative reviews and the ‘omg hun I’m never darkening there door!!!!! 🤬’ brigade piling on. But paying guests should NEVER be put second; fair warning and compensation should always be given.

Well done for standing your ground/making a splash.

High five OP!

I get put off a business if they use influencers, looking forward to this nonsense being over but can't see it happening soon.

Good for you. Well done. 👏

Quite why anyone would give special dispensation for some brainless airhead with caterpillar eyebrows and bad taste in swimwear is beyond me.

Totally agree with you OP. I publicly and loudly cancelled my gym membership at the Hilton (Manchester Deansgate) because I was so fed up of them PDA poseurs around the pool taking photos - including in the changing rooms- and their undisguised contempt for the modestly dressed (normal)swimmers who were swimming as opposed to being kept afloat by their egos/implants. None of them were members, just in on one day passes for insta shots. I’ve also called out the entire front of house staff at a local car dealership who kept customers waiting for two freakin’ hours while they fawned over an (alleged) influencer trying to get them to let her ‘test drive’ a top of the range car for a week.
I work hard, pay my own way and expect a decent level of customer service for my dosh.

Good for you 👍 I just don't understand the why/how of making a living in that way.. constantly in the camera, the visit for the "influencer" likely paid for whereas you are a paying customer.. the whole idea of posing, taking videos and the utter narcissism of the "work" they do irritates me. I would have done the same.
As a side note, is it wrong I feel so irked by these people who do this? I'm not even sure I know why but they bug me. The tone deaf posts, the constant "aspirational" lifestyle they promote. During these times do we need to be seeing posts that many of us can't afford or even begin to think about.. it majes me sad/upset/angry to think about the effects it may have on people who are already struggling anyway. And like most social media the negative effects on people's mental health to see a "lifestyle " which makes them feel bad and worse about themselves? Like pic perfect Instagram bodies, heavily edited, in no way reflective of the "real". The people who are in the position to afford the holidays and the fancy places are those who don't need to have an "influencer" to show them.. those posts are aimed at the "aspirers" and rightly or wrongly I think do more damage than good. And they are paid for it.. probably wouldn't be possible for them to experience otherwise.
Rambling now but.. it does irk me.

Good for you OP.

Snobbery is never a good look.

Rude and entitled. Hope the party of six stayed for the duration.

We were on the London eye a few years ago, my DC's first time in London, to he activity he choose from the selection I offered. It was quiet and there was just us, another family of 3, an influencer and a photographer. The twat influencer tried to dictate where we, particularly my child could be at all times. Fuck right off. He wants to roam and look out the windows, to see the view, we paid for the view, he gets to roam as he pleases.

Name and shame !

I would have stayed in all day 😂😂😂

I'd also leave them a shitty review

Well done !

9/10

You should have pissed in the pool.

I looked up "Shalimar"online although I'm not an Instagram user.I genuinely wouldn't have recognised her as the same person.Her whole body was filterted to within an inch of its life,made much,much slimmer with the exception of her boobs.They were already improbably huge but they looked even larger in the video.After all the fuss,none of the video or pics had her actually in the water-heaven forbid her makeup or hair got wet.As for her "thousands" of followers,there were 287!

Good for you and I second making a complaint about being asked to leave the pool, and writing about it on a review. If they want private use they should book/pay for that.

Influencers get so much for free I actively avoid anything they are paid to promote, it's grating to see someone who's already wealthy freeloading while we are expected to stump up full price 🤷🏻‍♀️

Is she actually called shalimar? Please let us have her real name as this is great. I applaud you and would have done exactly the same. Although I may have been open to negotiations with the member of staff...it would have taken a lot more than a complimentary drink too

Are you sure you didn't click on the wrong person?

287 doesn't tie up with that level of fawning.

I too looked up Shalimar. Not sure which Shalimar is your Shalimar.

Dartmoorcheffy: she was on Instagram under Shalimar although I doubt that's her real name.However,this was last year.When I went to check again today,she's no longer posting there but a note gives a link to her OnlyFans page.Didn't bother going there!

Lmao, this didn't happen.

If it did happen why wait nearly a year to post?

Not really, I can't bloody find her! Is she Shalimar Heppner, Shalimar Cruise, Shalimar Iviello, Shalimar Rivera??