DynamicUno

Marriott's CEO has been on record about wanting to insure cutbacks and service unbundling are maintained post-pandemic, taking cues from the airlines. He's been the most up-front about it, but the big hotel chains all appear to want to boost the hotel owners revenue streams by locking in a lower baseline level of service and allowing them to charge for things like daily housekeeping, access to certain hotel amenities, etc. This isn't just limited to the budget/business travel brands either. I think it's a bad idea, especially when competing with Airbnb, but consumer opinion doesn't seem to be driving the priorities now.

Indeed, it's a little weird that someone would be so compelled to create an account just to leave a comment on an older post, but not totally inconceivable. I've seen other similar first-time posts, however, that comment on the OP vaguely and include a hyperlink embedded in the message. It seems oddly high effort just to spam a forum, but the pattern is consistent.

I've met him, would do so again.

Yes, a lot of guys have found that RM is a low effort way to promote their fans sites. A lot of the OF guys are primarily traveling to meet with other OF guys to make content, especially if they've run through the guys in their area. Some will pick up a few clients even traveling to help defray the cost, but they may not need to see as many as guys traveling primarily to escort. I've seen guys using OF to promote themselves as escorts, too. So it kinda of goes both ways.

Unclear. I doubt Twitter did this unprompted, but it seems Twitter's report feature can be gamed pretty easily. There have been past schemes by trolls using the reporting feature to extort money mentioned in the article. It could be that or someone with a chip on their shoulder. It bears waiting to see how things shake out and if he and the others get reinstated.

I'll want to remember where the bodies are buried....

I hope you are open with your therapist about your frustrations, and they are helping you build healthy expectations for meeting and dating someone who would be a potential partner for you. Back in my barhopping days, I knew a guy (a friend of a friend) who was constantly chasing after the gymbunnies. He wasn't particularly femme, but he was .... intense, all over the place sometimes in how he interacted with people The guy was pretty fit, but no bodybuilder, but he had his type and he'd spend a lot of time pining after whichever guy caught his eye that night. He'd would get pissy if he was brushed off sometimes, and go through periods bemoaning how unfair it was. The sad thing was there were a couple very fit guys that had been interested in him, but he didn't ever reciprocate the interest because they weren't bulked up bodybuilder types. The thing I'm wondering is if you, like this guy I used to know, are pining after an idealized type of guy and not even noticing people who don't meet that ideal who are actually interested in you? For the record, I have no idea what I'd do on a date with Hemsworth...but I'd be all over Mark Ruffalo or Benedict Wong.

I'm neither a moderator nor a maintainer for this site, so I don't have any insight or responsiblity to officially announce site policies or feature updates. You can find all discussion for that in the 'Announcements' subforums. The new reviews section and a link to the legacy site are right in the top menu.

Yeah, I did. It was only a token amount, not a full pre-payment, so it wasn't a potential disaster if things didn't happen. I would have balked about a bigger 'deposit'. I don't think he set out to scam me, he claimed 'car trouble' which is a classic excuse, but he did seem genuinely embarrased and he did offer to make the refund. I just had to remind him a few times. It worked out this time, but I wouldn't have been out much if it didn't. Just a reminder on the cheap this time.

Had a similar experience. He was advertising in my city, said he was in town for the weekend. I tried to set up something for the next day, he even gave me an address where he was staying and said to confirm the next day. I even saw him in Grinder near the address he gave. Later that evening, his ad was switched to Florida and he didn't respond to my text the next day. I doubt he was trolling on RM just for shits and giggles. Maybe he had another arrangement that fell through, or something came up, but it would have been nice to get an explanation.

I try to follow the 'HR' rule on 411 threads. I'd confirm if I've met a provider and if he matches his profile. If there were problems I'd mention that I'd be cautious about engaging him, but leave anything beyond that to PMs. The old forum maintained a strict demarcation with the review site. This allowed the policy of allowing the providers to have the benefit of the final response on a review (when called for). It was believed that allowing reviews in the forum for open discussion would be potentially destructive to both the review site and the forum, and I agree with that assessment. The new review database is live, or should be soon. I think it still needs work, but it's a start.

If he's using cashapp or venmo or similar app, he wouldn't get your CC info. He would probably get your real name depending how you have the account set up, which may or may not be an issue for you. The monetary risk is low, and it's not likely he's using it as a ruse for other purposes, but the risk is there. I did send a provider a pre-payment by venmo a few months ago who ended up a no-show. In this case he did own up and did return the deposit, but it did take a few reminders to get it done. I was only out the transaction fees in the end, but it's a lesson learned to be more cautious when setting up engagements with providers for the first time.

I doubt there's anything more complicated than their appreciation for the green stuff. They are being blunt about what they want, and if you aren't into that you can pass (to the left). No need to bong your head trying to find hidden meanings, because they are being up front about the kind of smoke they are blowing.

Providers and clients should be on equal standing as members when discussing the structure and functioning of the forum and review database. If the review function becomes toxic to providers in general then everyone is badly served by it. If it's not providing any value for clients trying to see if a hire is a good fit for them, we're just as badly served. Also there are many members who neither hire nor provide who shouldn't be discounted either, and they also have a say in how the rest of the forum functions. I believe the old review format where a reviewer could describe their experience and the provider had the last say worked well and made sense. Keeping reviews out of general discussion kept detractors and defenders of certian providers from spiriling out of control. A client review database would be highly detrimental to this site. Provider's are publically advertisng a service and the reviews should reflect the experiences have had engaging their services. Clients who hire in a way that is tied to their accounts here is probably pretty limited, many hire semi-anonymously so doxxing would be a concern. There are venues where sex workers exchange info on problematic clients. There's a private discussion room on this site that could be used for that purpose, but I think there are more established places for it.

I recently had an experience with a provider who asked for a $30 advance by a payment app to set the appointment. He didn't show (said he had car trouble). Fortunately he did reimburse the payment but it did take some back and forth by text message to get it done. I won't do that again.

If he was hired with the understanding he'd be bottoming for you, then yes it's a deal breaker. He should have been prepared if it was likely he'd be bottoming. At least he did give a warning instead of risking the mess. If he was expecting to be the top (based on his advertised role or discussions with you prior to meeting), then it's more just buzz kill. Is there a point to revealing his name? It seems that would be better left for a review than putting him on blast here, unless he scammed you somehow.

AFAIK, there's no way to use the Oculus VR without a Facebook account. While I have a FB account, I use it as minimally as possible to stay connected with a few friends and will not get any Oculus products. If you can, return it for the credit.

Yeah, the longer run times for some of these movies makes me consider how to avoid needing a break. I just don't buy any soda at the theater and make sure I make a pit stop before sitting down. A few years ago I went to a event where they screened all three of the Lord of the Rings movies in their extended versions. The was a 45 minute intermission between each one, but it did push my limits.

To be clear, I haven't reduced my customary tip because I don't live in a state or municipality that has changed it's wage laws. But I would consider reducing the percentage a bit it if my area did do that, as I believe the cost of the food is increasing to help offset the increased labor costs to the owner. As far as travelling is concerned, I usually stick with my customary rate because I'm not going to go to the trouble of looking up which places have implemented living wage laws. And no, obviously the cost of living hasn't gone down for the workers, nor me.

I wish we could end the tip culture in the US. I don't believe it leads to better service and it I think the overall dynamic is toxic. Since that's not going to happen anytime soon, I think it's reasonable to tip somewhat less in places that have set up higher minimum wages for service workers, but it's the last thing I want to think about when travelling. The other thing I wish they would do is implement POS systems where they take the card reader to your table instead of having the staff take your cards back. Way more secure and convenient.

I've gotten caught up, it's definately one of the most entertaining series I've seen this year. Martin and Short are a bit toned down playing showmen who've long passed their glory days. And Selena Gomez plays an excellent foil as they stumble through their majestic pre-war apartment block. The side-vignettes for each of the neighbors involved are just as engaging. The series has been renewed for a second season and I'm all in.

Welcome to the forum, the movie was quite entertaining and worth seeing in the theaters. I hope your avatar doesn't mean you will be a One Post Man...

Welcome, always nice to see a sweet scruffy guy in the forums. Have fun!

Gone already.

The guy knows how to make a hot video. Part of me would want to see if I were up to the challenge if I visited NYC, and another part of me is afraid I'd succeed.