I've done a fair few hotel mystery shops now, most but not all with one MSC who has a bunch of different clients. Something I've noticed is that a large amount of hotel instructions from different MSCs and different clients always have me ask someone at the front desk or door for directions to a pharmacy. This always strikes me as oddly specific. Can anyone possibly give me a reason for why this might happen?

People go on a trip and forget their maintenance medication more often than you might think. Then they make a frantic call to the doctor and request an emergency small refill in the destination location.

I'm guessing that they want the staff to know how to direct them to the closest pharmacy.

Interesting. I've done about 30-40 hotels (admittedly all but 1 for the same company), and I've never seen that requirement. From your other posts though I'm almost positive we are working with two different companies in two different categories.

It's a better question than the one that asks about where to buy wine when I am surrounded by wineries.

Perhaps I have not done as many hotel shops for that particular MSC than you have, but I have only seen that question brought up once. I'd rather ask that question than some that I have faced.

My $.02 as someone who spent a few years making up questions for people to ask at hotels….

1. You need to have questions to ask the staff so you can gauge their response.
2. The question has to be easy enough so that any staff member could take the initiative to answer, rather than directing you to the concierge.
3. Having the same question asked at all properties in a particular month/quarter levels the playing field for overall scoring.
4. Sometimes the stupidest questions are the best test for the staff.

After a few months of making up hotel instructions for a living, I started running out of ideas for questions to ask. Some days, I would take my laptop, get a cup of coffee and work from a nearby hotel lobby where I would eavesdrop on each question asked of the hotel staff. I learned a lot from that. If you get hotel instructions from the MSC I used to work for, they come from a database that was complied mainly from questions that I actually heard guests ask.

The main thing I learned from watching guests in hotels and talking to the hotel management was that it's not as important what the answer to the question is, but instead how the request is handled. A doorman will get asked where the nearest Starbucks is 10 times each day…even if the local Starbucks is in clear view from the hotel lobby. Does he roll his eyes at the question or answer respectfully?

As much as a MSC would like to have their questions customized for each hotel. It's just not possible. I would try to catch obvious stupidity (Like a wine request for a hotel in Napa), but some days I was sending out dozens of instruction sets for hotels all over the world. I prided myself on knowing the properties, but they changed so fast that it was not possible to keep up with all of them.

That said, it's your responsibility as an evaluator to make a intelligent decision about the questions presented to you and contact the MSC if you do not feel they are appropriate for the property you are evaluating.

Steve, you sounded like so good at what you did, why, in the world, did you stop?

(heart)

Times change. Situations change. What was good for me 10 years ago is not necessarily the best career choice for me today...and I'm very good and what I do now as well.

Mystery Shopping as a career is not something I ever aspired to do. It was there when I needed a break from my chosen career and gave me the perspective that I needed at the time. My experiences working as a full-time shopper, editor and scheduler have definitely had a lasting effect on my lifestyle, however. For me, 'moonlighting' as a mystery shopper makes the perfect side job. It just took me a few years to figure that out.

its common to need something from a drug store..

i was on vacation at a hotel...and injured myself and needed pain medication....called the front desk to ask where to get it..

GMNJ Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> its common to need something from a drug store..
>
> i was on vacation at a hotel...and injured myself
> and needed pain medication....called the front
> desk to ask where to get it..


Can't you just check google maps?

The point of the exercise, Misanthrope, is to see how the employees respond to the question.

I feel the same thing about requesting a wake up call in this day and age.

Don't. I request one for almost every morning I stay in a hotel unless I'm not worried about what time I get out the next morning. I'm a heavy sleeper. I have slept through just a cell phone alarm before. I still set my cell phone alarm, and I set a wake up call for 5 minutes before. It's the only way to ensure I'll wake up on time. I'm sure I'm not the only one in the world that does this, so don't feel odd about it.

Also, many time I have seen them write down the wake up call on a sheet and have a dozen other wake up calls listed.

..You just came out of the hotel restaurant you just shopped and you want to know where you can buy a bottle of Pepto.

Good answer, sethd85

One alarm and wake up call? You're an amateur sleeper. I do three alarms plus the call. And still am lucky to be conscious after the third alarm.

LindaM Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I feel the same thing about requesting a wake up
> call in this day and age.

No kidding. 50% of the time, my requested wake-up call does not arrive.

Sounds like it's a needed part of the evaluation then.

I just did my first hotel shop. Quick job, as it was less than 24 hours after getting it assigned that I was checking in. My question of choice? "Where is the nearest drug store?"

Haha last time I asked about the nearest pharmacy, to get some painkillers, they actually sent a staff member to pick up a back and delivered them to my room at no extra charge (though I tipped the person who delivered them)...

But yeah, you do sometimes wonder why the same questions are consistently used for a prolonged period of time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2015 11:17AM by naarestrup.