Can anyone share the companies that DO hotel inspections and shops?

Just click on the link that has appeared below your post and you will find tons of info on hotel shops. Good luck. They are not recommended for new shoppers.

going to NYC soon - just checked my hotel out - no bed bugs. No MS either.

It is beyond me how a simple questions and lead to Bed Bugs.

Hotel with Casino are no vacation but it does give you some time to gamble on someones money.

Shar,
Hotel shops are highly unlikely to be found just when you want or need them, unless you have a well established rapport with the hotel MSCs and their schedulers and can ask to have something from a future month preassigned to you. That rarely happens, even for experienced hotel shoppers.

Actually - I have to beg to differ on the fact that hotel shops are rarely found where you want or need them - it is absolutely possible to get to the point where you are going to X place and you email two or three schedulers/companies and they reply with what they have available in your city of interest. This is a win win in some ways - you get a hotel that you need and they get a shopper that they know and trust and dont have to pay travel. On the other hand, it can be determential over the long term because you may be setting a precendent that shoppers will do a particular shop or locale with no travel money. This has worked both for and against me as described above.

To answer the original question - I am on a six night route right now - from two different companies. Of the six nights, five will be spent in evaluated hotels and one night is paid for by one of the companies in a mid-range chain to give me a break from shopping and give me a chance to get reports in. My airfare and car rental are paid for, and I get a fee for ONE of the companies. Their locations are "authentic" but far from luxury. I am doing it to get airfare points, the fee, and because I actually like the authentic experience somewhat (but not enough to pay for it). The second company is paying me a fee - which will only cover my extra car rental fees and drop off fees (airfare paid for by first company). These are amazing and beautiful hotels that I am doing for a vacation and for the hotel points ONLY - total lifestyle shop.

So yea- it is possible to string hotels together in a route and even get paid a bit as an aside (I will net only about $700 for a week - that's near poverty level folks) - but only 2 of the days will really be a luxury vacation, the other is allllll work.

ETA: to clarify that $700 a week is not poverty level - but it is NEAR poverty level for a family of three - which is what I am.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/26/2015 03:52AM by MickeyB.

Mickey,
I said it required having developed rapport with hotel MSC schedulers, not that it was impossible. No one new to hotel shops should anticipate being able to do what you do, and I did for a 3 week trip in February.

Anyone know of hotel shops in SW Florida?

lauren,
Just click on the "more about hotel" shops, above and you will find the names of most of the MSCs that do hotels.

I have mixed feelings about hotel shops. I used to do three to four per month (I work full time so I only do them on the weekends). I also enjoy them for the quick getaway and the points. But they are a lot of work. Recently my husband was provided a three night stay at a super luxury hotel through his work for a conference... So nice to not have to do a report. There are so many ways to get free stays and earn points at hotels outside of mystery shopping.

I love these assignments! I hope you'll try a hotel shop and find out if you like this type of work.

Here's what I have learned so far from hotel work:

- Be well rested and well nourished before arriving at the hotel. There may not be time to eat a full meal or get cozy for uninterrupted hours in the bed. Bring snacks or dietetic foods if necessary.

- Before you arrive at the hotel, make a schedule (in your favorite format) for all required events in their unique time frames. Allow extra time for each event.

- Memorize your scenario, if there is one.

- Read the sample narrative provided by the hotel's msc. This will help you allocate time for your writing tasks.

- Plan free time for immediately after check-out so you can finish and revise your report.

I realize that you did not state it was impossible wales, you said it "rarely happens" even for experienced shoppers. And that simply hasn't been my experience. It regularly happens -as an experienced shopper - I can email schedulers and say, "I am going to be in Miami next month, got anything I might be interested in" and they will email me a list of hotels, resorts, etc. that I might be interested in. This arrangement is something that many have and everyone COULD have with patience.

There are LOTS of people on here telling newer shoppers "oh you cannot do this hotel shop - you need more experience" - I am going to be the person that tells you that you CAN. We were all new once. I still remember reading a post from someone in 2000 about how they got a series of cruises and thinking to myself, "I want to do that... I am going to do that." If you work hard, you write well, you have good business sense, you follow direction, and you admit that you can improve - you CAN do exactly what I do. There is no mystery about it. The secret is, do your best ability on every shop you take. Be professional, be kind, and pay it forward. Do not get upset when you do not get the plum assignment that you thought you were a shoe in for - your time will come. Do not get jealous or angry with those who do get the plum assignments that you wanted. Share, make friends with your fellow shoppers and schedulers, and truly - what you want out of this will come.

Posting on here "where are the best assignments" is not really going to get you much. I can list out where I get my best assignments: 5 Diamond, Coyle, BARE, Travessa, Unifocus, and Guest Check but that doesn't mean that these will be YOUR best assignments - or that they are even looking for more hotel shoppers. I know that Bestmark, LRA, CHC, and TNS have some great assignments too... its all about trying everyone once and doing your best work.

I do high end hotels. I really enjoy them but they are A LOT OF WORK. I love the fact that I get free food and a free hotel stay but most of the time I am writing reports. I have a 2 night one coming up and there are 27 reports. I have not done a cheaper hotel shop so I can't answer to that. But if you want the nice ones, they are very complicated with a great deal of narratives. Hope this helps.

I have done Hotel shops and did not find them particularily difficult or involved. One even included the restaurant and meal. But we do not seem to get them in Oregon. The only one I have seen here was for a Red Roof and I will not stay at a Red Roof - paid or not. (I don't think they are safe).

But if you are on the East Coast, they come up quite frequently. Go, enjoy and get paid.

do you ever tire of writing this answer? Wonder if there should be a post labled "Here's what you do to get Hotel/Airline/Travel/Fine Restaurant/Luxury XXX shops"

@walesmaven wrote:

Just click on the "more about hotel" shops, above and you will find the names of most of the MSCs that do hotels.

@SoCalMama wrote:

@mysterytrina wrote:

@sandyf wrote:

I have never had a problem with bed bugs. I do not do too many hotel shops but when I pay for a hotel it is usally a low star one. But I did read somewhere a few years ago that there are a lot more bed bugs on the east side of the country.
As for the difficulty of the jobs, I have not done fancy hotels so the reports have not been difficult. Walesmaven gave some good advice.
I have been able to get most of it done by spending a little time on the computer after check in, finishing most of the report the next morning and downloading pics from my camera and then I do the check out portion when I arrive at the next night hotel. If they are for the same msc you can try and ask to have the deadline at the end of the several night stay. The thing to stay away from if you are thinking of making it more like a vacation is a hotel with spas, masseuses, restaurants, room service, parking valets and pay lots. Then you are assured not to have to report on all those things. But of course you have to be like me and not care about those amenities to have a vacation. A nice old fashioned motel with a big free parking lot outside, decent rooms and restaurants next door is more my speed. Throw in a free breakfast in the lobby, a fridge and microwave and I am happy.

Sandy,

That is a good working plan. What MSC offer hotel jobs? I want to go to Vegas.

WHY? Are you registered with the PI Board in NV and with a shopping company in NV? Hotel rooms are cheap in Vegas. Besides, they save all of the premium jobs for their regular shoppers or out of town shoppers that they know. Most people don't pull into town and check into the Bellagio on a shop. The big jobs require a lot of experience and an outlaw of $1000's up front.

As a matter of fact, I am in the process of getting it. Gee, Sandy, thanks for your friendly, helpful response. Just the kind of positive reinforcement a girl needs...NOT!

Huh! Somebody's oversensitive.

Sandy, SoCal Mama, and others, I appreciate your honesty and level-headed presentation of the realities of hotel shopping. That's the best part of this forum for me. I can count on getting the straight scoop on all aspects of mystery shopping.

Anybody who needs positive reinforcement instead of real information needs to go their Mama, Daddy, or besty. I appreciate encouragement but blind encouragement is not why I'm here reading the forum.

@mysterytrina wrote:

@SoCalMama wrote:

@mysterytrina wrote:

@sandyf wrote:

I have never had a problem with bed bugs. I do not do too many hotel shops but when I pay for a hotel it is usally a low star one. But I did read somewhere a few years ago that there are a lot more bed bugs on the east side of the country.
As for the difficulty of the jobs, I have not done fancy hotels so the reports have not been difficult. Walesmaven gave some good advice.
I have been able to get most of it done by spending a little time on the computer after check in, finishing most of the report the next morning and downloading pics from my camera and then I do the check out portion when I arrive at the next night hotel. If they are for the same msc you can try and ask to have the deadline at the end of the several night stay. The thing to stay away from if you are thinking of making it more like a vacation is a hotel with spas, masseuses, restaurants, room service, parking valets and pay lots. Then you are assured not to have to report on all those things. But of course you have to be like me and not care about those amenities to have a vacation. A nice old fashioned motel with a big free parking lot outside, decent rooms and restaurants next door is more my speed. Throw in a free breakfast in the lobby, a fridge and microwave and I am happy.

Sandy,

That is a good working plan. What MSC offer hotel jobs? I want to go to Vegas.

WHY? Are you registered with the PI Board in NV and with a shopping company in NV? Hotel rooms are cheap in Vegas. Besides, they save all of the premium jobs for their regular shoppers or out of town shoppers that they know. Most people don't pull into town and check into the Bellagio on a shop. The big jobs require a lot of experience and an outlaw of $1000's up front.

As a matter of fact, I am in the process of getting it. Gee, Sandy, thanks for your friendly, helpful response. Just the kind of positive reinforcement a girl needs...NOT!

Mysterytrina,
I am sorry I offended you and you think I wrote a not so positive reply. I was just wondering what about my reply did you find negative? I suspect that you thought the reply from SoCalMama about Nevada shopping was from me and if so please notice who wrote a reply before you accuse the wrong person. Unless of course you are upset that I did not provide a list of companies in Nevada that was the first reply to my post.
Thanks in advance, Sandyf

Sorry, Ms. Sandy. Yes, that was directed at her and not you. My bad. What I said didn't deserve all of that EXTRA commentary, that's all.

For those that are interested: Companies that are licensed to work in Nevada.

A Closer Look: www.a-closer-look.com Contact: juwanna.johnson@a-closer-look.com

BestMark: [www.bestmark.com] Contact: kimv@bestmark.com for paperwork

Dynamic Advantage: [www.dynamic-advantage.com] Contact: info@dynamic-advantage.com

Elite Investigations: [www.eliteinvestigations.com] Contact: jong@eliteinvestigations.com
?
HS Brands International: [www.hsbrands.com] Contact: Christa.Shiklanian@hsbrands.com

QSI Specialists: [www.qsispecialists.com] Contact: gonzalez@qsispecialist.com

**Nevada work card information** [nevadapilb.glsuite.us]

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/31/2015 08:33PM by mysterytrina.

@Jay C wrote:

Huh! Somebody's oversensitive.

Sandy, SoCal Mama, and others, I appreciate your honesty and level-headed presentation of the realities of hotel shopping. That's the best part of this forum for me. I can count on getting the straight scoop on all aspects of mystery shopping.

Anybody who needs positive reinforcement instead of real information needs to go their Mama, Daddy, or besty. I appreciate encouragement but blind encouragement is not why I'm here reading the forum.

"
I like to be informed, just in a respectful tone. Well, my "Mama" and "Daddy" are both dead, so I guess that is a no-go. Obviously, you don't know sarcasm when you read it, huh? Keep reading you'll catch on. Some of us are just a lil' slooooower than others, I understand, Hon.

@mysterytrina wrote:

I like to be informed, just in a respectful tone. Well, my "Mama" and "Daddy" are both dead, so I guess that is a no-go. Obviously, you don't know sarcasm when you read it, huh? Keep reading you'll catch on. Some of us are just a lil' slooooower than others, I understand, Hon.

I am truly sorry your mom and dad are deceased. My sympathies. Hopefully, you do have a besty.

As far as keeping on reading and catching on, you are clearly MUCH slooooower than most. And quick on the trigger - to take offense and bawl out the wrong poster. And snap back at anyone who doesn't agree. No, I don't appreciate your sarcasm, but you seem super slow so maybe it's forgivable. Keep reading and keep trying. I understand, "hon."

@Jay C wrote:

@mysterytrina wrote:

I like to be informed, just in a respectful tone. Well, my "Mama" and "Daddy" are both dead, so I guess that is a no-go. Obviously, you don't know sarcasm when you read it, huh? Keep reading you'll catch on. Some of us are just a lil' slooooower than others, I understand, Hon.

I am truly sorry your mom and dad are deceased. My sympathies. Hopefully, you do have a besty.

As far as keeping on reading and catching on, you are clearly MUCH slooooower than most. And quick on the trigger - to take offense and bawl out the wrong poster. And snap back at anyone who doesn't agree. No, I don't appreciate your sarcasm, but you seem super slow so maybe it's forgivable. Keep reading and keep trying. I understand, "hon."

"We are a community of shoppers helping shoppers." This is the motto of the forum. I am sharp enough to copy and paste it for your review. I hope you can read it and fully comprehend the meaning. If you need further clarification, let me know, I am here to help (like the motto says). This is not the place to "speak" about a person's family, especially, when you don't even know them -- that statement led me to the conclusion that you have a character flaw. I did respond to the wrong poster, and I was woman enough to apologize twice. People can agree or disagree with me all day long, it's their prerogative. However, when people want to get catty, because of a simple statement/query that wasn't even directed at them, I have a problem with that! For the record, the only reinforcement I need is a good pair of spanx to hold my curves and DVR in place.

Maybe, we are both kinda sloooooow that is why we are responding back and forth to each other over nonsense. Bye, Phylicia..er...Jay. lol

Posting Guidelines: "Be honest. Add a positive contribution to the community. You are responsible for all the content of your post. Do not reveal the clients of mystery shopping companies. We're in this together. and most importantly: Have Fun!"

Yes - you are both behaving badly over nonsense. Mom is putting you both in Time Out. You are both smart, fun posters with a lot to share with the forum. Take 5 minutes and cool off.

Both of you come back and play nice.

(Mom loves you, that's why she scolds.)

@AustinMom wrote:

Posting Guidelines: "Be honest. Add a positive contribution to the community. You are responsible for all the content of your post. Do not reveal the clients of mystery shopping companies. We're in this together. and most importantly: Have Fun!"

Yes - you are both behaving badly over nonsense. Mom is putting you both in Time Out. You are both smart, fun posters with a lot to share with the forum. Take 5 minutes and cool off.

Both of you come back and play nice.

(Mom loves you, that's why she scolds.)

Thanks, Mom. lol

I am going to take your advice and take an even longer time out, for that matter, becuase I am not feeling like sugar and spice and everything nice right now. Have a good evening!