Tips from seasoned hotel shoppers..?

I've done hotels before but since I need to be home for my kids on a daily basis, I generally don't get to take them.
Next week I'm doing a 5-star hotel for Five Diamond. Anybody got any tips for completing this properly?

I have like 17 separate guideline documents (pretty much just sample surveys) that explain so much but if anyone has any shop flow tips or things I should bring of tips to keep from being found out- that'd be awesome.

______________________________________________________________________
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

More About Hotel Mystery Shopping

I try to check in early, maybe 1:30 and write the reports as I go along, if possible. Have a schedule in advance. Valet, check in, bell service, make housekeeping request as soon as you arrive and work on your reports while you wait. Know what time the bar is open and work that into your schedule. Stop by the concierge desk while waiting for the bar to open. Ditto for spa treatment. Do the bar. Back to the room and order room service, etc.

Definitely keep on top of the report. They will be on you for the results soon after you check out....and don't try to have any fun at the hotel. They can sense if you're having a good time and will change the instructions for your next shop to make it less enjoyable.

OK, the above may a bit sarcastic, but they are very much about: get in, get out, give us the report, here's your money!

For one particular client, I asked if it would be possible to have a second night at the hotel, since there were so many dining requirements. Their suggestion was to taste and then dispose of the room service meals. They didn't understand why an evaluator would want to spend any more time than necessary on the property.

For me, going to a 5-star property and not enjoying what the hotel offers is contrary to the reason that I mystery shop. If you are just taking the shop for the paycheck, this is a good company to work for, however.

@SteveSoCal wrote:

Definitely keep on top of the report. They will be on you for the results soon after you check out....and don't try to have any fun at the hotel. They can sense if you're having a good time and will change the instructions for your next shop to make it less enjoyable.

So... I can't get a hooker?

______________________________________________________________________
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.

@Hoju wrote:

So... I can't get a hooker?

You can, you're just not allowed to enjoy it.

Shopper in California's Bay Area

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/04/2015 06:28PM by CaliGirl925.

@CaliGirl925 wrote:

@Hoju wrote:

So... I can't get a hooker?

You can, you're just not allowed to enjoy it.

See, new members??? That's how you do it.

______________________________________________________________________
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.

Holy Smokes, Five Diamond! This has been a whirlwind 6 hours!!
"The analyst is completely spent and is drawing himself a bath so he can enjoy this luxurious hotel for at least a few minutes!"

______________________________________________________________________
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.

@CaliGirl925 wrote:

@Hoju wrote:

So... I can't get a hooker?

You can, you're just not allowed to enjoy it.

I can just imagine: "No Stop! I hate this!

Touche Steve, you read my mind.....could not have written this in a more helpful, honest manner

. All true, no free time at all. I have even shopped a hotel with them that the last company happily added another two days due to travel and these requests are usually met with a resounding, "No!" Five Diamond, where fun, i.e. 30 minutes at the max....goes to die! Oh, and don't be surprised if you get an email the EVENING you check out, asking for any finished templates.........NO joke.

I had all of my templates done the day I checked out but ya, it was brutal. I have to wonder if I would do it again given the chance. I'd like to think the report, like every report, gets easier the more you do it.

This one is just tedious, though.

______________________________________________________________________
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.

My main objection is the freakishly short massage that you are allowed to get!

How short is a freakishly short massage?

MASSAGE??? I didn't get no damn massage!
Isn't the minimum massage like 50 minutes, anyway?

______________________________________________________________________
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.

Sadly, some properties offer 25 minute massages.....

My advice to anyone who has had a bad experience with Five-Diamond is to contact the owner, Adam, and let him know in a polite and professional manner how you feel about the assignments. When I asked to be removed from their evaluator pool, he called me and we had a really good, lengthy conversation about why 5D was not a good fit for me.

I was surprised that he was unaware of many of the above issues that shoppers have discussed as being a problem. I think some people just opt to walk away when they don't like the assignments, but these companies have no shot at improving the experience if we are not communicative with them.

It seems to me that 5D is growing and they have more assignments, and needs for shoppers, than ever (at least in my area), so take the time to share your feedback with them and perhaps things may get better. I think the majority of problems are caused by the assignment manager not being a lover of high-end hotels, or anything that involves fun...or life itself. If they could back off on contacting shoppers at least until the assignments are due and perhaps allow a little free time (they did end up changing the assignment I complained about to 2 nights), it may be a good company to work with someday.

@LindaM wrote:

My main objection is the freakishly short massage that you are allowed to get!

Or the freakishly small tip you are expected to give the bell, door, and valet drivers.

I just tip more and take it out of my fee, but it bugs me.

They have changed it though so you can get other treatments besides a massage. That alone has vastly improved these shops for me personally.

I'm not even sure I have an issue with what I'm evaluating or anything about the reports. The information they asked is solid. The questions they asked are completely valid. There just isn't enough time to get all this done AND make the trip worth while.
This $100 shop fee should be a minimum of $300 for spending at least 24 hours on it. Either that or make it a 2-night trip.
My BIGGEST objection, though, is not being able to get the points for using the branded credit card since the charges are refunded and not reimbursed. That significantly limits the value of the shop.
One it's in the system and paid maybe I'll contact Adam. Thanks for the advice, Steve. I would love to keep working for them if it were worth it for me.

______________________________________________________________________
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.

You could say...

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/11/2015 10:28PM by sbobgal.

huh?

______________________________________________________________________
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.

Some posts are just not helpful.

Mary Davis Nowell. Based close to Fort Worth. Shopping Interstate 20 east and west, Interstate 35 north and south.

Are you talking about me again MDN?

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind

Nothing bgriffin posts is helpful.

Ha, ha, ha!

That doesn't make them any less entertaining.

______________________________________________________________________
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.

The most entertaining posts are usually the least helpful especially when we go off-topic.

@Hoju wrote:

One it's in the system and paid maybe I'll contact Adam.

The good news is that will probably happen quickly.

Agreed that their pricing structure for the payoff is not aligned with their competition, and that's what Adam might be failing to see (but exactly what I told him).

Assignments that pay $75-100 generally rely on the fact that a shopper REALLY wants that stay. That it has a built in value to make up for the hard work and poor pay. If a shop is going to be an enourmous amount of work and not that valuable to me, it better pay $300-400....

Maybe if you shop in Vegas! I believe you have to have a P.I. license to mystery shop there, however.

I've gotten paid more than that for Vegas hotels.....

I agree with Steve that the assignment manager is the biggest problem. The next problem is having to get the names (from badges only) of five employees who stop and greet you when you are walking around the hotel. I have to do a lot of walking around to get five associates to greet me. It can be really hard to see the name tag because they can be greeting you from several feet away, so it is actually more than five. Even if you are close, some have very unusual names and you end up staring. Then having to find five issues when the pool, gym, and restrooms are spotless keeps me out of the room a lot as well.

I can't just stay in the room and focus on writing the reports. If I don't stay up on the reports, I start to get disorganized and forgetful, and I stress out. It's just tough to get into a rhythm.

I just completed my first 5D shop and the positive was that the pay was lightening fast. A problem I encountered was that I was unable to get the pictures to attach to the word doc due to some kind of a lock on the document. I figured out a "back door" way to do it, but it was very time consuming and I couldn't get any response from 5D on how to solve the problem. The one thing I found strange was that there was absolutely no feedback, thank you, response or score given for my reports. Is this the norm for 5D? I've never worked for a company that doesn't offer some kind of feedback, especially when it's your first shop with them.

That IS strange. My guess is that you did it so perfectly that they had no reason to contact you about it. My first 5D shop resulted in about 8 or 9 emails for clarification.

As for the pictures, are you on a Mac? They have a separate form for Mac users if you let them know.

______________________________________________________________________
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login

Tips from seasoned hotel shoppers..?

Create an Account or Log In

Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies

Mystery Shopper Magazine