I'm curious what companies provide the most pay/reimbursement for a long complicated shop (usually). I used to do a shop which paid $550 (but no reimbursements) for an overnight stay and loved it. Are there any more like that? Thanks! I'm willing to travel.

Coyle typically pays about $75, not including reimbursements (which can often range into a few thousand dollars). Most other companies I've worked for pay only $25, again not counting reimbursements.

Thanks for the tip on Coyle!

The companies I work for pay between 100 to 200 a night, not including reimbursements.

I just finished one that paid $100 plus reversal of the charges. The report was nightmarish and they instructions were NOT clear, matter of fact part of the instructions were not sent to me until after the report had been submitted once. I have two other that pay $25 and two that are reimbursement only. I take the reimbursement only ones near where my husband is working out of state so it gives us some alone time.

I did one in June that reimbursed about $2000 or so (resort with golf, meals, bar, room service, etc) but only paid $75 and I think that included a $25 bonus from what they normally pay. That was by highest reimbursement shop to date though and I was excited to get anything on top of a great weekend!

As a heads up, in addition to Coyle I know Data Quest and Closer look both do hotel shops at $25 and I've done hotel shops for Merc systems for reimbursement only, as well as a $100 fee.

I've heard good things about Five Diamond hospitality but I've yet to work for them.

Those $25 Data Quest jobs appear to only be bar audits though. Do they have overnights?

@Hoju wrote:

Those $25 Data Quest jobs appear to only be bar audits though. Do they have overnights?

I've seen overnight stays from them before.

I was paid $35 plus cost of the room. No other reimbursements.

@Hoju wrote:

Those $25 Data Quest jobs appear to only be bar audits though. Do they have overnights?

At least in New York they do. I haven't yet stayed at a hotel that they've also done a bar shop for, incidentally.

@Hoju wrote:

Those $25 Data Quest jobs appear to only be bar audits though. Do they have overnights?

Yes, almost all of the shops I've done for Data Quest have been overnight hotel shops. They usually pay $25 plus reimbursement for cash tips up to $15 along with the room and meal charge reversals.

$350.00 for the report (for a niche MSC) plus reversal of all charges on the guest folio - no travel reimbursement provided. Standard payment is usually $75.00 - $150.00, with reversal of all charges on guest folio and reimbursement for all cash payments and gratuities.

In my area, Data Quest has quite a few bar shops in hotels, and a small number of overnight visits.

There is a wide spread of fees for hotel shops. Does this correspond to great differences in requirements?

No. The Data Quest $25 overnight visits are no harder than the reimbursement only ACL visits (plus they are significantly easier to get along with). Neither are as easy as the $35 Merc Systems shop.

...but once you get up into the $50+ range there start to be much greater requirements, yet there is still no standard baseline for the fee structures.

A Coyle shop at $75 is WAY more than twice the work of the Merc shop at $35, but roughly twice the work of an LRA shop that pays $65. Buckalew shops are slightly less work and generally pay $50. CI hotels pay even less but are more work than LRA. There is a lot of variation on workload for a few companies that have paid me $100 per hotel, and even between different hotels for the same MSC, all offering an identical fee.

The one other factor involved in pricing seems to be the "wow" factor of the hotel. Guest Check assignments that pay $200 are generally even more work than Coyle, but they offer some awesome properties. The places I've shopped that generally pay above that rate are less work, but also less attractive properties. If you want to put me in a run-down Sheraton with bad food and make me write 40 pages, it better pay $400-500.

The most I've ever received for a hotel assignment is $600, and that was for an amazing property, but it was also probably the hardest hotel narrative I've ever written. It was also in Vegas...so I was able to negotiate that fee after the MSC started by offering $200 and I knew they didn't have another shopper with my experience and a NV work card available.

Data Quest has overnight hotel audits in cities across the country which pay $25 compensation, plus reversal and includes $15 reimb for tips on site. In my area they also have check in audits(not overnight) which pay $20 compensation + reimbursement for tips and room expense. The check in audits took me under one hour on site plus write up.