@SteveSoCal wrote:

@saacman5033 wrote:

BBS has definitely eased on follow-up questions in recent years, or I have just more thorough with the their reports, because I've had a few go through with no questions. They also have just about the easiest F&B reporting out there. Still no narrative for the food itself, right?

Did a BBS recently and still no food reports. I agree they have eased up on follow-ups. I really like them because the shopper can go under the radar easily.

Not my circus - Not my monkeys @(*.*)@

~Polish Proverb~

Isn't it up to you whether or not something becomes obvious?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2015 03:25AM by LindaM.

@LindaM wrote:

Isn't it up to you whether or not something becomes obvious?

No, it depends on how many interactions are required and if every name is required. One hotel had 25 interactions for one over-night: there were five food outlets.

Forgive someone who has not done many hotel shops and is wading in to deeper water. BBS?

This info about the Coyle Shopmetrics site is a real bummer as I was just starting to escalate my work with them. I've only used it once for a restaurant, and it was okay, but it did take longer than the old site.

I have done a few for 5D. I got kicked out because I didn't do an assignment that they never prepped me for. (you know how they insist that they call you to review the assignment right before.... they didn't) As for Coyle, I would be hard pressed to do their hotel shops again. They are VERY difficult and VERY time consuming. I would say 20 or more hours doing the report for three days/two nights. And please be aware that you will get 3-5 LONG emails with questions on all the separate sections of the report. These emails will take you 30-60 minutes to reply to. The photos didn't bother me. But I do not think it is worth the pay they give you ($100) for the amount of time you will spend on the report. Also, you are not relaxing at the hotel. You are writing reports to make it a little easier when you get home. Just remember... no relaxing.... little money.... a lot of time.... a lot of writing. I think that they should pay $300 shop pay plus reimbursements. I think then we would be making minimum wage.

That's been my experience with Coyle too. It's not worth it.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2015 09:20PM by nmary.

Hi all I have never done a hotel shop. What would all of you suggest for a first timer. Have been M.S. for about 3 yrs. never had courage to do hotel shop. Not so good at up loading pics.
Thanks, diana

fyrekittyn, BBS is B Business Solutions.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2015 11:06PM by maranatha.

Who is Regal? I do lots of hotels and never did them ?

Where are you? I would take you on one with me and show you.

I see a Coyle B&B nearby. Surely it would be less reporting than a hotel. Has anyone done a B&B for Coyle that can advise me on what to expect? I'm new on the forum so if I should have started a new thread, please let me know.

Apparently I forgot to follow this topic when I replied to it, so I never saw the replies to my statement (which is now 2-3 pages ago). As of last week, I have done 4 of the 2-night stays for Coyle that state in the guidelines that they are like a detailed comment card, so yes, they are very real. Sorry you haven't seen them. They are at lower-range hotels than those I do for Data Quest, Buckalew, ACL, and BBS. They are in the $65-90/night range and are called Wright GSS Boost Evaluations (that is not the client, it's just what they call all the shops in that category/program/whatever). The only interactions they require are check-in, check-out, and breakfast, which is usually a continental breakfast. So they are not as much of a pampering or a treat as the higher-end hotels for the other companies, but I like them in other ways (less interactions, less upfront expenses, etc.). When they say detailed comment card, they do mean detailed- there is still a good amount of narrative that goes along with the report, since typically each question requires a paragraph along with some longer paragraphs at the end of the report (in addition to many photos). So it is definitely useful to the client and not something they could just lay out on the table for a typical, non-MS guest. I have not yet done any of the luxury hotels for Coyle, since none of them have been convenient to me, and it sounds like they may have a different format, which is what you have experienced. I was just sharing my experience. Sorry if you haven't heard of these, but I hope you will continue to not hear of them so there are more for me because I love them!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/2015 09:31PM by RedRose22.

I suppose I'm one of the few who enjoys 5D. The reports are a bit awkward if you're used to the usual way of doing things, but I actually find them less time-consuming since I find the standards easy to remember. Yeah, there are issues... doing a high end resort can turn into a maelstrom of knocks at the door and phone calls when you're just trying to finish something from three experiences ago and do some catching up. You don't have much spare time for those. And it took me a while to be able to properly parse the briefing documents, which are still occasionally lacking necessary information. Sometimes when I ask for clarifications, I get the impression that only my first sentence was read because a good deal of my questions go unanswered.

Still, for whatever reason, I've found it to be one of the more broadening experiences I've had in this field, and on the occasion that they realize they're asking a lot of you, they offer some decent concessions you don't normally see.

And yes, some of the jobs from them, it's a bit insane to think people haven't noticed you. So far I think I've gotten away with it by juggling the people I deal with, but the sheer amount of phone requests and complaints make me think that the staff must being going, "Oh man, it's the crazy guy in room 402 again. Let's see what crazy Roman emperor request he has this time."

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/30/2015 11:19AM by Fastjack.

@Fastjack wrote:

I suppose I'm one of the few who enjoys 5D.

And yes, some of the jobs from them, it's a bit insane to think people haven't noticed you. So far I think I've gotten away with it by juggling the people I deal with, but the sheer amount of phone requests and complaints make me think that the staff must being going, "Oh man, it's the crazy guy in room 402 again. Let's see what crazy Roman emperor request he has this time."

My friend is one of the house operators at one of 5D's resorts that they "audit". They put a note on the account every time a shopper shows up. It's all pretty obvious starting with the inappropriate vehicle that doesn't fit in to the cell phone placed on the front desk during check-in so that the interaction can be recorded. 5D makes it impossible to be a "mystery ".

Never utilized a recorder, and I'll have to take more note of the cars next time. But like I said, my primary concern is the intense amount of room requests they do. The rest of it, I think I'm pretty safe.

@SoCalMama wrote:

5D makes it impossible to be a "mystery ".

Now if they could just back off on the requirements so shoppers could enjoy the really obvious stay where they get treated well, it might be decent to work for them.

I used to get worked up about ridiculous requirements during hotel shops but these days, I feel like if that's what they want...fine! I'll pay cash for my room service, request a receipt for it and ask everyone's name as long as you pay my travel expenses, give me a decent fee and let me order a margarita at the pool. If someone has to be obvious and get treated well, it may as well be me

@diana4 wrote:

Hi all I have never done a hotel shop. What would all of you suggest for a first timer.

A good place to start is the Beginner shops with Buckalew Hospitality. Make sure you take one marked with 'Beginner'. If you take a more involved shop and aren't prepared for it, you're done. He's too busy and has too many potential shoppers for second chances if you drop or screw something up majorly, so make your first effort right. The Beginner ones, though, pay almost as much as some of the Coyle ones for 1/10th of the work. Prepare beforehand with a tentative schedule of what you're going to do, check in as early as you are allowed to, and get some of the interactions done the first night. It makes the full second day more manageable.

Does Buckalew have a job board? I'm signed up, I think, but don't remember seeing a board.

Is there a difference between being a shopper on Coyle Shopmetrics and a shopper on Coyle's website? I created an account on Coyle Shopmetrics, but I cannot use that login on the Coyle website. Am I missing out on a lot of shops due to this?

Hoju: Their shopper login is on the left menu bar on the landing page. It's a somewhat lo-fi job listing in that you have to fill out your basic information for each job request and it goes into the pile that way.

VinnyRoo: They are two different platforms, with different logins. Everything will eventually be Shopmetrics only, according to Coyle.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/30/2015 08:22PM by Fastjack.

Thank you. I never put them on my "must check " list. Does the board change often?

@SoCalMama Wow. I have never seen more than $25 per night for dogs here in Canada. The MSC I use is fine if I bring my dog but I have to pay the fee. Not sure at that point my puppy will ever get to cross the border!

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/30/2015 10:34PM by PrairieShopper.

@Hoju Yes they do. You just have to email for the password. I just completed my first Buckalew shop, which happened to be a hotel. It was incredibly involved and the reporting was a bit painful. Not sure I'd do it again honestly. But at least now I know.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/30/2015 10:29PM by PrairieShopper.

Hoju: It updates once a month, somewhere between the 18th to 20th. I've never done their hotel shops, but they had (I think past tense, sadly) a really wildly good sports bar in my area. Detailed reports in Excel, but not as crazy detailed as hotel reports that I'm used to.

@diana4 wrote:

Hi all I have never done a hotel shop. What would all of you suggest for a first timer. Have been M.S. for about 3 yrs. never had courage to do hotel shop. Not so good at up loading pics.
Thanks, diana

My suggestion would be to do fine dining first.

@Hoju wrote:

Does Buckalew have a job board? I'm signed up, I think, but don't remember seeing a board.

Yes, he does. You can find it by signing onto Dave's FB page, under Buckalew Hospitality.

@PrairieShopper wrote:

@Hoju Yes they do. You just have to email for the password. I just completed my first Buckalew shop, which happened to be a hotel. It was incredibly involved and the reporting was a bit painful. Not sure I'd do it again honestly. But at least now I know.

The most important thing with Buckalew is that you must know how to use Excel. It is actually easier to do a hotel report on Excel, as you can click on different tabs. Dave is wonderful, as you can text him 24/7 (the latest I texted was around 10pm) if you run into a problem. They have a high number of interactions and it will fast become obvious you are the shopper.

What happens if they do know you are a shopper? Does that prevent you from shopping the hotel again? Any other negatives to them knowing? They only time I was ever "caught" was when the experience was very bad and the employee tried to fight it. The MSC backed me up.

@Fastjack wrote:

Hoju: It updates once a month, somewhere between the 18th to 20th. I've never done their hotel shops, but they had (I think past tense, sadly) a really wildly good sports bar in my area. Detailed reports in Excel, but not as crazy detailed as hotel reports that I'm used to.

Oh no! Are they gone forever? You are talking about the ones in southern CA, right?