They are offering a hotel shops...$600 expenses, shopper pay $0???? Really?

Steve, you are probably 2% that gets to have those high pay hotels...we don't see that on the boards, the usual is no fee,
check it out. I am writing to the 98% that just doesn't get hotels that fly you there and pay 200.00 for the job. You have an advantage as to knowing all sides of the industry, and (of course) being able to write great reports and free to travel.
I didn't address you when writing above, I was addressing the OP. I'm sure I speak for many on the forum, we love your
posts, it gives some hope that it does get better....

Live consciously....

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Irene_L.A.

It is not easy to get the high paying jobs for hotels. It is indeed a matter of doing stuff right.

The ones I've done are time consuming. I have sat for a couple of days after I finish the shop writing reports. Yup, it's that extensive. Is it worth it? Well, 3 day resort for two, all expenses paid, and 2 days afterwards working hard for $200. Not the best pay if you divide your actual income by 5 (days), but if you need the time off, it is sure worth it.

C

C

---
"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind..." - Henry Ford

SandiAigo Wrote:
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> I would love to know who does CPK!
>
Me too. I still have a leftover gift card I purchased when I was shopping them for a different company. I would love to be able to cash it in on a shop!

I feel like I've seen this thread twice for some reason.

I'd only do these kind of shops if I HAD to stay in a hotel for work or vacation and I would make sure I read the shop requirements very well to ensure a payable report.

You don't have to do the shops if it doesn't suit you. Some people out there actually travel for work and play so having their entire hotel stay reimbursed may appease them. *shrugs*

Silver Certified ~ Shopping all of Toronto and beyond

I've been having deja vu all over again with these threads too.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

Yes. I've been here before.

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

MickeyB Wrote:
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> I remember them Sandi - The very first hotel shop
> I ever did was also for GOA - back when they were
> GOA and not OA (which of course is also long gone
> as they are out of business).. Aww... memories...
>
>
> I actually got most of my "experience" from GOA
> and then later OA. And I also lost money when
> they went out of business.

Talk about baptism by fire! They were one of my first msc's! Their reports were hard enough, but
dealing with the people! Sheesh! (The last time I ever dealt with them was when their receptionist (?) called me and begged me to go downtown to do a job because somebody flaked. As I'm ON MY WAY IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC my daughter calls and tells me that they got the report after all. They had it right after I spoke to them, but just didn't bother to call any earlier. Apparently, she did not know about time zones and that I was 2 hours ahead.)

Anyway, when I took my first hotel job, the scheduler said that hotel shops were easier than their restaurant shops, which I found to be true.

*********************
I'm "Sandi" in the Middle!

walesmaven Wrote:
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> Those shops are actually very much in demand, and
> hard to get. The payoff is the large number of
> hotel rewards points that such a stay generates.

This particular one, you reveal when you check out and they reverse your charges on the same day. I did not get ANY hotel loyalty points. What you get is free breakfast (no other meal), a bar visit, and a $5 item at the gift shop. I emailed the scheduler about the loyalty points and she confirmed the shoppers won't get them.

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

~Polish Proverb~

Well, if not rewards points, I'm not doing them either, unless I need a free hotel stay to do a route. BUT, I have no problem with other shoppers taking them for whatever reasons.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

If you are concerned about not getting reimbursed, would it make you feel any better if they offered you a $50 fee and then refused to pay that also?

I agree with those saying its insulting that there is no shopper pay when the reports are pretty detailed and the work involved stretches to multiple hours.
Im all about getting paid, the MSC's get paid.

On the plus side if you have no experience completing hotel shops then its not a bad way to get your feet wet.
If you follow the instructions with a reputable company there is almost zero chance of not getting paid.

If you hate narrative shops you will hate hotel shops, its that simple.

For those new to hotel shops, start small with the Comfort inn/ Extended stay type shops and then work your way up to more detailed shops.
Infact starting with restaurant narrative shops is the best introduction.

The hotel shops I did does not offer much in travel expenses. They are mostly looking for locals to do them. At most, they offer $100-200 of travel. And yes, the reports are looong, 18 long sections, and very detailed. In addition, there were a list of things they want you to perform, phone call, wake-up call, front desk inquiry, housekeeper call, etc. You do get some meals, just the ones needed for evaluations, 1 breakfast, 1 bar, 1 lounge, 1 dinner.

Some of the shops you have to spend more. For example, there was a 3 night (mostly 2) stay at a nice hotel in Waikiki, HI but the travel maximum reimbursement is only $200. Now, how do you get a flight for $200 for 2 these days? And yes, they require 2 people. You have to subsidize it with several hundred dollars. It only works if you plan to go there any way and you get 3 hotel nights plus some meals free. But you will spend lots of time doing reports and doing observations.

Save me from reformers. Accept a shop or don't accept it. Other shoppers do as they want.

rardon Wrote:
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> That means that I have to put up to $600, wait to
> get reimbursed, take the risk that my shop could
> be rejected and I would be in the hole for the
> expenses...and I don't make any money on top of
> that? Do some Mystery Shopping companies really
> think people are that stupid?

I have done several hotel shops that do pay a small fee on top of the reimbursement. I guess I am stuipid. I really enjoy them. It's nice to take a mini vacation away from home on someone elses dime. If you start writing the report while you are making the observations, to me they are quite easy.
I know of one company who offer hotel shops in which you are expected to pay for half of the hotel stay. It does not include any meals or parking

I actually did that one where I had to pay for half. We were on the road and would have stayed there anyway.
That particular report was not a lot of work.

When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.
Alexander Den Heijer

I have accepted restaurant and hotel shops with only reimbursement and no fee mainly because at those times I needed a hotel or I really liked the restaurant. In my early days as a shopper, my friends thought it was a hoot that we could eat in a fine restaurant and be reimbursed for a certain amount of my expenses. Eventually, I realized that was not my main aim to mystery shop. I was actually spending more than I was earning for 'treats.' Since most of the restaurants I did were upper class and did not even include the tip, I was actually spending a lot more than I got back. I decided to cut down on it.

On a very special occasion, I would accept no fee but a huge cash outlay would really make me think twice as they usually don't reimburse fast enough. All that work and delayed reimbursement would take away the fun. But I did a lot when I was a newbie. I am surprised they were all successful shops and I got reimbursed. If one of them was not paid, I probably would have been discouraged to do more mystery shopping.

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They are offering a hotel shops...$600 expenses, shopper pay $0???? Really?

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