I did 2 reveal and reward shops that were so much fun because both times they did the right thing and got the reward. This weekend I'm taking it easy. On Saturday I'm doing a lunch shop that's in cafe that's inside a museum and I'm stoked because I've wanted to go there for awhile and it pays for two admissions and two meals.
I'm also doing an extremely upscale hotel shop on Saturday night which is fun on one hand and so much work on the other. I have being doing this particular shop 3 times a year for the past 10 years and it is directly through one of the most senior executives at the hotel and not through a MS company. I'm listed as a "VIP" on the reservation and they want to make sure their VIPS are being taken care of in a certain way. I book the cheapest room but always get upgraded to something swanky. I landed the gig by happenstance and I've been doing it ever since. I shop the bellboy, concierge, 1 meal at the restaurant (the reservation, the host/hostess, the sommelier, the waiter, the food, the timing, etc). 1 meal in room, housekeeping, engineering, the front desk (pretend you need a toothbrush or different pillow), a spa treatment, check out, etc. There's also a 6-7 page checklist of items to check on in the room itself. I go over the room with a magnifying glass, a black light and I have a few other tricks up my sleeve. I bring a telescoping pole in my luggage that has a duster on the end so I can find dust in the highest or lowest places. This hotel is supposed to be 5-star treatment, service, and room and I'm super picky - and that's exactly what they need - someone who super picky. They want someone to notice that the waiter bringing the in-room meal had a button missing on his white glove. That kind of thing. I have a couple of days to do the report, but I do a lot of as I go while I'm at the property. It's the swankiest shop I do and the one with the most narrative, timings, and side quests. I have to take dozens and dozens of photos and it's easy to miss something. Anyway, it's a very lucrative shop on top of a free hotel, free meals and free spa treatments but I'll be writing reports and uploading pictures for the next 3 days. :
igh::