Hi everyone, What has your experience with hotel shops been, especially high-end ones. I have been MS for over 25 years and I am confident in my ability.I am just so nervous that a 500- 1000 dollar shop can be rejected. I appreciate any and all insights.- Thanx

I personally wouldn't do one. They are expensive and you have to pay for everything from the hotel to food. I don't think I would enjoy it to much because you have to pay attention to everything and remember it. Also, if you mess up somewhere in your report, it may not be verified. In that case, you spent a lot of money on a vacation that you didn't get a chance to enjoy.

The one in my area currently says I pay up to $700 for a one night stay and I have to put it on my card. They will pay a $25 fee and a $15 reimbursement. Also, this shop is great for people who love to write because there is an extraordinary amount of narrative. What? They think I just won the lottery and fell off a turnip truck yesterday, the day I was born. I'd rather do three Jack-In-The-Cracks and take pics of the toilet!

In your years of shopping, have you done fine dining shops that required long narratives? Have you completed shops with 20+ pages of instructions? Are you comfortable with taking, resizing, and uploading lots of pictures? I would say these are the prerequisites for a high-end hotel shop. The shop may be easier for you if you take a laptop and complete the report while onsite. The alternative would be taking detailed notes and writing a long report for one to two days post-shop. Each interaction and activity will be like writing a separate shop report. So expect to write several reports--one for dinner, breakfast, check-in, check-out, the coffee/wine hour, room service, etc. You may end up writing 25 - 30 pages. It just depends on the MSC and client requirements, the length of the stay, and what you experience. These are generally a lot of work but I think it's an experience you should have--a new challenge, a mystery solved, a new notch for your bedpost....

I enjoy them. Never had a rejection and the charges on my card are generally reversed within a week or so. Really like the 2-night or more stays with room service, bar, spa, etc.

Here's SOME of what you should expect for a Coyle hotel survey "package":

Reservations Call - Time and date of call, formatted to their specifications. How many rings? Correct scripted greeting? Type of rooms available and their features? Did they ask for the sale? Closing quote? Narrative. (This alone took 10 paragraphs.)

Bell Arrival/Acclimation/Departure - Time and Date? Greeting? Assistance with car/luggage? Opening quote? Closing quote? 3 separate narratives.

Front Desk - Time and Date? Greeting? Opening quote? Room and rate? Closing quote? Narrative.

Housekeeping - Initial Impression/Stay Over/Turn down/Request - Capture images of where luggage placed. Images of room from different angles. Images of defects. 4 separate narratives. Numerous images - initial/before/after.

Service Recovery - Time and Date? Greeting? Opening quote? Sense of urgency? Issue resolved? Closing quote? Narrative.

Room Service - Time and Date of call, formatted to their specifications. How many rings? Correct scripted greeting? Knowledge of menu? Upsell? Did they ask for the sale? Expected delivery time? Closing quote? Arrival time? Temperature of food? Expectations met? Table set up correctly? Order correct and complete? Opening quote? Closing quote? Tray pick up time. Images of covered plates. Images of uncovered plates. Narrative.

Facility - Similar to room, but instead for the property. You may have to report on this more than once.

Maintenance - Similar to Service Recovery.

Pool - Specific to the pool.

Gym - Specific to the gym.

Bar - Well, if you're up to a hotel shop, then you know what to expect.

Lounge - See above.

Dinner - See above, in addition to separate narratives for reservations process/call, management, food/facility.

Breakfast - See above.

Engineering - Unscrew a lightbulb/remove batteries from the television remote/etc.,. Call engineering. Write about call experience. Write about engieneering service experience. Time of arrival. Time elapsed after telephone request. Remember to capture the opening and closing quotes. Sense of urgency? Was issue resolved?

Spa - reservations, facility, treatment, service recovery, cashier - times required.

Wake up call - Time and Date? How many rings? Greeting? Opening quote? Closing quote? Time of wake up call. Narrative.

PBX - Time and Date? How many rings? Greeting? Opening quote? Closing quote? Narrative.

Front Desk Interaction - Yep, by now you know what they're looking for. Narrative.

Concierge - See above.

Bell Interaction - See above.

Front Desk Observation - Observe for 30 minutes. You know the drill.

Bell Observation - See above.

Check Out - I think you know what they're looking for.

Subjective/Overall Impression - Let loose with your subjective opinions. "Tell the client what they might not know."

YMMV, as there usually isn't a spa/pool/ gym/bar and/or dinner outlet(s) for this client.

One of my recent hotel evaluations had 37 pages of single spaced, 10 pt. font text - just for the narratives. Expect to capture approximately 50 images that need to be uploaded, and formatted and labeled to their specifications.

You may also find this thread helpful: www.mysteryshopforum.com/read/6/447295/447633#msg-447633

Additionally, you may be fronting the money for longer than you anticipated. For instance, you're assigned a shop more than a month out, but the property is very popular. You'll need to reserve the room, and depending on the brand and property, they may charge your credit card for the cost of one night's stay, or more. Fast forward to your stay, and then your subsequent report, once approved, it may take a few weeks, depending on the client. While extreme, I have had some folios take a few months to be reversed/reimbursed - from date of initial charge to final folio reversal. For some properties, that can be upwards of 10K.

Finally, MSCs want you to turn in a great report. They will do everything in their power to not reject your report. Be thorough, read and follow your shop guidelines, ask pertinent questions if you're not sure of what they're asking of you, be communicative if there's an issue, and submit your report on time.

Coyle Hotel shop guidelines and requirements are NOT typical of hotel shops from other MSCs. I have done scores of upper to middle range Hilton, Marriott, Sheraton, Hyatt and independent hotel shops, both one and two night stays. I have never had a shop rejected or pay docked. I rack up so many hotel rewards points that I can use them for either real vacation or to "anchor a very profitable route. The key is to join all of the parent hotel companies' rewards programs and use the affiliated credit cards.

So here is a list of the observations that my hotel shops MAY require. By no means all are required for a typical one night stay, and the food sections have very little narrative; they are NOT reviews.
reservations call
hotel approach, first impressions
bell service (in and out)
front desk interaction (in and out)
one room service meal
one restaurant meal
guest room condition and amenities
quick looks at and a few questions about: lobby/public areas, lobby restroom, pool, exercise room
1 call to front desk to ask for something to be delivered (shampoo?) OR a call to front desk to have something fixed by engineer; NOT both
ONE of three tests to see if you will be let into your room/given a duplicate key, without proper procedures
valet parking
gift shop or coffee kiosk
bar interaction
rewards member lounge (if any)
wake-up call

Unlike Coyle reports, the surveys may require 2-5 sentences about each subject, NOT a 500 word essay! MOST areas are mainly multiple choice questions. The reports are simple enough that I leave the hotel with only the checkout section(s) not done, AND I do not break a sweat while in the hotel. Moreover, NONE of these shops has EVERY one of the interactions listed above. However, I will now recount what I would do IF ALL were required on a one night stay (RARE).

I check in soon after 3 PM and do the arrival observations (bell, valet, front desk), walk the public areas and complete the very short section that covers the public restroom, conditions of pool and exercise room (if any!) and lobby. I look over my room and bath facilities and complete the survey section about those. Around 5:30 I may drop in at the rewards members' lounge (if any) for a quick walkabout and collect an appetizer. Quick stop at room to enter the new sections completed. 6:30 or so, if there is a bar interaction required, 30 minute trip to the bar. If a second drink is required, I take that back to my room. There I put my feet up and watch the evening news before ordering room service dinner. (If you like wine, take your own because you will not be allowed to purchase alcohol with your room service order.) I take my last notes of the evening when dinner has been delivered and I have made my call for a wake-up call. Depending on what time I have ordered dinner, I am then "off the clock" for the evening. I have a leisurely dinner, with a little wine, read or watch TV. Early to bed for me. (In the rare case where there is not an included evening meal I take an in room picnic to enjoy.) In the morning I hit the restaurant for just some wake-up coffee, and scope it out, returning a bit later for a full breakfast or buffet. On my way back to the room I visit the gift shop (if any), check either the front desk or a housekeeper to see if room key security protocol is observed. Back to the room to write up breakfast, gift shop, and security. Pause to call and ask for some shampoo to be sent up. If I want to leave early, I may not stay to write up all of the AM observations, btw, since the report is not due until 24 hours after checkout. (If the guidelines say 12 hours, just tell the scheduler that you will have a busy checkout day and need 24 hours. I have NEVER had a scheduler refuse that request. Last onsite steps are bell service, valet (if any) and checkout at front desk.

I am NOT a touch typist, but I have plenty of time to relax, and write 90% of the report while at the hotel. If I wanted a swim or some sunbathing this schedule would leave plenty of time for that between a 3 PM check-in and a noon check-out. (Don't be afraid to ask the front desk to extend that to 1 PM if you want more relaxing time.)

Now, here is how to really get a lot more out of a one night hotel shop, when I am willing to work a bit more during my hotel visit. I live near DC and 35 minutes from Baltimore. I book my hotel in one of those places. I set up 3-4 shops to do before check-in and/or after checkout at an average of $20+ per retail or bank shop, much more per video valet parking shop, AND $60-$125 for video new home or apartment shop, all near the hotel or on the route to/from. I get deadline extensions from those schedulers because they understand the "route" concept.

For MSCs that later reimburse the hotel expenses I get both points for the stay and points for that charge to my credit card, For those that reverse the charges, I just get the rewards points for the stay but not for the credit card charges. On average, I can turn 3-4 hotel stays into more than enough points for a very nice free hotel night to use as I please. I recently used one of those free nights to anchor a 2 day one night route that netted me over $400 and provided several hours of amusing leisure time in NYC.

This is NOT high flying travel, nor does it meet the $60 per hour requirements of some full time shoppers. It meets my stamina level, accommodates the fact that I cannot drive at night, provides quite a few memorable meals (and a few real duds!), and provides a lively supplement to my modest retirement income.

I am preparing for my first hotel shop. Obviously, I have to deny being a rewards program member when I make the reservation, so I'll use another credit card. Also, I have to physically check out, not use express check out. When I go down to check out, if I use the credit card connected to the rewards program, at that point, does it matter since I am leaving? Thanks

Unless it says otherwise in the guidelines it is fine to use the rewards card ANYTIME. Only a very few ask that you deny being a rewards member for reservations or anything else!

The guidelines don't mention anything about using any type of card at any time. I will also check with the scheduler. It's reimbursement only, so I hope to get something more from the experience or else I am not likely to repeat it.

I always advise not taking on an assignment that would leave you in financial distress if something went wrong...but I have not always heeded that advice myself.

Even if you feel confident in your abilities, there are other factors that can cause you to have a report that's not acceptable: getting sick while at the hotel, having a family emergency while you are there, having your technology fail, etc.

If you do enough hotels, sooner or later you may have to deal with that....

I don't like doing the ones that are reimbursement only, personally. I get it if you just want to get your feet wet, but if there are a lot of steps involved, just a "free" overnight stay isn't worth it in my opinion. A reimbursement only shop is fine if there are limited observations and you are primarily doing it as a launching pad for a route and/or to build up miles and rewards points on your cc.

I do a couple or three DOZEN reimbursement only hotel shops among all of the others that I do each year. Think REWARDS points worth over $50 per shop! Think a convenient way to anchor an over night route that can net you hundreds of dollars from other shops that you do near your destination. Think two reimbursed meals but with a TOTAL report that is easier than most "fine" dining shop reports including those where your dining will not be as fine as at some of the hotel overnights.

BUT, if that does not convince you, so many more very nice hotel shops for me! And, more hotel shops to make 1-5 night routes very, very profitable.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2017 06:58PM by walesmaven.

That's why I wrote: " A reimbursement only shop is fine if there are limited observations and you are primarily doing it as a launching pad for a route and/or to build up miles and rewards points on your cc..."

It's just not for me, as I don't do routes further than 20 miles from home that never involve more than a few hours.

When I grow up I want to be just like Walesmaven

I admire wales, but I don't have the desire to do routes across states. What I do works for me and anyone who wants to do reimbursement hotel shops and routes across my state is welcome to them.

JAS, more than half of my hotel shops are within 35 miles of home. Those permit a LOT of other shops to be built into that mini-route. For shoppers who like high efficiency route, those just cannot be beat. Why not look at the hotels offered around the corner from you?

Spicy,
Since you have mentioned posters who "waste" their time posting here, that is a pretty ironic statement. Where is the irony font when you need it?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2017 07:12PM by walesmaven.

Because I have a husband at home who doesn't like to spend nights away from home often, and I don't like to spend nights away from him.

As good a reason as I have even her, Jas.

Also, consider that you live in a large metro area. ACL and other companies who offer hotel shops that don't have a fee are 45-150 miles away from where I live in my small city of 250,000 people. Some of those reimbursement only shops are up in Cleveland. If I am going to drive all the way up to Cleveland to do an overnight shop, it's mainly going to be for us to go have fun for a few nights and I won't be doing other work while up there. I need some sort of fee and/or travel compensation, in addition to luxurious accommodations or my husband just won't go.

I'd do a hotel shop in Cleveland just for the opportunity to visit the R&R Hall of Fame Of course, I can use points too lol.

Some people have a hard time letting things go. Only these few people will ever be able to say anything or truly be involved in this forum.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/25/2017 03:08PM by spicy1.

On a tangent - but here's another way to make MS worthwhile. Shops to visit storage facilities are not well compensated - most only about $20, but I am going to need to find one this summer. Between now and then, I am getting paid to visit them in the area where I will eventually rent one. I have some particular needs for storage coming up and this is a great way to get paid to do something I need to do anyway.

Barefoot, I do hotel shops in Cleveland that pay a fee, are generally a 2-night stay, and sometimes have a travel fee involved in addition to the shop fee. There is room service, bar, and other F&B, sometimes spa, and the beds are super comfy. I don't mind the lengthy write up after. The R&R Hall of Fame is cool. I have been there twice.

Spicy, that's not necessarily true about what you would be doing.You know a lot of people come here for some camaraderie because only another mystery shopper understands so I think you would still visit. Plus, who wants to work 24/7 regardless of the hourly?

@spicy1 wrote:

Pay a compliment now, based on the current conversation, and get a blind-side tackle about something else that happened who knows when about who knows what. I changed my mind, rather you did. If you are referring to my $60 sn hour convo , no way I would be on this forum if I made $60 an hour, I would be out there making it and spending it! I feel like such a piece of sh!t now, it reminds me I have to call the ex, the condescending, smug, self-indulgent pos that he is

Wait--what? Who blindsided you?

Walesaddh

I didn't see that? Was that in a different thread? She wrote something about irony, I figured you were being ironic and made a joke somewhere? Idk, I only got about 4 hours of sleep last night. Must have gone over my head.

ok, you win.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/25/2017 03:12PM by spicy1.