Doing my first Hotel in a long time, getting back into it, so, hopefully, things haven't changed too much....a well needed rest, good ole Msing, comes through when it's needed.

Irene_L.A. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Doing my first Hotel in a long time, getting back
> into it, so, hopefully, things haven't changed too
> much....a well needed rest, good ole Msing, comes
> through when it's needed.


I love doing hotels - some forms are easier than others but for my main msp I have down the system and really enjoy it...although sometimes there is a lot of food and drink involved!

Liz

I laughed as I hit the delete button the other day on one that this year seems to carry no fee and nothing but the 'joy of the sleep over'. Life is just too short.

I know what you're talking about, Flash! If it pays and you get a good sized expense account, bring it on. If you get a free stay and a continental breakfast, DELETE!

This has a 50.00 fee, no, not alot...but, I need the rest (haha). This is actually a 4 star, not as involved as Coyle. I hadn't done them in a year due to low pay, but since I don't have to travel far and it's on the water, I'm there!

As a contribution to 'the joy of the sleep over' I recall one where I called room service to request some sugar for my coffee. Ten minutes later there was a knock on my door. When I asked, 'Who is it?' a female voice answered "Sugar!"

When I opened the door I wittnessed an amusing sight of every door down the hallway opened a crack eagerly looking to see just who "sugar" was!

RJR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As a contribution to 'the joy of the sleep over' I
> recall one where I called room service to request
> some sugar for my coffee. Ten minutes later there
> was a knock on my door. When I asked, 'Who is it?'
> a female voice answered "Sugar!"
>
> When I opened the door I wittnessed an amusing
> sight of every door down the hallway opened a
> crack eagerly looking to see just who "sugar" was!

Priceless!

Anyone want to share who, besides Coyle, does hotel shops?

I hope you enjoy that shop, Irene.

SpyGirl Wrote:
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> Anyone want to share who, besides Coyle, does
> hotel shops?


Buckalew Hospitality and he is always looking for more shoppers. He sent out a note recently that he needs many more in the Washington D.C area. He just does a few markets but I really enjoy the shops.

Liz

There is another benefit from hotel shops that has not been mentioned on this thread. I join the "frequent sleeper" program for every hotel "family" that I shop. This lets me accumulate "frequent sleeper points" (good towards free stays) from each stay. I also get the no-annual fee credit card affiliated with each of the hotel chains. Using this card doubles, triples (or better) the number of points earned with each dollar spent at the hotel. In addition, those credit cards give a ton of bonus points (from 12,000 to 30,000) for signing up. (Different chains have vastly different redemption rates, so the bonus points tend to equal about 1.5 to 2 nights free for signing up). As one accumulates points during a calendar year, there are also reward levels at which one gains more points per dollar, access to the concierge lounge (free coffee, appetizers, breakfast buffet, cookies, etc.), and other perks. I ring up enough points per year to pay for 7 to 12 free nights at the upscale partners in 2 hotel chains and 4 to 5 at a third. These pay for very nice vacation accomodations and provide the occasional free budget hotel that makes it feasible to do a very nice multiday shopping route. When I compute the market value of those free hotel nights, I "gain" several thousands of dollars of tax-free goods and services per year by doing hotel shops.

I also use the best-rewards one of the hotel-related credit cards for all of my shopping expenses and auto expenses (93% of which are shopping related). This adds even more points to my account. On the very rare occasion when I do not pay off that business credit card in full, any finance charge is a business expense. (I have built up a significant fund to cover expenses for hotel shops because of the payment time for some of these.)

Then, of course, there are the "sleep over" benefits and the free food to bring home. (I always get a refrigerator in my room. Those room service meals are always huge, so there is plenty to bring home. Take Ziplock bags with you, lol.) Add goodies from the free cookies and fruit at the concierge lounges, the free toiletries, and you have a nice swag bag to take home.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/30/2011 08:43PM by walesmaven.

Thanks Carol...much appriecated, stress goes away when I'm on the water. Having my final dental appt. tomorrow, then I'll be back to (whatever's) normal, dental surgery is at the bottom of my "fun" list....having been dealing with it for last month.

Hi all,
in the city where I live in (south Italy) there are some Hilton and some Best Western Hotels. Does anyboy knows which mystery companies makes mystery shopping in these hotel chains? thx!

Walesmaven...you are some maven...lol. Great tips, especially about the ziplock baggies (never thought of it). I do take the shampoo and giveaways, never took a bathrobe, but have been tempted. I belong to the American Express (Starwood) rewards, and get free rooms, use them for my Chicago visits, it's a treat for my daughter. I also joined Hyatt's Gold card and will rack up points on this two night visit. I don't do as many hotels as you, but it's sure fun to get those freebies. I wanted to mention it makes sense to use one of my free stays while in the city doing a run, I've never done that either, and driving home at rush hour takes it out of me, so since I have about 8,000 points built up for Sheraton, I'm gonna take advantage of that.

Welcome So. ItaLY...SORRY I don't know what hotels are shopped there, you might want to register with Coyle Hospitality as they are Global.

I'd like to add that not all hotel shops let you keep the frequent sleeper points for your stay. I had 2 upscale shops recently that were credit reversals and the points were reversed off of my account of the frequent guest program.

You just have to learn by trial & error which ones will do that. I'd say that over 90% let you keep the points, however, and most Starwood properties are good with you keeping them.

This kind of ends up being a 'perfect storm' situation, but I recently got hired to represent a company at an industry convention (it wasn't for mystery shopping). They added a bonus into my fee to cover a hotel for 4 nights, rather than just reimbursing it, and I was able to cash in my points from hotel shops to turn it into a better paying job.

The bad news is that I will get taxed on the income now.....

Yes, unfortunately I have had a bunch of points backed out along with the reimbursements as well. I end up having lots of 'not quite there' points at a whole lot of places just sitting and rotting. I literally have an Altoids tin full of the dang cards from places where I just don't quite have enough points for the airline miles or the hotels or the etc. A couple of years ago I got a 'deal' where I could cash in my airline miles for magazine subscriptions before they expired. Looked down the list and even there I found nothing worthwhile.

Steve, your right my charges will be reversed. My Starwood is my main squeeze for getaways and the good news is, no reports. That's the only CC I use, ever, so points add up quickly. This stay has a shuttle going into Balboa Island, so, looking forward to a few hours of fun, haven't been there in years. I stopped all the "free" magazine stuff I was getting, the subscription cost has gotten so low, it's hardly worth the time. Just got two subscriptions for the price of one ($20.00 not bad).

Slightly off topic but I also noticed that my frequent cruiser credit was removed for my last cruise evaluation. They don't reverse charges for those, so someone at the cruise line had to apparently go in and remove the credit after my evaluation.

That's particularly frustrating because I am one point away from hitting the level that gives me cool freebies. I have to book a cruise on my own to get there, I guess. Not that likely to happen if I can cruise for free, so no priority departure lounge for me :^(

Makes me wonder if the client actually saw that the cruise was tipping me to a new level and then backed it out. Like giving me free robes and a glass of wine on the next cruise is gonna bankrupt them....

Steve, that's lousey...1 point sounds like someone is manipulating. That would bug me, do you have any re-course?

There is no grounds for recourse. I didn't purchase the cruise in question and I'm not due the credit. I was 1 point shy going in to the evaluation and will stay that way.

BTW, cruise points are not like airline points. You get an average of 3 per cruise on this line....

That sucks Steve. But it kind of makes me laugh to - the comment about the bathrobe (I am laughing WITH you - not AT you of course).

It would make me so mad if it was me (the cruise I did, I got to keep my frequent cruiser credit, but this would be expected because it was a competitor cruise so there was no way they could reverse it off). On this particular cruise line, if you get to the highest level (I am a way off) they have a 2 hour hosted bar reception EVERY night for their platinum members - I could do some serious damage there.

Remember what I said about how I would be more willing to take a cruddy shop if they paid me in airline miles instead of some piddling fee - well same thing applies here.

I'd be willing to forgo the fee if they just let me have a room with a balcony (cruise or hotel).

Maybe you can negotiate, don't know why they wouldn't other than changing instructions to accommodate one and not another, but still, if they have the room, sounds resonable. I'd love a room upgrade, sometime's you get one on a promotion and not through the MSC.

Just be glad your room is above water and not on deck negative 2 ... picky picky Steve.

I hate the words, "lowest rate available" - although I learned the hard way (after 3 years) that if they do not specifically say to book lowest rate possible, that it might be worth an inquiry. Yup - did shops for one chain for three years, always booking the cheapest room possible, happened to ask about it on one of my last shops ever for them and was told I could book pretty much any view I wanted - including full ocean views... UGH.

"Lowest rate available with your bedding preference" is preferable.

You can often manipulate that into a better room if they have no doubles or kings left in the crappy room categories.

No negotiating possible with many clients. Any room they give an evaluator is revenue they loose if a room category gets booked up while you are there.

Priority #1 for hotel manager: Fill the rooms with paying customers. Everything else comes after that. Making the mystery shopper happy is somewhere down that list.

If a manager can consistently fill rooms at the rack rate, they can toss a mystery shopper from the hotel with little repercussion from the corporate office. I've witnessed it.