How often are hotels (Super 8) shopped?

Just wondering because I plan to visit back home next weekend so I'm going to take a local hotel to shop and from what I can see it is the only hotel shopped up there (there's also a Holiday Inn and Hampton Inn if anyone wishes to let me in on what MSC does those....). Anyways, I was wondering how often this type of hotel is normally shopped...there doesn't seem to be a restriction on the MSC's page for how often I can shop it, so are they shopped like, every quarter or once a year or what? It'd be awesome if it is once per quarter or more often cause I'd love to go home more and be able to stay in a hotel instead of at my parents (they're a little cat crazy, if you kwim!).

Thanks for any info you can share with me!

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If you are planning to shop a super 8, would it really be worth your time? Hotel shop jobs are very time consuming. Perhaps you could check on hotels.com, if you are looking for a cheaper rate.

Well, it's not like I am on vacation or something. It's my hometown and I'm just visiting family and stuff. I read the checklist and it doesn't seem all that time consuming...check for normal cleanliness issues inside and out as well as customer service stuff and then call my room to leave a message and make sure the message feature works. I can't imagine it would take me more than an hour to check for everything and fill out the survey. Maybe I'm wrong though. *shrug*

The Super 8 shops are quite easy to do... I've done several. But, the MSC that does these shops is notorious for being very slow paying. I eventually got my money from them, but it took phone calls and patience. I've heard they might have gotten better recently, so maybe I'd just do one and see how long it takes to get paid before taking on any more.

Steve...

Fresno, CA - and shopping all over the middle part of the state!

Those low end hotel shops are very easy, but pay and reimbursement takes about 12 weeks. Also, check out the hotel on tripadvisor.com to be sure that you are not signing up to stay at a vermin infested place! A few of their shops are in pretty bad conditions.

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.

Like I said, it's my hometown, and it's a small town. I've stayed in this hotel before, so I know it is an Okay hotel. Thanks for the warning.

Also, I read that it takes 8-12 weeks from the time everything is approved (they made sure to point out that it is not from the date it is submitted, but from the date approved), so I'm well aware of the pay schedule too. I have lots of patience, and lots of free phone minutes.

Thanks for the advice everyone!

Yeah, the MSC who has Super 8 pays about once every three months. I refuse to do ANY work for them with that slow of a turn around.

Haha! Guess you've never been broke enough huh? If it's free it's for me. LOL!

I use their hotel shops when I am doing a long route. It's better to get the hotel reimbursement in 12 weeks than never, and the fees buy some fuel for the trip. Otherwise, I do not take threi assignments.

Oh, yes, and then there are the accumulating "frequent sleeper" points, which I use for free, higher end, hotel stays to subsidize more shopping routes of vacations. BUT, what shopper can resist adding a route of shops to a vacation? LOL

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.

This is going to bring you a smile

www.CheckInnCard.com

This is a corporate discount card used for lodging at many major motels. When you register, just give them a "name" for your business, they will ask for a credit card number. I recently paid $43 for a $74 room, using this card.

Now, go ahead and get reimbursed for the room - less money out of your pocket - and your mystery shop fee.

I started registering on CheckInnCard. The site is not secure so I did not want to give them my credit card number. If it were a secure site I would have continued.

Great advice, I would have checked it out, had I not read above post. I belong to Starwood hotel rewards sponsered by American Express. Points add up quickly (only card I use) and I get about 6 nights free a year, and the good news...no report!

Live consciously....

As far as the CheckInnCard.com, I actually work for this company as my day job and I can attest that it is a reliable company. They require your credit card because they will need to charge it for the stay however if you don't feel comfortable entering it on their website you can call them and give it over the phone. Its kind of a crapshoot as far as how much of a discount you will get but its always lower than the lowest rate that the hotel posts. Keep in mind also that most of the hotels that we do business with are low to mid grade hotels. Don't deal with a lot of Hiltons or Doubletrees or botique hotels. Also note if you belong to a rewards club with one of the hotels you can use it as well, you are essentially issued a credit card that use to pay and the stay is then taken out of your credit card of file, most of our customers are business owners that travel frequently.

Triple Platinum Certified - Shopping South Central Kansas

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/18/2011 08:03PM by Brak.

I am scheduled to do a Super 8 next week:-)

Well, I'm going to give the MSC who does these budget Wyndham hotels another try. I have some other jobs I need to spread out over two days over on the Central Coast, so I picked up at Travelodge MS to do for my overnight stay. I'm hope maybe the MSC has gotten their act together and it doesn't take 4-5 months to get reimbursed/paid. We shall see...

Steve...

Fresno, CA - and shopping all over the middle part of the state!

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How often are hotels (Super 8) shopped?

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