Although these shops have been up all year I haven't seen any reports about them. I did one last month as I needed a place to stay while on a trip where I was spending very little time in the room and would not have been able to do a full-service hotel shop with meals (not that there were any in the city I was visiting). They are with the Canadian MSC that used to have a few airline clients.

The biggest pro is that there is widespread availability across the US, unlike any other hotel shopping program that I'm aware of. You can stay up to four nights. (I only stayed one.)

The biggest con: No fee, and you just get 50% of the total costs back. You can also bring a pet, but you won't get any reimbursement for the pet fee.

As these are very limited service hotels, you're basically reporting on the check-in, check-out, room condition upon arrival and the nominal public areas (which at this property consisted of hallways and a laundry room) and the grab and go breakfast (some coffee urns and a basket of granola bars).

My room was $140/night. The survey took well under 20 minutes including photo uploads, so I would consider the $70 reimbursement a worthwhile use of my time. I was a bit hesitant about what the stay would be like, and the property didn't get a perfect score, but it was perfectly fine for my needs as a solo traveler who needed a bed and shower for the night.

ESA does not really have a loyalty program -- if you sign up you get an upfront discount on each booking, but no credits for past stays. Unlike a "reversed charge" shop I did get to keep the credit card points as I paid the entire amount and will be reimbursed by the MSC.

A few days later I did a Coyle resort shop where my total including spa and F/B charges exceeded $4,000 for two nights, so I guess I've experienced the polar opposites of overnight shops in the past month. Both were worth what I put into them.

You are brave in my book. To be out $4K with a Coyle shop is unbelievable. I am glad it worked out for you.I am still trying to pass the 95% necessary for the hotel test (:

When I read that sentence I thought you were saying I was brave for staying at an Extended Stay America! Haha!

@big_sky_thunder wrote:

You are brave in my book.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2025 08:31PM by NinS.

Thanks for the report. I would only consider this option in remote areas during a road trip when other choices are limited. There's one location near me in a business area, which doesn't make sense for locals, but for $20 more, there are much more comfortable options in my opinion. But if you're visiting a city on a reimbursed business trip and, for whatever reason, you're staying at ESA, you could think of it as making some money for an easy report.

Thank you NinS for sharing those details.

Can anyone provide clues as to the Canadian MSC?

Gracias.

I did several series of these shops years ago but was fully reimbursed at the time including the dog fee. One time we hopped around to four different locations all a few hours drive apart and visited friends and other cities. It was a great deal since each room had a mini kitchen with a stove and utensils, pots and pans so we did not have to eat out every day. I would do those in a heartbeat if they came back but half fee? only if i was travelling and needed a place to stay. It was a different msc at the time.

@NinS wrote:

When I read that sentence I thought you were saying I was brave for staying at an Extended Stay America! Haha!

@big_sky_thunder wrote:

You are brave in my book.

I thought that as well.