I am considering attempting a Coyle shop and these are listed on the shopmetrics site. One is a one night stay and the other is a two night stay. The charges are not reversed, but paid out later.

1. I have emailed Coyle twice asking what the shop requirements are as I have never done one of these and I would like to know what to expect. I have not received any communication back from the support email they have listed, is there a better way to contact them?

2. If you have experience with Coyle shops - one is a [client name deleted] Guest Experience and the other is a [client name deleted] Quality Assurance. What types of requirements are expected of the evaluator? Is is easy enough I should just jump in and try it? Is it more difficult - I have heard Coyle expects quite a bit of narrative and I can write narrative. I am more worried I will have troubles meeting the expectations of the shop.

Mod note: Please do not link client name with the MSC. It is against forum rules and an ICA violation

Here's SOME of what you should expect:

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? 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.

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.

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.

Bell Interaction - See above.

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

Bell Observation - See above.

Check Out - We 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."

One of my recent hotel evaluations had 37 pages of single spaced, 10 pt. font text - just for the narratives. Expect to capture approximately 30-40 images that need to be uploaded, and formatted and labeled to their specifications.

Please let us know if you decide to apply for the opportunity - and if you are scheduled, how it goes.

Good luck!

wow! thanks for your detailed response.

A couple more Coyle questions, please. I signed up with Coyle years ago, only to see two and only two jobs in the areas I shop, one restaurant and one hotel, over the next two years. I finally pinned someone down to admit that although they had specifically advertised for shoppers in several areas within striking distance for me, they did not actually have clients there. Yet I continued to watch. Things have finally started to open up.

1. Am I the only one struggling with the shopmetrics job board? I can't get the jobs to sort in any meaningful way no matter what I try with the filters/searches, I can go through the entire list of open shops,but at least they used to be clearly alphabetized by state. Going through the list now is not only time consuming, but I worry about missing something if I skim too quickly. Am I missing something simple about how to set up the filters/searches?

2, The hotel I am looking at does not offer one of Coyle's higher fees. Is there any correlation between the fee and the work required in completing the report? I realize that getting one would be a long shot since I have only ever done one restaurant for them, I still want to be prepared. I found Professional Guest's list to be very helpful. I have done a hotel report for another company with similarly detailed narratives but without the required pictures. I imagine that just uploading the pictures could be very time consuming.

3. What are the deadlines for extensive hotel reports? 24 hours?

4. While we're talking hotels, I recently saw one posted for H S Brands that looked as if it would be comparably intricate, but I have no experience with them, either. Is there anyone who can compare typical hotel experiences for the two companies. The one for H S Brands involves some gambling in the hotel casino but otherwise seems to call for evaluating the usual suspects. The fee, however, is more than double the Coyle fee.

Thanks for any help of advice.

In my experience, the fee does vary with the requirements. Coyle wants things written exactly their way; if you're a good proofreader, you should do fine. I've never had a payment issue with them, and their assignments are generally high end. I did not do the recent Quality Assurance audits, but the scheduler told me that there was far less to evaluate than their usual clients, but "require(d) the same high standard."

I've done the HS Brands casinos, and I always say, "Never again," but then find myself reapplying a few months down the line ;-). If you like to gamble, they are a great way to do it on someone else's dime. The smoke is always disgusting, though, even in the non-smoking areas, so that is a consideration. The hotel rooms are not likely to be in Conde Nast's next list (unlike Coyle who often has some very top-of-the-line hotels.) The food has been surprisingly good. I've never come away with winnings, but that's typical of the casinos around here.

Comparing the two -- if you're going alone, the much higher fee from HS is better (BUT they take forever to pay and I've had to chase it more than once). If you are an excellent gambler, take the HS shops. If you are taking a guest, Coyle is better -- you will be working, but your guest will enjoy a wonderful evening or two on you. The "pay" is more like a stipend to cover all those incidental costs to get to the venue.

I'll be doing both again ..and again... and again.

Thanks very much, MrEToomey!

I thInk it's important to point out that if you haven't completed any shops for Coyle, they will not assign you hotels. Too big of a risk for them to trust to a new evaluator.
You'll need to do several restaurants first.

I've done several of the Casino shops for HS Brands. They were amongst the first "hotel" shops that I ever got assigned. They sure were a lot of work, but after the first one I had enough experience to go through the detailed surveys and be done by the time I checked-out. The fee is definitely worth it, and the expense allowance at the casino and restaurant is quite generous. They do take some time to pay, but it was never more than 60 days. The schedulers are really nice and they're reactive even if something happens at night during your shop (a restaurant was closed and I emailed them and received the instructions to deal with the situation within less than 10 minutes).

Now, I've recently signed up with Coyle, and I applied for a couple of restaurant shops and hotel shops through their shopmetrics system. I specified in my application that I had experience in fine dining and in hotel/casino shops (I did more than 10 two night stay shops already), but I have never received an answer. I'd love to get assigned one of their restaurant shops so I can build up my experience with them, but if no one ever answers...

From what I read on the forum, their surveys did not seem that lengthy or complicated compared to what I've already done. As soon as I find a way to get assigned a hotel shop, I'll be able to give the forum a more detailed comparison !

@charlhenri wrote:

I've done several of the Casino shops for HS Brands. They were amongst the first "hotel" shops that I ever got assigned. They sure were a lot of work, but after the first one I had enough experience to go through the detailed surveys and be done by the time I checked-out. The fee is definitely worth it, and the expense allowance at the casino and restaurant is quite generous. They do take some time to pay, but it was never more than 60 days. The schedulers are really nice and they're reactive even if something happens at night during your shop (a restaurant was closed and I emailed them and received the instructions to deal with the situation within less than 10 minutes).

Now, I've recently signed up with Coyle, and I applied for a couple of restaurant shops and hotel shops through their shopmetrics system. I specified in my application that I had experience in fine dining and in hotel/casino shops (I did more than 10 two night stay shops already), but I have never received an answer. I'd love to get assigned one of their restaurant shops so I can build up my experience with them, but if no one ever answers...

From what I read on the forum, their surveys did not seem that lengthy or complicated compared to what I've already done. As soon as I find a way to get assigned a hotel shop, I'll be able to give the forum a more detailed comparison !

Coyle's are harder, need to be submitted sooner and pay less.
Coyle has more upscale clients. You are in it for the experience, not the money paid to you.
I've worked for both.
Hope that helps.

How long does it take them to reimburse you for the hotel stays usually? I have one scheduled for the end of this month and it's my first ever job with them.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/12/2015 05:15PM by tome9918.

Hotels are generally reversed within a week of submitting the report, but sometimes it takes much longer. It really depends on the hotel manager and I had one that I had to follow up on 3 times over 60 days, so there's no guarantee....

Thanks for that info, I just did a hotel shop about three weeks ago and my credit card hasn't been refunded. Who did you contact about it?

A bit of advice, PJ, this company will never assign hotels to people who have not completed at least eight restaurants. Also, they will not give you guidelines for a shop you are not assigned, because no shop will. I have done a few restaurants for them and they are hard. I have done restaurants and hotels for other companies that were not. There are better companies that don't make you jump through hoops. I would research those.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/2015 05:40AM by jake103.

@jake103 wrote:

I have done restaurants and hotels for other companies that were not [hard].

Sorry, but the hotels and restaurants that one would consider "easy" are just not anywhere near the category and experience of most Coyle hotels. All other companies that provide really good hotel experiences basically make you jump through just about the same hoops and I promise you that 8 restaurants is not the magic number that gets you a hotel assignment. If you do a great job on a few restaurant and are in an area where they need hotel shoppers, you stand a good chance of being considered.

Yes; the restaurant reports can be difficult...and the hotel shops more so. I think it's natural for the company to want shoppers to prove themselves a bit because if you are overwhelmed by the restaurant you are simply not ready to take on the hotel.

@niteflytes; Contact the support address on the instructions for your shop if you have not yet seen a credit reversal.

Coyle...somewhere in their training materials it is noted to build a resume of experience with them. I recall they actually specify a number of 7 (or 8 ??) shops will support a rating that may make you a candidate for their hotel shops. Someone that might come to them with an acceptable amount of experience may not be held to that standard, especially if they have a need.

It has never been my experience that MSC provide contractors with the report form so they may see what the expectations are. I have never had that experience even with fast food audits. Take it for granted the report is rigorous and after one is accepted for an assignment you will have the opportunity to review and prepare. Hotel evaluations require a lot more planning than restaurant evals. There are specific audits of many departments including housekeeping, security, Engineering, Bellman, Valet, Guest Services, etc. There is a lot more at stake due to the inherent expense of the benefit. One should not choose to aim for the highest fee.

Not to take anything away from enjoying a nice boutique hotel like Coyle often represents, I actually favor hotel shops with other MSC because I lean toward the Chains that also give points towards my Rewards memberships which contribute to earning additional free nights...with no reports! Yes, Spa and Golf benefits and bringing puppy with you might be attractive to some shoppers, but not something you cut your teeth on. Was your first mystery shop fine dining or fast food?

It is reasonable to monitor your credit card reversal of the hotel expenses. A few MSC mail reimbursement checks at a short interval. Yes, you may need to follow up now and then when the expenses are not reimbursed timely. Each company has procedures to follow. If you wait too long you will have to pay your Credit Card expense off our of pocket or end up carrying a credit balance(applied to next month expenses of course) or you may have to carry the credit expense and fees from your credit card company for balances carried. My hotel shops usually accumulate 300 to 700 in expenses for a one night stay, depending upon the hotel chain, location and also its room rate at the time.

I have done $400 a night hotels for other companies with little previous experience, aced them and they were not as difficult nor as uncommunicative as I find Coyle to be. And at that price, very high end. I recently needed to reschedule a restaurant with Coyle and I got some threats from the scheduler about what a mistake that would be since it was " first restaurant," with them, which it wasn't, and how it would prevent me from getting hotels later on. I told the scheduler I could do the shop early the next week and I did not even hear back from her after the threatening email.

@SteveSoCal wrote:

Sorry, but the hotels and restaurants that one would consider "easy" are just not anywhere near the category and experience of most Coyle hotels.

While that's probably true for most hotels, my favorite hotel anywhere happens to be a really easy hotel shop. True 5 star luxury property in an exclusive location, but the shop itself (which I've been fortunate to do 3 times) is as easy as it gets. Unfortunately I was too slow on the draw to get the assignment when it popped up this month.

Well...some of the easiest and most amazing hotel assignments I have done are also through Coyle, but that probably goes to 1 or 2 shoppers a year. That's more of the exception than the norm.

The norm is that you have to prove yourself and work hard for the great assignments. If you are lucky, occasionally you will land an amazing shop with very little work required.

When starting with Coyle, do all the smaller assignments they'll allot to you. They're generally serious about hand-picking the right people, and they like to see good scores on the phone and restaurant work before giving you a run at any hotel.

One thing that can jump you forward, though, is either living in an area where they don't have many evaluators, or being willing to travel there. I skipped the phone work (but went back and did some anyway) by taking a three hour drive up the coast to a smaller town. More recently I won almost $100 in travel reimbursement by returning there for a hotel gig.

People have already told you what to expect, so my main bit of advice when you're actually doing Coyle jobs is TIME STAMP EVERYTHING. No matter what. They want to know what time you hit the can, or when the busser glanced at you. I've gotten away with pretty concise sub-reports within greater hotel evaluations, but everything I wrote within there was precise as hell and left no room for questions.

Take the two night stays and write as much as possible in the quiet hours. My first time at a hotel, they said I could write the reports after getting home. I regretted that. This latest one, I wrote them at a fever pitch and still had a lot of time to enjoy the pool.

I have done a few hotel shops for Coyle and found them to be a lot of work for the reimbursement. And they ARE picky. I keep doing their shops because I want one of their cruises. I have done a lot of shops with them and always get top scores but haven't gotten a cruise yet. Bummer. Can anyone recommend other companies that have hotel shops. Perhaps the one mentioned above that work the chains. Thanks

Welcome to the forum dakotagypsy!

I'm guessing that your run of the mill Coyle cruise shop isn't anything to be too disappointed about not getting assigned. The ones I have seen on the board are usually for very specific dates, requiring someone with a lot of flexibility. But if you are someone who has a lot of flexibility anyway you can often score dirt cheap deals on cruises, making the relative value you receive from doing a cruise shop not really worth it. It would have to be an extraordinary cruise shop to even make me think of doing one, but then I'm not a fan of cruises to begin with.