Which MSCs do hotel shops? I'm trying to sign up with more MSCs and would like to have some in this area. TIA

Just keep signing up. Many hotel shops never hit job boards; they are offered directly to shoppers with proven records of reliability. I recently was offered one like that, after doing almost 60 shops for a company that I had no idea even had hotel shops!

This is just my experience, of course. YMMV. Do a forum search for hotel shops, you'll find lots of info.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/07/2016 02:17AM by ceasesmith.

Since I am not mentioning the client name, hotel shops can be found at IntelliShop, Data Quest, Coyle (good luck ever getting one though), and Buckalew, among others. Lots of work on the reports!!! It is advantageous only if you are going out of town and need a room. You won't get to enjoy much of the stay because of all the observations needed and the narratives for each. Every time I do one, I ask why I am putting myself through it for just a small amount of pay. And yet, I have two scheduled; one in Clearwater, FL and one in Orlando.

nslowry,
Many of us do them for the hotel rewards points! That is where the real money is. I earn many free hotel nights per year by doing hotel shops! And, the more points you earn, the faster you earn points (i.e., more points earned per dollar spent). I will take very major hotel shops that I can get and will even drive quite a long way to take one!

If the shop is reimbursed you get the points, but as I understand it, if the charges are simply reversed, then the points are not applied to your account. True?

Correct, Lowry, although sometimes Marriott forgets to reverse them ;-).

OP, if you're just starting with hotels, I'd recommend Buckalew's beginner shops or ACL's reimbursement-only hotel shop. (Actually, I'd recommend both of those to anyone, but especially to beginners.) You'll actually have time to breathe when doing those two.

ETA: I have never, ever shopped a Marriott hotel through Dave, and don't see any on his job board. It is not a violation of ICA to post a hotel name and an MSC in the same post. Hilton, Hyatt, Crowne Plaza, Intercontinentals, Kimpton, Best Western, Four Seasons, Trump Towers, Belmond, Omni, Howard Johnson, Ramada, Red Roof Inn, Montage, and a hundred other brands are shopped. Want to know which one Dave shops? Sign up with him.

Now scheduling travel shops for the day after Christmas through mid-January.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/10/2016 01:39AM by PasswordNotFound.

If the charges are reversed you do not get the points from using your rewards credit card. BUT, I have always gotten the points due to the stay on my rewards account (and those are based on the amount spent multiplied by your rewards status, of course. That means that once you attain a high status that will be a ton of points.)

I've never had the STAY points reversed, but if the charge gets reversed to my credit card, I do lose the points related to the charge. In any case, I received an Elite status with a major hotel chain to complete shops, so I get additional bonus points and offers, as well as free upgrades and such. Plus, I often share rooms with others when I'm staying outside the scope of a shop, so I book the room using my card, only pay 1/3 or even 1/4 of the bill, depending on how many of us are splitting the room, and then pocket all the points.

Most recently, I cashed in a bunch of my points for 3 free nights in Amsterdam. If I'd stayed at the same hotel but paid out of pocket for those nights, it would've cost me over $1,100. Well worth it in my book.

And you paid no income taxes on the value of the points that bought that stay in Amsterdam!

@walesmaven wrote:

And you paid no income taxes on the value of the points that bought that stay in Amsterdam!

Yep!

To: PasswordNotFound,

Can you please tell me what states have hotel assignments from Buckalew? Thank you.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2016 12:25PM by roxanne9153.

Roxanne,
Just sign up with them and you will see! They often add new locations and ,since some places are shopped only quarterly, you will need to watch their site. In addition, you can sign up and then email them; they do not bite.

[buckalewhospitality.com] Sign up there. Don't let the simple website fool you. Not too many left this month. I think Dave started in FL and moved up the East Coast, now branching west from The Sunshine State. I predict he's going to pick up more. Being small and personally involved in every shop means that he can customize in a way larger companies cant. So sign up with him and keep your eyes peeled.

Whenever I have had hotel visit charges reversed, I do not get the points for the stay.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/09/2016 03:28AM by EileenS.

Is bgriffin, I mean the mod, on vacation? There is a clear ICA and forum violation in this thread and it is still standing 2+ days later. Things that make you go hmmm.

nm



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/10/2016 01:58AM by PasswordNotFound.

Good grief!

@Sybil2 wrote:

Is bgriffin, I mean the mod, on vacation? There is a clear ICA and forum violation in this thread and it is still standing 2+ days later. Things that make you go hmmm.

I haven't seen the names of actual hotels along with the MSC (what am I missing)?
bgriffin left the forum (remember), he is NOT on vacation...I remember that well, he certainly wasn't the Mod.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/11/2016 03:34PM by Irene_L.A..

Don't worry your pretty little head, Irene. It is being addressed by a higher power. Have a nice day.

I'll say whatever I want....and having worked for above MSC, their hotel was not mentioned. Higher power taking care of it......really?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/14/2016 04:42AM by Irene_L.A..

@Sybil2 wrote:

Don't worry your pretty little head, Irene. It is being addressed by a higher power. Have a nice day.

I'm not really worried...you have a nice day as well.

Like I said, don't worry your pretty little head, Irene. Where did I say anything to you trying to prohibit you from saying whatever you want? You can keep on saying whatever you want. Sometimes you make some sense, many times you don't make sense. But keep on keeping on. Have a nice day.

@Sybil2 wrote:

Like I said, don't worry your pretty little head, Irene. Where did I say anything to you trying to prohibit you from saying whatever you want? You can keep on saying whatever you want. Sometimes you make some sense, many times you don't make sense. But keep on keeping on. Have a nice day.

Thank you for bothering to reply and give me permission to say what I want....I'm glad (in your eyes), I make sense some of the time....your way of putting people down never cease's to amaze me. You didn't make sense accusing OP of posting hotels that really had nothing to do with the MSC....but that's o.k...if you'd worked for MSC you would have known...have a nice day.

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

I haven't seen the names of actual hotels along with the MSC (what am I missing)?
bgriffin left the forum (remember), he is NOT on vacation...I remember that well, he certainly wasn't the Mod.

Actually, it's not clear whether bgriffin is on vacation or not. Although he has not posted since August, he has not left the forum. He continues to log in regularly, most recently 10/06/2016 05:59PM.

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

Thank you for bothering to reply and give me permission to say what I want....I'm glad (in your eyes), I make sense some of the time....your way of putting people down never cease's to amaze me. You didn't make sense accusing OP of posting hotels that really had nothing to do with the MSC....but that's o.k...if you'd worked for MSC you would have known...have a nice day.

How is calling your head pretty putting you down? How is telling you to have a nice day putting you down? In your eyes, I can't win for trying!

Where you don't make sense (this most recent time) is when you said, "I'll say whatever I want..." in response to a post where I never mentioned a thing about you being able to or not being able to say whatever you want. You just like to create drama and play the victim. I guess you have found your niche in life. Congrats.

As far as the naming of the client and the MSC, yes, it has been posted in this thread and yes, it is an ICA violation and the breaking of a forum rule. Just because YOU or some others have not worked for a particular client with a particular MSC, does not mean that it isn't so. My bank account is proof enough for me since I got paid several times by a particular MSC for performing hotel shops for a particular client. And no, they were not competitor shops.

About a year or so ago, a well-respected forum member mentioned a large hoagie chain and a MSC name in the same post. I had recently performed shops for said large hoagie chain with the exact MSC mentioned in the post. When I brought it to the attention of the well-respected forum member, they thanked me for bringing it to their attention and immediately edited their post, Unlike another forum member (name not needed) who responds like a complete a$$.

Oh ya, have a nice day. Peace out!

Oh where, oh where
Has our little bgriffin gone?
Oh where, oh where can he be?
With his ears burning
And his posts cut short
Oh where, oh where can he be?

I do a fair number of hotel shops, but 95% of them are charge-reverses and then the points are also reversed. Can you mention the MSC that reimburse rather than reverse charges? I love hotel points!!

Thank you for sharing!

@PasswordNotFound wrote:

[buckalewhospitality.com] Sign up there. Don't let the simple website fool you. Not too many left this month. I think Dave started in FL and moved up the East Coast, now branching west from The Sunshine State. I predict he's going to pick up more. Being small and personally involved in every shop means that he can customize in a way larger companies cant. So sign up with him and keep your eyes peeled.