I am thinking about applying for hotel shops - it will be my first time doing hotel shops, if I do get accepted. It looks like DataQuest has some arrival audits that I thought about starting out with and then possibly moving on to overnight stays in my city, and then others.

So now I've got a couple questions that I thought I might ask here first, instead of bombarding the scheduler. When we book hotels, are we expected to book through the hotel website, or is it allowed to book through a third party website? I could see the client wanting us to test the service as if booked through their website, but could also see it not mattering.

Also, are we allowed to book with our loyalty program that we belong to if the hotel offers? Or do they want us to avoid this to avoid any bias and to stay anonymous?

Reimbursements - if the shop says the company will reimburse for valet - but testing valet is not necessarily part of the shop, do we have use valet? I wouldn't use a car in NYC to get to a hotel in the city. Also, does anyone if we get reimbursed for tips? The particular shop description doesn't say that I would, but I am expected to test the bellhop, and I would usually tip a few dollars.

Lastly - something I've been curious about. After we do our reporting, what goes on on the other side? Does the client ever review findings with their staff and point out who we are? I guess I think about these things just in case I have to avoid going into certain hotels in the future.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/30/2017 09:07AM by Glimglamglop.

Good questions. I’ve done hotels in NYC for DQ and they are totally do-able. You MUST book through the hotel website (which you always want to do if you’re going for points. No hotel awards points for stays booked through 3rd parties).

Some MSCs prefer that you don’t provide your rewards number until after you check out. DQ isn’t one of them.

DQ, in my experience, has always said to use the valet only if you’re plannjng to arrive by car. If you’re not, then it’s no big deal.

They do reimburse cash tips.

The back end is something I can’t addrsss. I’ve done dozens of hotels and have never had an issue with being found out, even after the fact.

You won' t get the reversal if you.book through a 3rd party, so NO. You should ask Monica about the valet, some shops are different.

Hotel shops vary by client, as well as by MSC. The guidelines will tell you how/where you may or may not book the reservation. IF they do not want you to reveal your rewards status at the time of booking they will tell you. On the back end.... first, try to avoid wording the report in ways that would ID you if the situation was described to an employee. (One shopper's call for maintenance assistance was because she had set off the smoke detector by burning toast. Not the best incident to have used in the report, even though true.) Email the scheduler if something so unusual occurs that you wonder if it should go into the report or be handled outside of the report. Next, realize that hotel managers may or may not see the report, but it would rarely, if ever, be shown to a housekeeper or desk clerk. I have learned this from chats with MSC personnel from several companies. Valet.... a FEW NYC shops will require a car to assess valet and doorman services. Many just make that optional. In other cities, it is quite common to require that valet be assessed, but not universal.

A word about security observations. If any hotel staff member admits you to your room (when you claim to be locked out) without requiring ID, someone is going to be retrained, but only after an epic chewing out, IMHO. I have had this happen many times and always cringe when I have to report it. And, it means that I will be rating the site a 1 (on a scale of 1-10) in terms of likelihood that I would return or recommend it. And, yes, it HAS happened at a busy, upscale NYC hotel. Just realize that this is probably the most important thing that you were being paid to observe and report objectively.

Finally, take your time while on site; work your way systematically through the required interactions; do not cluster your necessary calls to the front desk. Make use of your phone's "notes" app to record timing and descriptions. If you cannot get a name say why in the report. Stay calm and carry on. When in doubt, consult your scheduler.

My goal is to depart the hotel with all of the report except the check out interactions, written.

@walesmaven wrote:

If any hotel staff member admits you to your room (when you claim to be locked out) without requiring ID, someone is going to be retrained, but only after an epic chewing out, IMHO. I have had this happen many times and always cringe when I have to report it. And, it means that I will be rating the site a 1 (on a scale of 1-10) in terms of likelihood that I would return or recommend it. And, yes, it HAS happened at a busy, upscale NYC hotel.
.

Ugh. That’s the worst. It’s really the only time I ever feel bad about reporting bad service. I always worry I’m getting someone fired immediately.
It also amazes me that not every client or MSC requires this super simple interaction. It should be industry standard.

Thank you, I will definitely book through the hotel website. Do you know if what room type we choose matters? I guess the reimbursement maximums are meant to let us know?

Thank you for answering! All of the information you just gave me will be so helpful.

Thank you so much for you response. It's really been helpful in getting an idea of what to expect and look out for. I would usually feel very torn about having to give a bad rating, but from the other side of things, if I were a regular guest, I could see this being a huge problem.

@Glimglamglop wrote:

Thank you, I will definitely book through the hotel website. Do you know if what room type we choose matters? I guess the reimbursement maximums are meant to let us know?

DQ wants you to get the most basic room at the cheapest rate that is not prepaid.

Hoju,
When that happens, I overcome that worry by being worried about someone (a guest) being robbed, assaulted or killed by the intruder. That settles the "dilemma." However, I hope that management would retrain and emphasize security for ALL staff when such an incident has occurred. I just shopper 3 hotels, all owned by the same franchisee. When I shopped them 2 years ago, every one of them had a security failure where I was admitted to a room by simply saying that I was locked out. This time, three more failures. At that point I have to wonder about the management culture in that franchisee's hotels!

That's pretty awful. I'd like to say that I'd use that as a gauge to decide which hotels I stay at on my own or not but I was at a stunning Caribbean resort a few months ago where that happened and I'm pretty sure I'd go back there in a heartbeat.

[www.dallasnews.com]

relevant paragraph: "Engler said the hotel did not tell her about a safe in her room or the front desk, and that some of her guests could get key-card access to hotel rooms without showing any ID"

You would think the Ritz would have learned their lesson by now.

[www.stltoday.com]

The follow up from just last year.

[www.stltoday.com]

If you read the entire article you will notice a name familiar to mystery shoppers. Yes, it is the same family though no longer part of the same business from what I can tell.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2017 06:49PM by LisaSTL.

@LisaSTL wrote:

If you read the entire article you will notice a name familiar to mystery shoppers. Yes, it is the same family though no longer part of the same business from what I can tell.

To what are you referring?

My shop was NOT at the Ritz, but it was a very good hotel.

@Hoju wrote:

To what are you referring?

The articles on security issues at the Ritz in St. Louis which were linked in my post. The first involves the arrest of a man given the wrong room key. The second is about his lawsuit against the Ritz and the hotel management group.

Yeah, that's not the part I was questioning. Who is the person you're refring to?

I think he was asking what name we're supposed to recognize?

I haven't clicked the links so no clue.

The hotel management company is Maritz, Wolfe & Co. They are or were being sued along with the Ritz.

Wow, this is a lot worse than just jewelry stolen!
Thanks for the link!

I am thinking of taking my first hotel with DQ, but the fee is so low and it takes 2 weeks to get fees reversed.
Want to stay there, but having doubt over fee. Above posts sound positive, could I ask what anyone's fee is?

It's why I was shocked to hear they are still having issues with security. They should be hiring shoppers on a regular basis just to be sure desk clerks are following proper security procedures. SMH.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/01/2017 01:32AM by LisaSTL.

The Hotel i'm thinking of doing is not the Ritz but another fancy one near LAX airport. i'm not worried about their security, just the work for the low fee. Thx in advance.

DQ normally pays $25 for a hotel but the work is minimal compared to a Coyle, Regal, or 5D (or whatever they are now). I took an NYC property once and brought my daughter. We saw two Broadway shows while we were there. The hotel was about $600 including all the crazy NY fees and stuff. It was totally worth it because it's easy and you have a boatload of time to do other stuff.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/01/2017 01:52AM by Hoju.

These are, by hotel shop standards, quite easy and straightforward. And, the MSC staff are great!


Irene, please stay safe as you area goes into a super high temperature weekend!

@walesmaven wrote:

These are, by hotel shop standards, quite easy and straightforward. And, the MSC staff are great!


Irene, please stay safe as you area goes into a super high temperature weekend!

thx Wales,
110% where i am,(cooler in the city) and climbing with a huge fire that shut down the 210 freeway in Burbank.....no sight for relief. Stiffling.

this is about staying @ a hotel for fee and doing a shop!! it's not about making $$. these shops go fast and they won't "pay" you to enjoy yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! get real!

hell yeah! staying @ a $600 bill free hotel is def a perk! if you are local to the area, it's just a quick getaway!

Here we go again.

Does a bonus seem within reason...I have asked for travel money, should hear back soon, will do it for more $$.
$25.00 for a hotel, just doesn't seem resonable.....it has been on the board awhile now.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2017 08:22PM by Irene_L.A..