I have not seen many opportunities for hotel shops recently. They seem more focused on restaurants (which are nice but not my preferred category). Has anyone else noticed the lack of hotels lately?

Yes, I have - perhaps more will pop up over the summer. I really like the travel ones myself. Trying to figure out other companies that do this. Have you found any other companies that have a lot of hotel shops?

Not many hotels and definitely less restaurants than before Covid.

For anyone expecting hotel and restaurant assignments to magically pop back to pre-COVID levels, take a moment to think about those clients, and what their current needs might be. I'm not sure they even know what is going to be driving customers to visit in the current economy, and in many cases, it may be different from what drove the MS programs in 2019.

Most of these larger hospitality companies lost millions of dollars during the pandemic, and when the ability for people to visit returned, the customers were not so focused on the size or amount of washcloths, of how quickly their drinks were served. They just were just happy to be able to travel and dine out again. Many hotels I stay in now do not have full service housekeeping or desk staff equal to 2019 levels. Texting service and automated check-in/out are now common, and limiting person interaction is a priority, where it used to be something we focused on evaluating. Cash transaction are far less common, and many clients no longer allow cash.

It's going to take time for the hospitality industry to adjust to the current requirements and develop mystery shopping programs accordingly. Where I live, many restaurants are struggling to hire and keep staff levels up to their operational needs, so they are probably less focused on server performance. I expect a few more years before we settle on the new normal for what MS programs will look like moving forward.

(Edited for site acting up and repeating posts)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/2024 01:29AM by SteveSoCal.

(Edited for site acting up and repeating posts)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/2024 01:23AM by SteveSoCal.

@SteveSoCal My take away from your post is, why would hotels evaluate customer service when they don't give a crap about it any more!

There were plenty of hotels about a week ago. I applied to 7, got one and then had to give it up because the hotel was very expensive on weekdays when I’m available. They’ve changed the layout now though, so you can’t see what’s been assigned anymore.

I don't know if it's nationwide, but IntelliShop also has some hotel shops right now, some with two-night stays.

@bradkcrew wrote:

@SteveSoCal My take away from your post is, why would hotels evaluate customer service when they don't give a crap about it any more!

More or less.

Some of the higher end properties have service focused evaluations coming back, but others are now focusing on subjective components, rather than timings and such. In just the four years since all evaluations were all postponed, the playing field has changed considerably and it's much easier to for management to access social media and get a feel for the customer experience than ever before. People literally tag outlets in their social media and post pics of the food with good/bad experiences explained, so it's probably not as much as a payoff to send evaluators in to do that any longer.

@nolimitem with almost all hotel offerings these days, you have to go to the hotel website when applying and pick the least expensive days for the stay. I always include the current nightly rate in my applications.

I also asked for a small fee and moderate travel stipend for the two hotel assignments I recently requested, and both were given away to others, so it appears the best way to get assignments is to simply offer to do them for free. The MSC would apparently rather put in a less experienced evaluator than pay me $40.

(I actually think those in charge would have preferred I was given the assignments, but there's clearly a disconnect between scheduling and management these days, so they just put the lowest bidder in, since the outside schedulers don't have to deal with the issues in editorial.)

@SteveSoCal I didn't check, because it said Friday and Saturday not recommended. I would have thought one of weekdays within the month would've been cheaper, but they were all more than double the weekends. I think they might have a corporate contract for the week to make that so.

@SteveSoCal wrote:

@bradkcrew wrote:

@SteveSoCal My take away from your post is, why would hotels evaluate customer service when they don't give a crap about it any more!

More or less.

Some of the higher end properties have service focused evaluations coming back, but others are now focusing on subjective components, rather than timings and such. In just the four years since all evaluations were all postponed, the playing field has changed considerably and it's much easier to for management to access social media and get a feel for the customer experience than ever before. People literally tag outlets in their social media and post pics of the food with good/bad experiences explained, so it's probably not as much as a payoff to send evaluators in to do that any longer.

@nolimitem with almost all hotel offerings these days, you have to go to the hotel website when applying and pick the least expensive days for the stay. I always include the current nightly rate in my applications.

I also asked for a small fee and moderate travel stipend for the two hotel assignments I recently requested, and both were given away to others, so it appears the best way to get assignments is to simply offer to do them for free. The MSC would apparently rather put in a less experienced evaluator than pay me $40.

(I actually think those in charge would have preferred I was given the assignments, but there's clearly a disconnect between scheduling and management these days, so they just put the lowest bidder in, since the outside schedulers don't have to deal with the issues in editorial.)

I was thinking the same, too. It happened to me last year when I applied a big lot of the assignments I used to do pervious years, they simply think I was too expensive.

The pay must be deducted from the total the scheduler/MSC receives, so $0.00 looks like it fattens their take than $40. I found one last month finally went to claim it and said I needed to pass the test. Now I cannot even find a test.

After reading many threads here in the past month or so, I am beginning to think that many shoppers do it for their own entertainment rather than as work....or the thrill of beating out another shopper for an assignment. These MSCs are laughing all the way to the bank LOL.

@BarefootBliss wrote:

These MSCs are laughing all the way to the bank LOL.

Perhaps it's just bragging rights for getting the previously sought-after high reimbursement assignments, but the MSC's are definitely taking advantage of whatever it is, and everyone probably loses in the end.

They are ruining their relationships with experienced evaluators, most likely putting in a lot more time on editorial ,and this process will probably just continue over time, so those assignments are now not so desirable. I don't rely on the fees to make a living, but I am also tired of losing money when I take an assignment and turn in professional level work.

@SteveSoCal wrote:

@BarefootBliss wrote:

These MSCs are laughing all the way to the bank LOL.

Perhaps it's just bragging rights for getting the previously sought-after high reimbursement assignments, but the MSC's are definitely taking advantage of whatever it is, and everyone probably loses in the end.

They are ruining their relationships with experienced evaluators, most likely putting in a lot more time on editorial ,and this process will probably just continue over time, so those assignments are now not so desirable. I don't rely on the fees to make a living, but I am also tired of losing money when I take an assignment and turn in professional level work.

Agree especially the long turnover on reversals
Previously, I was more than happy to complete any unwanted hotel shops, now I only take the ones on my current travel plan.
The shops I just submitted recently was reviewed by a new editor for the very first time. The shops were scheduled about the same time. The editor who used to edit my work came back with just a few questions and the new editor took triple the time and gave me a long list of questions to confirm. She seems not responsive either, and gave me a super low score ????which I do not care anymore

Question regarding travel expenses. I see Coyle sometimes has international opportunities but they can be a quick turnaround. For example right now there is a hotel shop in Mexico but to be completed by end of the month and excluding Memorial Day.
Does Coyle often pay for these last minute flights? Or does someone who happens to be traveling there pick these up?

@summerdavidson wrote:

Does Coyle often pay for these last minute flights? Or does someone who happens to be traveling there pick these up?

It's going to greatly depend on the client, but the odds of getting full flight reimbursement are extremely small, unless they are under a tight deadline and you are one of the top evaluators.

Many clients have travel limits that quite small, so it usually ends up basically being a discount on travel, rather than a full reimbursement. I would sometimes string 3 properties together as a route and still have to add my fee in to break even on international assignments. Or use miles earned from other assignments.

Because they have more clients in Mexico recently, they also have evaluators in those locations who are local. Same goes for Hong Kong, Tokyo, Bangkok and London. I used to get decent fees to travel there for assignments and now they can almost always find someone local to do those.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/31/2024 05:37AM by caro555.