If you enjoy travel and consider yourself an expert when it comes to accommodations, then you may be interested in the hotel mystery shopping industry.

Hotel mystery shopping involves the use of a professional evaluator who visits a hotel and offers feedback relating to the customer service, employee attitudes, room cleanliness, clean rating and availability of needed items. This may include an ample supply of towels, shampoo, soap, tissues, etc. At the end of the stay, the hotel mystery shopping evaluator completes a report and submits to the company who hired them.

Many hotel mystery shoppers are not even required to travel out of state, but may evaluate local accommodations. This allows for flexible hours, along with extra income. The majority of hotel mystery shopping professionals work part-time and still have many hours left in the day for other activities, such as a full time job, children, family or school.

For the most part, hotel owners are appreciative for the hotel mystery shopping industry. This method allows company leaders to know which areas need improvement without having to do the inspections themselves. By posing as regular hotel guests, hotel mystery shopping professionals are able to receive the same treatment as all other guests without otherwise being recognized. They are given an actual view of the business operations. For example, customer service is a very important part of the hotel industry. As such, hotel owners want to ensure that their employees are treating guests with great consideration. A hotel mystery shopping evaluator will receive their own experience with the staff and nobody will ever know that they are being evaluated. This provides for a realistic view of operations and staff behavior.

A large number of hotels use in-house hotel mystery shoppers, which allows them to maintain control over the various visits to different locations. However, not all hotel mystery shopping evaluators work in-house. In fact, there are independent companies who hire hotel mystery shopping evaluators. The shoppers are compensated for their work upon completion of an accepted findings report. These reports are generally brief and consist of several general questions relating to service and overall experience.

Hotel mystery shopping is a very large industry and can be competitive. If you are interested in seeking work as a mystery shopper, an internet search may provide results for your area. In addition, local marketing firms or radio commercials may reveal hotel mystery shopping opportunities in your local area.