How many people do you know who get to plan luxury trips for a living? I am sure it is not many, but at Signature Worldwide our mystery shoppers are some of the lucky few who spend their days dreaming and planning the ultimate luxury get away.
Mystery shopping is a unique job. Essentially a mystery shopper spends their day recreating the experience that an actual customer would have. Some of the basic items they prepare are dates of travel, reason for travel and number of people in their party. These basics are great, but when you are preparing for the trip of a life time you need to dig deeper and really make sure you are thinking like a true luxury buyer.
In Amber Fox’s article, The Luxury Buyer, she talked about the different attributes of a luxury buyer. She describes them as savvy, experienced, smart and demanding. With these attributes in mind our mystery shopper sets out to create a scenario that is as realistic as possible. They will spend time researching the hotel and what it offers travelers. By having an understanding of the hotel’s amenities, it helps the shopper to determine what elements they want to be a part of their trip. Is having the best view the hotel has to offer their number one priority or maybe it is being able to eat at a five star restaurant every night? Do they offer spa services in the room and this included in the stay or an extra feature?
The mystery shoppers will also spend time researching the area surrounding the hotel or resort. They need to determine what attracted them to the area and what activities they hope to do while traveling. Maybe they want to have a personal tour guide through the Colorado mountains or to have fantastic seats for the best musical on Broadway?
Once the mystery shopper has created their overall scenario they then call the hotel or resort and become the luxury customer. A mystery shopper will expect the hotel employee to take control of the call and to paint a picture of what the stay will be like for them and their family. Ultimately the mystery shopper is looking for the exact same treatment that any caller would want to receive. Many times mystery shoppers are so impressed with the hotel or resort that they called that they are now truly planning to take their family there for a vacation!
Click below to hear an example of a mystery shop call.