Updated February 3rd, 2014
Company Overview: It seems that shoppers are always on the hunt for hotel assignments, either to add to a long-distance route to offset costs or to simply get away from it all for a little bit. The easiest way to find these assignments is to get signed up with mystery shopping companies like this one that specialize in the hospitality industry.
Buckalew Hospitality started operations in 2005 after purchasing Ultimate Hospitality. It has grown slowly but steadily, and now conducts up to 60 evaluations each month. Some of the company’s clients are listed on their website.
The company also has a bank of 1,100 mystery shoppers in the U.S. and Canada.
Buckalew Hospitality is based in Orlando, Florida. Most of its assignments are in the larger cities located in California, Arizona, Illinois, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, New Jersey, South Carolina, New York, Washington DC, and Virginia.
Buckalew Hospitality has a quick approval process. Visit their website at http://buckalewhospitality.com. On the left side of the page, click “Shopper Application”. Fill in the brief information required along with a description of your mystery shopping experience and submit. Buckalew Hospitality is not affiliated with any of the standard software platforms such as Sassie or Prophet.
Shoppers on Mystery Shop Forum state that Buckalew Hospitality assignments go fast. The company posts their shops on the 20th of the month for the upcoming month. The shops are posted between 9am-5pm EST, with a heads up on their release posted on Facebook that day. Occasionally assignments are also posted on the Mystery Shop Forum.
More than a few have stated that although these assignments are work and should not be mistaken as a mini vacation, they would rather complete hotel assignments for Buckalew Hospitality than other MSCs. Forum members have said that this company is a pleasure to work with, and that they very much appreciate the availability of its owner. The owner also visits the forum from time to time to answer questions or to recruit shoppers.
Although the initial cost for assignments can be extremely pricey, charges to a shopper’s credit card are reversed within 5 to 7 days. Pay is said to be decent.
Be prepared to be completely engaged in hotel assignments for Buckalew Hospitality. As one forum member stated, you will be involved in interactions and eating and writing from check-in to check-out. Another said that you must organize your time efficiently in order to get all necessary interactions completed. Although narratives are short, many observations are required, leaving no time to spend in leisure activities.
This company uses Microsoft Excel for reports, so be sure you have the capability to work with this software.
The only complaint posted about Buckalew Hospitality is that shoppers wish this MSC had more assignments.
Personal Experience: This MSC does not yet operate in my region.