Instant Insights by Field Agent

On any given night, approximately 3 million rooms at hotels and other lodges across the United States are occupied by guests. That's a lot of continental breakfasts. 

And, yet, hotel chains are typically in the dark about how even a fraction of these “stays” actually went, that is, from the guest's perspective. In the dark about questions like:  

• Were guests greeted warmly and treated courteously by hotel staff?
• Did they find the facilities clean and inviting?
• Were they pleased with the state of their rooms?
• And, perhaps most critically, do they plan to return to the hotel?

It’s little wonder hotels have traditionally struggled to answer such questions. In the past, after all, it was difficult and cost-prohibitive to engage with guests in a consistent, affordable, and efficient manner—to understand their experiences in a way that still made sense for the business.

But that was the past.

Today, Field Agent crowdsources over one million smartphones across the country to help hotels understand the guest’s experience from start to finish. High-quality photo, video, and audio, along with Field Agent’s mobile surveying capabilities, let hotel chains see and understand their widespread operations from the only perspective that ultimately matters: the guest’s.  

Mystery Shopping 6 Popular Hotel Chains

To demonstrate, Field Agent recently mystery shopped six popular, moderately-priced hotel chains across the United States. We collected photo, video, and—let’s call them—hotel inspections from between 7-12 guests staying at Baymont Inn, Best Western, Comfort Inn, Fairfield Inn, Hampton Inn, or Holiday Inn Express. Mystery shoppers were even required to use their hotel’s mobile app, to help us understand which chain is offering the most satisfying digital experience.   

The curated video below offers an “up close and personal” look at the mystery shop, as guests show their rooms and share their thoughts about the overall hotel experience.

Scroll even further down to see how guests rated each hotel chain on a variety of dimensions, from curb appeal to staff courtesy to room temperature.

The report below is based on a 53-location mystery shop of six popular hotel chains. Each chain in the study was mystery shopped by between 7 and 12 guests.

Checking Out

Generally speaking, the six national hotel brands in our mystery shop made a positive impression on their guests, some better than others. At least 50% of guests staying at each hotel said they'd be more likely to revisit the hotel based on their initial impressions. Moreover, the vast majority of photos and video submitted by mystery shoppers depicted generally well-kept, welcoming hotel properties.

Not to suggest there weren't problems. From ants crawling across a bathroom vanity to some terribly uncomfortable room temperatures, mystery shoppers certainly spotted things they didn't like.

Guest satisfaction is critical to the hotel industry, where customers have myriad options and few barriers to switching from one hotel (or accommodation) to another. Hotels simply can't afford mistakes. 

Consequently, engaging with guests as they interact with hotel personnel and facilities has never been more important. Fortunately, with mobile mystery shopping, it's never been easier, faster, or more affordable either. 

Connect with Your Guests Today

Field Agent has radically reimagined traditional mystery shopping, offering hotels and service-providers of all kinds a faster, more affordable avenue to customer experience insights. Learn more below.