Which are the reasons for making a mystery shopping in traditional travel agencies? What information will we obtain when carrying out this type of study? Will it be useful for my hotel? Below is shown a list of our reasons why we believe that this service is very useful for any hotel company.

Despite the increase of online travel agencies over the past years, in some markets the traditional travel agencies are still very important for many holiday hotels. Mystery shopping at these agencies is an excellent research method to gather detailed and objective information that is difficult to find in any other way. This is how mystery shopping may increase the sales performance of your brand per travel agency:

1. With the information obtained by the mystery shoppers your brand is able to adjust  its marketing campaigns according to the performance of the different agencies: you will see to what extent research results vary among the different countries and agency brands. In some countries the agents may, for example, apply different sales processes than in others or, in some countries or agency brands they value certain hotel attributes more than others.

2. Also the selection of agencies offering the brand’s hotel(s) may be adjusted according to the suitability of the brand with the agency. If, for example, a low cost hotel brand is being offered in an agency that is more focused on upselling exclusive services, it may be advisable to reconsider the agency selected. Of course, it is also of crucial importance to take into account historical sales performance of the hotel(s) of the chain.
3. Consequently, the agencies can be supported more effectively by delivering the right materials valued by the agency to sell the products. The hotel can take actions if, for example, an agency shows poor quality photos of the brand’s hotels, or if they mainly make use of catalogues.
4. Also, by mystery shopping the actual image of the product among the agents can be observed, product knowledge can be measured as well as the effect of campaigns conducted before. This information allows the hotel group to hit close to home with the campaigns and therefore be more effective.
5. Ultimately, you will know what is going on in the market referring to competition. By implementing mystery shopping, there will be a clearer picture of the brand’s position versus its competitors. What indirect competitors does the hotel have? What hotels are primarily being recommended?

Now, which agencies would you select to carry out the mystery shopper project? That depends on your objective and priorities. Agencies can be selected, for example, according to sales performance: the top-selling agencies can be picked, or in contrast, agencies that used to perform well selling your brand, but the sales have lately decreased. You can also select agencies that do not sell your brand yet but are potential to do so since they are in line with the target segment of the hotel.

Since the hotel factory has experience with implementing mystery shopper projects, we can advise you on how to get the maximum out of it and create a tailormade approach. Please contact us for any more details.