Getting top marks in a mystery shop for hotels and venues takes more than being polite on the phone. Moreover, your mystery shop results are determined by the many and varied ways you make your prospect think “This venue really gets it.”
And in 2025, the ability to generate this feel-good factor can’t be overestimated. Because event planners are working to even tighter timeframes and higher expectations than ever before.
For these reasons, your ability to respond to mystery shopping questions with relevance, speed, and enthusiasm can make or break the sale.
Here’s where to focus your efforts in readiness for next time your company commissions mystery shop phone calls, emails, web enquires, or walk-ins.
Adopt a Consultative Approach to Enquiry Handling
The key to a winning first impression is making the conversation personal. So, be curious. Ask the right questions to uncover the booking motivation. And tailor your answers accordingly:
- Dig into why, not just what
- Offer ideas besides availability
- Position your venue as a solution beyond a space
Remember, clients are buying outcomes, not square footage. This is why painting a picture scores big during a mystery shop for hotels or a real-life enquiry situation.
Act Fast to Impress a Real Prospect or a Mystery Shop for Hotels
The latest research by leading events and hospitality technology provider Cvent says it all. According to their 2025 Cvent Planner Sourcing Report: Europe Edition:
“Most planners (83%) want responses to their RFPs in four days or less. Even though 35% of planners believe staffing shortages are to blame for slower RFP response times, 22% think venues could improve their turnaround time. Slow responses are causing delays, as 21% cite getting an adequate response by their due date as the top challenge in the sourcing process.”
So, don’t even bother sending late responses a week later with a “Sorry for the delay” message. You’re not just lagging behind, you’re already off the shortlist!
What’s more, you’re on the naughty list if the enquirer happens to be a service provider doing a mystery shop in restaurants, hotels and venues.
Want to win the race?
- Set internal SLAs for responding to enquiries and following up – and stick to them
- Use customisable templates and pre-approved upselling bundles to speed up proposals
- Follow up with a phone call – yes, an actual phone call – to walk the client through your ideas
Demonstrate Expertise to Generate Excitement (and Bookings)
You’ve sent the proposal. Great! But is it visually exciting, easy to digest, and tailored to the client? Because 1 in 5 planners say customisation is lacking. And they’re not wrong.
What’s more, any irrelevant and mismatched information is guaranteed to bring your score crashing down at your next mystery shop for hotels and venues.
It’s Not What You Say, It’s the Way that You Say It
You might be more inclined to follow up by reframing it as momentum rather than ‘stalking’ people against their will.
For this purpose, don’t just ask if they’ve received your information. Grasp the opportunity to bring excitement back into the conversation:
- Share a hook they didn’t see coming
- Reference a past success story
- Suggest a site visit with a little VIP treatment thrown in
Think of it this way. If the person on the other end of the line is doing your mystery shop for hotels and venues, they should be sorely disappointed they can’t make an actual booking, thanks to your stellar performance!
Raise Your Mystery Shop Results
Getting a gold star on a mystery shop for hotels and venues means aligning with what planners really care about in 2025.
At Selling Savvy, our fully customisable mystery shop services are purpose-designed to uncover both your strengths and weaknesses.
Want to discover exactly what they are, so you can make measurable improvements in shortfall areas?
Get in touch HERE to find out more.
