J. C. Schaefer unscrews a light bulb from a bedside lamp in the posh Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans and begins violently whacking it against the bedspread. He shakes the light bulb to make sure the fi lament inside is broken and then carefully screws it back into the lamp. Mr. Schaefer isn’t your average hotel guest. In fact, he isn’t even J. C. Schaefer. His real name is David Richey, and he’s a hotel spy who uses a variety of aliases to check out luxury hotels all over the world. Over 2 days, he’ll employ an extensive bag of tricks to see if the Windsor Court—rated as the top hotel in the world in a Condé Nast Traveler magazine poll— is as good as its reputation. The “burnt-out light bulb” test is one of the toughest. Only 11 percent of hotels tested by Mr. Richey’s Chevy Chase, Maryland, fi rm, Richey International, detect the burnt-out bulb on the housekeeping staff’s first pass. The Windsor Court is a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, a group of 120 independent luxury hotels that share a common reservations system. Preferred requires that all its hotels meet at least 80 percent of its standards in a test conducted annually by Richey International. After checking in, Mr. Richey heads off to lunch while his room is being prepared. The Windsor Court has a five-star dining room, but the mystery shopper decides to eat at the hotel bar, the Polo Club Lounge. Mr. Richey orders crab cakes from the menu, then orders French fries to see if the bar readily accommodates off menu orders. It does. The food is good, and the service is friendly. But the waiters get marked down for not making eye contact and for not busing away the ketchup after the meal is done. “They’re nice guys,” Mr. Richey says, “But they’re not real polished.”

A little after 2 P.M. Mr. Richey walks into a sprawling $295-a-night suite at the Windsor Court. He pulls out a disposable camera and begins taking pictures. Overall, the room gets high marks for cleanliness and creature comforts. But Mr. Richey spots scuff marks on the baseboard and a snag in one of the curtains. Then it’s on to the bathroom. “Forty percent of hotels have hair in either the sink, the tub or on the floor,” Mr. Richey announces as he begins his inspection. This room, it turns out, does not. Before leaving for dinner, Mr. Richey sets up a test to see how well the housekeeping staff will pick up the room when they turn down the covers on the bed later that evening. He leaves some magazines askew in the magazine rack, puts a cup of pistachio shells on the table, and disables the light bulb. After dinner, Mr. Richey heads downstairs for another test. “I have changed my travel plans and will be going to New York tomorrow,” Mr. Richey informs the concierge. “Can you make reservations for me?” “Unfortunately, we can’t do that,” the concierge replies. “You either have to do it yourself or call a travel agent.” Mr. Richey, as always, takes the news calmly. “That was awful,” he says later. “I’m sure the general manager will be horrified.” Back in the room, Mr. Richey finds a neatly turned-down bed. However, the housekeeper hasn’t done a very good job of tidying the room. And the defective light bulb hasn’t been replaced. Mr. Richey takes copious photos. It’s 10 P.M., but Mr. Richey will be up for another couple of hours preparing his report

Question:

a. Do you think that mystery shopping is beneficial to the Windsor Court? Why? 5 marks

b. Do you think that Mr. Richey’s observations would be meaningful to Motel 6? Why? 5 marks

c. What level of mystery shopping is Mr Richey displaying? Identify evidence from the case to support your answer. 5 marks