HOST 2103: Hospitality Reviewing, Analyzing, and Mystery Shopping

Tips from a hotel reviewer - how she prepares for reviewing 90 hotels for Fodor's.

Reviewing restaurants is one of those writing jobs that sounds incredibly glamorous but takes much more work than just loving to go out and eat. You need to have solid skills and be willing to work both at and away from the table. Here are some tips for breaking into the biz, how to select the restaurants, and what to include in your reviews.

Includes links to various organizations articles and guidelines around ethics related to receiving perks for reviewing cruise lines, tours, and other hospitality services.

One of the key tenets of reviewing, set out by the Association of Food Journalists, is that reviews are conducted anonymously. Grant will experience the restaurant just as a Times Colonist reader would. There's no red carpet rolled out. Or free meals. And she will write honestly about that experience.

Some best practices for reviewing accommodations, restaurants, and leisure activities.

Is it not possible that some people are confusing the restaurant inspector with the restaurant reviewer?
Cleanliness and quality are two altogether different factors. Consumers are free to base their choice of diner on the findings of a government employee with a clipboard, tweezers and a magnifying glass. But for the most comprehensive and useful guidance on how to run one's life, right down to tips on chewing and swallowing, no authority will ever top the newspaper professional.

"I have lunch and dinner every day in a restaurant. I have three courses, otherwise I can't determine the quality of the food. I examine the menu, look for balance and choice, see what they are trying to achieve. The number one thing is the quality of ingredients, then we look for culinary skills, value for money."

"It's usually because of service. There are lots of properties that are five-diamond in terms of physical setup but they don't get enough points for service."

Examples and tips from the hotel fixer and host of Hotel Impossible - what he looks for when analysing a hotel.