Mystery Shop Feedback and Evaluation Form

Mystery Shop Feedback and Evaluation Form May 18, 2013
Mystery Shop Results:
Property Name:
Shopper Name:
Met Expectations
The Ballantyne, Charlotte
Carol Izer
Arrival Date: 05/09/2013
Departure Date: 05/11/2013
Control Number: 60483
Dear Partner,
Carol Izer, a member of the American Express leadership team, has recently visited The Ballantyne, Charlotte as a
'Mystery Shopper' and evaluated your property. Overall, your property met all expectations of the mystery shopping
visit, which indicates that the property delivered a highly satisfactory overall customer experience, as well as clearly
communication and delivering all amenities of the FINE HOTELS & RESORTS program to the mystery shopper.
As you know, Mystery Shopping is an important component of the quality assurance process for the FINE HOTELS &
RESORTS program. These visits are conducted by American Express management who evaluate the hotel based on
rooms, service and the staff's knowledge and delivery of the program amenities.
Each participating hotel has agreed to the Mystery Shopping program. A Mystery Shopping stay includes up to two
complimentary nights and delivery of each of the program amenities. Charges for up to two nights (including room
and tax), breakfast for two people each day, and the cost of the special program amenity should have been removed
from the bill of Carol Izer upon check-out. The Ballantyne, Charlotte agrees to accept any form of American Express
card at check-in.
Thank you for providing this mystery shopping visit and for your continued support of the FINE HOTELS & RESORTS
program. If you have any questions regarding mystery shopping, please do not hesitate to contact me via email at
Elina.Gorlenkova@aexp.com.
Sincerely,
Elina Gorlenkova
Senior Manager, FINE HOTELS & RESORTS Program
U.S. Consumer Travel Network
American Express
American Express 3 World Financial Center 200 Vesey Street 39th Floor New York NY 10285

MYSTERY SHOP RESULTS SUMMARY
The Mystery Shop rating is determined by the overall quality of the experience provided, as well as by the
acknowledgement of the FH&R program and the proper communication and delivery of the four benefits. Each shop
score is calculated based on responses to the following questions:
Points Questions Response
5 Would you recommend this property to a Platinum or Centurion Card member Yes
10 Did the front desk verbally acknowledge at check-in that your reservation was
made through the FINE HOTELS & RESORTS program
Yes
10 Room upgrade upon arrival, subject to availability Yes
10 Complimentary continental breakfast for up to two, for each day of stay Yes
10 Guaranteed 4 p.m. late check-out Yes
10 Special complimentary amenity (differs by property) Yes
10 How would you rate the quality of the property’s guest rooms Excellent
10 How would you rate the quality of the property’s service levels Excellent
10 How would you rate the quality of the property’s public spaces (e.g. lobby,
restaurant, spa)
Excellent
10 How would you rate the quality of your overall hotel stay Excellent
5 Did the front desk agent give you the FH&R Welcome Card at check-in Yes
100% Overall Score Met Expectations

The following pages provide further detail on the mystery shopper’s experience on-site. This feedback helps the FH&R
Team understand the overall customer experience the property delivers. Responses to bold-faced questions are used
to determine the property's 'Met Expectation', 'Improvement Opportunities Identified' or 'Immediate Action Required'
ratings and are also summarized on the first page of this evaluation.
OVERALL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Would you recommend this property to another Platinum Card or Centurion member
Rate the quality of your overall hotel stay.
Yes
Excellent
Please provide feedback on your overall experience.
The Ballantyne was a great place to stay in Charlotte and we had a wonderful and memorable time there; 2
nights felt like a week!
The service we experienced was flawless, from every single staff member we encountered. The hotel itself
is very elegant, especially considering its location in a corporate park. The hotel does a great job of making
you feel like you are far away with the expansive property and the rolling hills of the golf course all around.
FINE HOTELS & RESORTS PROGRAM AWARENESS
Did the front desk verbally acknowledge at check-in that your reservation was made
through the FINE HOTELS & RESORTS program
Did the front desk agent give you the FH&R Welcome Card at check-in
Did the property accept any American Express Card product presented at checkin
Did the front desk verbally advise you of a room upgrade
Did you receive a room upgrade
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Please list floor and room number.
5 / 519 & 521
Did the front desk verbally advise of your daily continental breakfast for two
Were you able to receive at least a continental breakfast for two without paying
additional money to cover the breakfast each day Note: Continental breakfast
should include at least coffee/tea, one juice per person, and bread basket.
How was your breakfast amenity provided
What type of breakfast was provided
Was breakfast automatically credited upon check-out
Yes
Yes
Restaurant
Full Breakfast
Yes
Provide feedback on breakfast amenity.
The breakfast amenity was available at either the Veranda or Gallery Restaurant. Both days we opted for the
Gallery Restaurant, a very spacious and refined restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating. We sat
outside on the patio overlooking the golf course. The service was excellent; the staff members work as a
team to ensure attentive service to all guests. The food was fresh, delicious and well-presented.
Did the front desk verbally advise you of the 4p.m. late check-out
Did you use late check-out
Yes
Yes

Please advise if you had any issues using late check-out.
No issues at all.
Did the front desk verbally advise you of the special amenity
Yes
Please describe the special amenity at this hotel.
US$100 spa services credit to be used during your stay.
Were there any additional restrictions placed on the special amenity For
example, specific times, restricted menu, or specific days of the week for usage.
Did you use the special amenity
No
Yes
If yes, please provide additional comment / feedback on the special amenity.
I used the special amenity at the salon associated with the spa as there were no spa appointments available
due to it being Mother's Day Weekend Apparently the Spa at Ballantyne is extremely popular (!), especially
at Mother's Day and I can see why. The spa menu is full of luxuriious and indulgent treatments which I would
love to experience. My experience at the salon was great; the spa receptionist was patient in trying to
schedule me for an appointment and the salon staff member I was booked with (Christian Rogers) was
professional and personable. Christian offered me a glass of wine, champagne, coffee, etc. which was a
nice touch. I opted for a glass of Chardonnay which was crisp, tasty and refreshing.
The location of the spa is perfect as it is on one end of the property, next to both the indoor and the outdoor
pools so spa guests are able to take advantage of the pools without having to walk through the hotel to get
there; it's laid out very nicely.
If you were not initially advised of the four FH& R benefits, upon prompting, did
the front desk sufficiently communicate the amenities
NA
PROPERTY & ROOM QUALITY
Rate the quality of the property's guest rooms.
Excellent
Comment / Feedback on the property guest rooms.
The guest room we had was spacious and extremely comfortable; it had everything you'd want and more.
Flat screen TV and Bose stereo, very nice. The marble bathrooms (we had 2 since we were upgraded) were
gorgeous and appointed with plenty of sumptuous Frette towels and good size aromatherapeutic Remede
toiletries (not tiny bottles!). I actually think the bathrooms were more beautiful than the guest rooms! The
bed was super comfortable and the room was well laid-out. The Ballantyne also provided complimentary
water bottles, Starbucks coffee and replenishes them as needed. There's also a stack of current magazines
in the room to appeal to any interest. Turndown service was great, especially the chocolate on the pillow was
high quality. Overall, the room was excellent. My only suggestion is the internet should be complimentary;
the Ballantyne provides so many complimentary amenities it seems petty to charge for internet access.
Rate the quality of the property's service levels.
Excellent
Comment / Feedback on front-desk staff & check-in process.
Check in was a breeze. The front desk staff was wonderful. Fahd checked us in and explained in detail all of
the benefits of the American Express FH&R program and how we could obtain the amenities and provided
us with the welcome note and the survey. Fahd was extremely knowledgeable about the FH&R program
and ensured we knew the amenities were courtesy of the American Express FH&R program. He did not
need to be prompted for anything and explained everything clearly and thoroughly. The FH&R placard was
clearly displayed on the wall at tht front desk.
Comment / Feedback on property's level of service.

As I mentioned previously, what struck me was the service was absolutely flawless. The service was
exemplary from every staff member we encountered and you can tell they are guest-oriented and genuinely
enjoy working at The Ballantyne. For example, when we arrived, we valet parked. Paul Burns, the attendant,
greeted us and parked our car. Many hours later (and probably many cars later as the hotel was full) we
went to get our car and not only did Paul greet us by name, he remembered where he'd parked our car, he
didn’t need to see our ticket. Every subsequent time we saw him, he greeted us by name even though we
were no longer valet parking. When we left, he was glad to see us again, loaded our luggage and gave us
cold water bottles (it was a hot afternoon) and we appreciated that.
One staff member (Julian) that was delivering room service stopped what he was doing to walk us to where
we needed to go when he saw we were lost; I’ve only experienced that on the streets of Italy, not at a hotel
in US!
Valerian at the pool was wonderul and attentive to all pool guests. We used the outdoor pool both days.
Valerian brought everyone cold water on a hot day and refilled often. She ensured the area was neat and
tidy and had her eye on everything to ensure the pool area was clean and guests were comfortable.
Rate the quality of the property's public spaces.
Excellent
Comment / Feedback on property's public space
The public spaces are warm and inviting. There's a beautiful fountain at the entryway when you arrive and
when you walk through the doors there are gorgeous fresh flowers which are changed daily. The check in
area is functional and concierge nearby; you don't have to search for anything. The backdrop for the flowers
is the bar and veranda area; dark wood paneling and plenty of seating. Very welcoming.
The pool area is secluded, spacious and tucked away in a corner of the property. It's accessible via key card
only and has many comfortable lounge chairs, tables with umbrellas for eating. It's clean and colorful and a
great place to relax on a hot spring day.
I'm not a golfer but the golf course is beautiful to look at. We had a room with 2 balconies over the 18th
green, it was very well maintained and a serene setting amidst the corporate offices surrounding the
Ballantyne.