There is no doubt that hotels across all market segments have invested heavily in reservations sales development. Besides scheduling outside training, most hotels have a regular telephone mystery shopping program in place, and the majority seem to factor results into frontline staff, management and General Manager incentive programs. Yet all too often the quest for the “perfect shop” score turns front desk and reservations agents into robots who routinely spew-out a scripted list of the same features for each and every caller, regardless of their needs or travel plans.