Ms. Zhuang, a Hotel Test Sleeper, was selected as one of three final winners out of 7,800 candidates and started working for Qunar as a Professional Hotel Test Sleeper in March 2010. At present, she has slept at more than 200 hotels. “My job is to role-play travelers of different types, different ages and genders at different scenarios, and see how each hotel fits their particular needs.” Zhuang said. Her reviews help travelers make smart hotel picks and bring them a more pleasant experience on the road. Qunar, a Chinese online travel platform, started to recruit Professional Hotel Test Sleepers in 2010. The requirement for this new profession is to sleep at selected hotels without disclosing their real job and write expert reviews about the facilities, location, dining, services and prices of the hotels, in order to provide an independent third-party evaluation and an authoritative guide to travelers, according to the company.
1Ms. Zhuang sleeps on the bed as she shows a part of her job as a Hotel Test Sleeper at a boutique hotel in central Beijing. JASON LEE/REUTERS
2Ms. Zhuang checks a glass as part of her job as a Hotel Test Sleeper at a boutique hotel in central Beijing. JASON LEE/REUTERS
3Ms. Zhuang, a Hotel Test Sleeper, finds a single hair on the bed of a boutique hotel in central Beijing. JASON LEE/REUTERS
4Ms. Zhuang takes a picture of a Chinese porcelain in a public living room at a Beijing traditional hotel in central Beijing. JASON LEE/REUTERS
5Ms. Zhuang checks the bed of a Beijing traditional hotel in central Beijing. JASON LEE/REUTERS
6Ms. Zhuang takes a picture of a public area at a Beijing traditional hotel in central Beijing. JASON LEE/REUTERS
7Ms. Zhuang checks the network speed of wifi on her iPad at the public area of a Beijing traditional hotel in central Beijing. JASON LEE/REUTERS
8Ms. Zhuang uses her mobile phone as she looks for a boutique hotel along a traditional alleyway, or Hutong, in central Beijing. JASON LEE/REUTERS
9Ms. Zhuang, a Hotel Test Sleeper, uses her laptop on the bed at a boutique hotel, in central Beijing. JASON LEE/REUTERS
10Ms. Zhuang stands on the roof of a public living room of a Beijing traditional hotel in central Beijing. JASON LEE/REUTERS
11Ms. Zhuang, a Hotel Test Sleeper, checks the bed of a business chain hotel in Beijing. JASON LEE/REUTERS
12Ms. Zhuang, a Hotel Test Sleeper, takes a picture of slippers in the toilet of a boutique hotel in central Beijing. JASON LEE/REUTERS
13Ms. Zhuang checks a bottle of body wash in the bathroom of a boutique hotel in central Beijing. JASON LEE/REUTERS
14Ms. Zhuang looks back at an entrance of a Beijing traditional hotel in central Beijing. JASON LEE/REUTERS
15Ms. Zhuang checks the texture of the toilet paper at a business chain hotel, in Beijing. JASON LEE/REUTERS
16Ms. Zhuang checks the bed of a Beijing traditional hotel with courtyard houses, known as Siheyuan in Chinese, in central Beijing. JASON LEE/REUTERS
17Ms. Zhuang checks a tea cup at a business chain hotel, in Beijing. JASON LEE/REUTERS |