Hotel Updates
Hotel Chains Raise Satisfaction Among Travelers, J.D. Power Index Shows
By Michael B. Baker
July 30, 2010
Travelers rated Ritz-Carlton, Omni Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Drury Inn & Suites, Microtel Inns & Suites and Homewood Suites the top brands in their respective tiers in J.D. Power and Associates' 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study, released on Tuesday.
Every tier, on average, improved its satisfaction score compared with the 2009 study, according to J.D. Power and Associates. The midprice and extended stay tiers saw the greatest increases, and guest satisfaction improved the most with reservations, guest room quality and the costs and fees across all tiers.
The study, now in its 14th year, tabulated responses from more than 53,000 hotel guests who stayed at a hotel between May 2009 and June 2010. Guests rated hotels on reservations, checkin and checkout procedures, room quality, food and beverage quality, the hotel's services and facilities and ancillary costs and fees.
"Many hotel chains were able to sustain relatively high satisfaction levels during the previous 12 months, despite contending with revenue declines and cost pressures caused by the economic downturn," according to J.D. Power and Associates global hospitality and travel practice director Mark Schwartz. "As the industry recovers and guest volumes increase, it will be critical for hotel chains to focus on effectively managing and delivering consistently high levels of products and services."
In the luxury tier, Ritz-Carlton scored 861 on a 1,000-point scale, besting last year's top brand, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, which scored 848 points. Marriott International's JW Marriott brand also scored above the tier average of 830, while Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, W Hotels and Loews Hotels all scored below the tier's average.
Omni Hotels topped the upscale segment with a score of 817, followed by Hilton Worldwide's Embassy Suites brand, which had led the tier for three years prior. Other high scorers in the tier included Marriott's Renaissance brand and flagship brand and Starwood Hotels & Resorts' Westin brand and newly introduced Aloft brand.
In the extended stay tier, Hilton's Homewood Suites brand overtook last year's top brand, InterContinental Hotels Group's Staybridge Suites. Marriott's Residence Inn brand rounded out the top three in that tier.
Hilton Garden Inn topped the midprice full-service tier for the second year in a row, scoring 817 points. Hyatt Hotels and Resorts' rapidly growing Hyatt Place brand was close behind, and Marriott's Courtyard brand, Starwood's Four Points by Sheraton brand and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts' Wyndham Garden Hotels also scored above the tier's average.
In the midprice limited-service tier, Drury Inn & Suites scored highest in its tier for the fifth year in a row. Several other brands also scored above the tier's average, including Marriott's SpringHill Suites and Fairfield Inn, Hilton's Hampton Inn, Wyndham's Wingate and InterContinental's Holiday Inn Express.
Microtel Inns & Suites continued its long reign on top of the economy/budget tier, earning top marks for the ninth year in a row in the study. Wyndham's Howard Johnson Express brand and Red Roof Inn also earned high marks in the tier.
—Northstar Travel Media