Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts; Kimpton Hotels; Hilton Garden Inn; Holiday Inn; Drury Hotels; Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham; Homewood Suites by Hilton; and Candlewood Suites each rank highest in guest satisfaction in their respective segments.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CALIF. – Hotel guest satisfaction has reached its highest level since J.D. Power revised its methodology in 2006, according to the J.D. Power 2014 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index StudySM released.
The study, now in its 18th year, measures overall guest satisfaction across eight hotel segments: luxury; upper upscale; upscale; midscale full service; midscale; economy/budget; upper extended stay; and extended stay. Seven key factors are examined in each segment to determine overall satisfaction: reservation; check-in/check-out; guest room; food and beverage; hotel services; hotel facilities; and cost and fees.
Overall satisfaction in 2014 averages 784 points on a 1000-point scale, up 27 points from 2012, with significant improvement in all segments except upper extended stay and extended stay, where satisfaction remains stable. The midscale segment posts the largest year-over-year improvement, increasing by 10 points to 801, which is the first time satisfaction in the segment has surpassed 800 points.
The study finds that Gen Y guests (Millennials) are more critical of their hotel stay but, despite popular sentiment, not necessarily less loyal. Among Gen Y guests whose stay at the hotel they evaluated was their first experience with the brand, overall satisfaction is 29 points lower than among those who have a previous experience with the brand they evaluated (758 vs. 787, respectively).
“By improving the brand experience for first-time Gen Y guests, there is a substantial opportunity for hotels to gain a pool of satisfied, committed guests who will be loyal for years to come,” said Rick Garlick, global travel and hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power.
“We also find that satisfaction is more than 300 points lower among Gen Y guests who have a low opinion of staff than among Gen Y guests who have a high opinion of the hotel staff, while that difference is much smaller among those in other generation groups. Hoteliers have the opportunity to improve both satisfaction and loyalty rates by simply focusing on improving their staff interactions with Gen Y guests.“
KEY FINDINGS
– Hotel brands that are perceived as being exciting and trendsetters receive the highest number of positive recommendations, while those perceived as environmentally careless receive the highest number of negative comments.
– The proportion of Price Buyers—hotel guests who select their hotel brand primarily based on price—has fallen by a significant 7 percentage points from 2013 (19% vs. 12%, respectively). Price Buyers are among the least satisfied of the guest groups.
– The proportion of Scrutinizers—those who thoroughly research their hotel choices through online travel review sites and other sources—has increased to 10 percent in 2014 from 7 percent last year. Notably, the Scrutinizer group has the largest number of highly committed guests to a hotel brand.
– Among all the problems experienced by guests, rooms that are not clean has the greatest negative impact on satisfaction (213 points).
– Challenges with Internet connectivity remain twice as prevalent as any other guest problem. The negative impact of these problems is relatively consistent regardless of whether Internet access is complimentary or guests have to pay an additional fee for it.
Hotel Segment Rankings
The following hotel brands rank highest in guest satisfaction in their respective segments:
– Luxury: Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
– Upper Upscale: Kimpton Hotels (for a second consecutive year)
– Upscale: Hilton Garden Inn
– Midscale Full Service: Holiday Inn (for a fourth consecutive year)
– Midscale: Drury Hotels (for a ninth consecutive year)
– Economy/Budget: Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham (for a second consecutive year)
– Upper Extended Stay: Homewood Suites by Hilton (for a second consecutive year)
– Extended Stay: Candlewood Suites
Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking
J.D. Power.com Power Circle Ratings (Based on a 1,000-point scale) For Consumers
Luxury Segment
| Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts | 8865 |
| The Ritz-Carlton | 8794 |
| Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts | 8543 |
| Luxury Average | 8493 |
| JW Marriott | 8463 |
| InterContinental Hotels & Resorts | 8453 |
| Fairmont Hotels & Resorts | 8423 |
| Grand Hyatt/Park Hyatt Hotel | 8312 |
| W Hotels | 8302 |
| Loews Hotels & Resorts | 8272 |
Included in this segment but not ranked due to small sample size are Andaz, Mandarin Oriental, Sofitel, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, The Luxury Collection and Viceroy Hotels & Resorts
Upper Upscale Segment
| Kimpton Hotels | 8475 |
| Omni Hotels & Resorts | 8435 |
| Embassy Suites Hotels | 8304 |
| Marriott Hotels & Resorts | 8304 |
| Renaissance Hotels | 8284 |
| Hyatt Hotels & Resorts | 8213 |
| Upper Upscale Average | 8193 |
| Hilton Hotels & Resorts | 8183 |
| Westin Hotels & Resorts | 8093 |
| Wyndham Hotels and Resorts | 8052 |
| Sheraton Hotels & Resorts | 7952 |
Included in this segment but not ranked due to small sample size is Joie de Vivre
Upscale Segment
| Hilton Garden Inn | 8365 |
| Hotel Indigo | 8355 |
| Hyatt Place | 8325 |
| SpringHill Suites | 8284 |
| Aloft | 8224 |
| Upscale Average | 8153 |
| Courtyard | 8143 |
| DoubleTree by Hilton | 8143 |
| Delta Hotels and Resorts^ | 8002 |
| Radisson | 7942 |
| Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts | 7912 |
| Coast Hotels | 7842 |
| Four Points by Sheraton | 7782 |
^Delta Hotels and Resorts will be included in the upper upscale segment in 2015.
Mid-Scale Full Service Segment
| Holiday Inn | 7935 |
| Midscale Full Service Average | 7653 |
| Clarion | 7663 |
| Ramada/Ramada Plaza | 7233 |
| Howard Johnson | 7212 |
Mid-Scale Service Segment
| Drury Hotels | 8555 |
| Hampton Inn/Suites | 8354 |
| Holiday Inn Express | 8164 |
| Fairfield Inn & Suites | 8154 |
| Country Inns & Suites | 8103 |
| Midscale Average | 8013 |
| Comfort Suites | 7973 |
| Wingate by Wyndham | 7963 |
| Best Western Plus | 7913 |
| La Quinta Inns & Suites | 7903 |
| Sleep Inn | 7823 |
| Comfort Inn | 7742 |
| Best Western | 7722 |
| AmericInn | 7642 |
| Baymont Inn & Suites | 7502 |
| Quality | 7482 |
| Ramada Limited | 7262 |
Economy/Budget Segment
| Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham | 7515 |
| Red Roof Inn | 7234 |
| Days Inn | 7104 |
| Economy/Budget Average | 6973 |
| Super 8 | 6973 |
| Howard Johnson Express | 6953 |
| Travelodge | 6943 |
| Americas Best Value Inn | 6923 |
| Econo Lodge | 6913 |
| Motel | 6903 |
| Rodeway Inn | 6522 |
| Knights Inn | 6452 |
Upper Extended Stay Segment
| Homewood Suites by Hilton | 8435 |
| Upper Extended Stay Average | 8363 |
| Hyatt House | 8343 |
| Residence Inn | 8343 |
| Staybridge Suites | 8322 |
Extended Stay Segment
| Candlewood Suites | 8045 |
| TownePlace Suites | 8025 |
| Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham | 7975 |
| Extended Stay Average | 7523 |
| Extended StayAmerica | 7222 |
Included in this segment but not ranked due to small sample size are InTown Suites, Studio 6 Extended Stay, Suburban Extended Stay and Value Place.
Power Circle Ratings Legend:
5 – Among the best
4 – Better than most
3 – About average
2 – The rest
The 2014 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study is based on responses gathered between June 2013 and May 2014 from more than 67,000 guests in Canada and the United States who stayed at a hotel in North America between May 2013 and May 2014.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
