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.