Satisfaction among hotel guests in Europe during the past
two years has "deteriorated considerably", according to a new J.D.
Power and Associates survey.
The firm's 2011 European Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index
Study, based on responses from 18,000 travelers who stayed at a hotel in Europe
between April and September, reported that overall satisfaction this year was
735 on a 1,000-point scale, down 10 points from last year's survey. The overall
score averages ratings on hotel costs and fees, room quality, check-in and checkout
procedures, food and beverage, services and reservation systems. Stuart Greif, general
manager of J.D. Power's hospitality practice, noted that overall satisfaction
levels fell despite average satisfaction scores for costs and fees holding
about steady from 2009 levels, which reflects on cost-cutting measures hotels since
have taken.
"Hoteliers, like many businesses, are feeling the
strain of trying to maintain lower cost structures until they see more
sustainable levels of demand," Greif said in a statement. "There is
danger, however, in allowing their product and service to continue to
deteriorate."
Scores for a few U.S.-based hotel brands this year displaced
some European brands at the top of individual pricing tiers.
Guests for the fourth year in a row rated Steigenberger
Hotels and Resorts as the top upper upscale hotel, followed by Marriott Hotels
& Resorts and Sheraton Hotels & Resorts. Starwood's Le Meridien Hotels
and Resorts brand trailed the tier.
In the upscale tier, Hilton Worldwide's Hilton Garden Inn
brand scored more than 20 points higher than the next-highest brand, the
Spanish RIU Hotels & Resorts. Last year's top brand, Switzerland-based
Movenpick Hotels & Resorts, this year was not included among the rated
brands. Other top performers in the tier this year include Dorint Hotels &
resorts, Maritim Hotels and Four Points by Sheraton, while NH Hoteles and
Marriott International's Courtyard brand were at the bottom of the rankings.
Wyndham's Ramada Hotels was the top midprice brand, followed
by InterContinental Hotels Group's Holiday Inn brand and Carlson's Park Inn
brand. Scandic Hotels, the top brand last year, also was not included in this
year's ratings. Another Wyndham brand, the recently acquired Tryp, scored
lowest in the tier.
U.K.-based Premier Inn scored at the top of the economy tier
for the third year in a row, followed by France-based B&B Hotels.