Investments in hotel property upgrades and staff training have improved average guest satisfaction scores for hotel management companies in a new JD Power survey, released Wednesday.
The average overall hotel management company satisfaction score in JD Power's 2026 North America Third-Party Hotel Management Guest Satisfaction Benchmark was 696 on a 1,000-point scale. That's up from last year's 682 average score.
The survey is based on seven criteria: guest room, hotel staff service, value for prices paid, check-in/check-out, hotel facility, food and beverage, and hotel connectivity. Guest experience improved year over year across all operational areas, according to JD Power, but particularly for guest rooms.
"Where we see further opportunity is in guest perceptions of hotel lobbies and common areas," JD Power hospitality practice lead Andrea Stokes said in a statement.
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Rising costs in recent years have put pressure on development and renovation plans—circumstances that could be encouraging hoteliers to prioritize guest room upgrades over more costly public space renovations. According to a survey of property owners and operators conducted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association last year, 32 percent of respondents said they planned to delay renovations, while 24 percent said they would scale back projects and 8 percent said they intended to cancel entirely.
In the JD Power survey, only 43 percent of guests perceived hotel common areas as inviting, and just 48 percent viewed them as modern.
Columbia Sussex, a Crestview Hills, Ky.-based hotel management company with about 50 properties in its portfolio, including branded Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide and Hyatt Hotels Corp. properties, led JD Power's list with a satisfaction score of 739.
JD Power surveyed 5,642 guests who stayed at a branded hotel between May 2025 and May 2026. Third-party hotel operators with 14,000 or more branded hotel rooms under management were eligible for JD Power's survey.