U.S. hotel rates in 2025 haven't meaningfully dropped despite a choppy demand environment, but travelers appear to feel hotels are delivering service in line with the rates they charge, according to a new J.D. Power study.
The average score in J.D. Power's 2025 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study, released on Tuesday, was 652 on a 1,000-point scale, a spokesperson confirmed to BTN. That's up from 647 in last year's survey, but the firm discouraged overall year-over-year comparisons, citing methodological changes including the addition this year of respondent ratings of the check-in and check-out experience, the spokesperson said.
J.D. Power surveyed more than 39,200 guests who stayed at a hotel between May 2024 and May 2025, covering 102 brands.
Guest perception of the value they receive for the rate charged increased year over year in every segment, according to J.D. Power, "with the most significant year-over-year gains coming in the upscale, midscale and economy segments."
The company also noted guest perception of the condition of guest room fixtures furnishings and décor, bathroom fixtures and the comfort of the bed each "significantly" improved year over year, suggesting hotelier capital investment is paying a satisfaction dividend.
"We’re at an important inflection point in the travel marketplace where several years of record-high hotel demand and the pace of room rate increases is starting to slow," J.D. Power hospitality practice lead Andrea Stokes, said in a statement. "Travel is becoming more complex with the potential for flight delays or increased road traffic, so guests want hotels to provide the comforts of home."
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There was a notable gap in satisfaction in this year's survey among respondents who had downloaded hotel mobile apps. The overall score among those who had was 699 on a 1,000-point score, according to J.D. Power, 68 points higher than it was among those who had not.
Additionally, 40 percent of respondents said the availability of a smart TV in the guestroom or the ability to stream programming to an in-room TV was a "need to have" amenity—as opposed to a "nice to have" one—up from 21 percent last year. About 60 percent of respondents said they used the smart TV in their room during their stay.
"One area in which hotels can significantly influence guest satisfaction without massive capital expense is with technology like smart TVs and updated room temperature controls," according to Stokes.
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