Marriott International's loyalty program Marriott Rewards
edged out Hyatt Hotels Corp.'s World of Hyatt to win J.D. Power's 2017 Hotel
Loyalty Program Satisfaction Study.
Marriott Rewards earned a score of 806 on a 1,000-point
scale and World of Hyatt received a score of 805. Hilton's Hilton Rewards
finished third with a score of 793 and InterContinental's IHG Rewards placed
fourth with a score of 789. Finishing at the bottom of the study were Wyndham
Worldwide's Wyndham Rewards, 742, and Choice Hotels International's Choice
Privileges, 743.
The annual study, which measures member satisfaction with
hotel rewards and loyalty programs, found this year that members who redeemed
rewards points for dining, car rentals, product purchases and special events
exhibited greater satisfaction than those who redeemed only for hotel stays.
That finding could spell trouble for some hoteliers but prove a boon for others
as many of the industry's top players expand their rewards programs offerings
to include experiences, as well as a wider array of redemption opportunities.
The study is based on 4,682 responses from
rewards program members who experienced five or more trips during the past 12
months and was fielded in September and October of 2017.