After several years in the silver and bronze positions, Days Inn this year edged out its competitors to become the brand travel buyers rated highest in the tightly contested economy tier.
Buyers rated Days Inn, part of the Wyndham Worldwide family, highest for its commission payment systems, and solid scores overall moved it to the top of the category after a third-place finish in 2007.
Choice Hotels International's Econo Lodge brand, which was at the bottom of the tier last year, was in a close second, ranking highest for its ability to arrange individual travel.
Wyndham's Ramada Limited brand, top-rated for its corporate rate programs and the physical appearance of its hotels, rounded out the top three.
Accor's Motel 6 brand, meanwhile, received top scores from buyers for its staff and the overall price/value relationship. Last year's top economy brand, Wyndham's Travelodge, dropped to sixth overall.
The brands in the survey's top positions were there not as a result of flashy amenities but due to concentrating on the basics within the limitations of the economy tier, said John Roberto, senior vice president and managing director of the quality assurance practice for customer experience management firm LRA Worldwide. "People are focusing back on the cores," Roberto said. "In the economy tier, there's a lot of advantage in getting those simple things right: a great, clean, well-kept hotel room."
Although the economy tier does not enjoy the same accelerated revenue and rate growth of the higher tiers, small touches can help propel a brand to the top of a travel buyer's list, said Days Inn president Ken Greene. For example, as higher-tiered hotel chains focused on improving bedding, Days Inn did so in a way within its means: simply improving the pillows.
"Within months of rolling that out, we saw a dramatic increase in guest scores in terms of the comfort of the bed," Greene said. "We also broadened the scope of our breakfast offering, and from an overall service standpoint, we're dedicated to making sure guests get that eye contact and smile at the front desk and repeat it throughout the guest stay, which is attractive to the business traveler."
Mark Young, senior vice president for Ramada Worldwide, said the brand's corporate clients, which include American Express and Wal-Mart, have commented on a recent effort to make service more consistent throughout the brand. Ramada now is in the third phase of the program, which has included such business-travel-focused initiatives as ensuring Internet access in all rooms, proper delivery of the daily newspaper and a better bed and bath product.
Ramada also has turned to third parties to improve some of its processes, including bringing in Lanyon to assist properties with the request-for-proposals process. "It's just gotten better and better over the last two years," Young said. "It was amazing how many folks weren't really familiar with the whole process."
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