Marriott’s luxury Ritz-Carlton brand does the best job of keeping guests happy of any hotel company, leading an industry-wide improvement in guest satisfaction scores, according to consumer research firm JD Power.
Ritz-Carlton scores 902 on the JD Power 2018 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study, an increase of 14 points over 2017 and the highest score ever for a brand in the study.
The industry average rose eight points, to 825 on a 1,000-point scale, with stronger improvements in product satisfaction than service satisfaction measures.
Hotels were rated based on seven key factors — reservations, check-in/check-out, guest rooms, food & beverage, hotel services, hotel facilities, and cost & fees.
Categories include luxury; upper upscale; upscale; upper midscale; midscale; economy; upper extended stay; and extended stay.
Upper midscale hotels saw the most improvement in satisfaction scores year-over-year, led by Drury Hotels, which scored 895 on the index — up 14 points from 2017.
“Hotels in all price ranges have excelled at ensuring their customers have a top-notch experience,” said Jennifer Corwin, associate practice lead for the global travel and hospitality practice at JD Power.
“Years of capital investment in offerings such as higher-end televisions and in-room tablets have left their mark.
“Now, as hotels look to push customer satisfaction levels higher, their focus should turn to service areas, particularly when it comes to direct booking.”
