Brands by Hilton, Choice and Hyatt ranked highest in guest satisfaction in J.D. Power’s annual North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study.
The study measured the performance of 102 brands based on six categories: communications and connectivity, food and beverage, guest room, hotel facility, staff service and value for price. With responses from 33,754 hotel guests for stays between May 2022 and May 2023, J.D. Power found the hotel brands with the highest guest satisfaction rankings across nine market segments.
Waldorf Astoria took the highest ranking in the luxury segment, just above runner-up The Ritz-Carlton. Both hotel brands have made an effort to improve their facilities, specifically in Florida, in the last year.
For the upper upscale segment, Hard Rock Hotels and Margaritaville Hotels & Resorts tied for highest guest satisfaction. The ranking comes on the heels of Margaritaville announcing its first-ever ski destination resort in Lake Tahoe.
Choice Hotels’ Cambria brand secured the highest ranking for the upscale segment. Cambria is experiencing a rapid expansion across the country and, in the last year, has opened or planned several hotels in new markets, including Savannah, Georgia; Detroit; Portland, Oregon; and most recently Copper Mountain, Colorado.
Another Choice brand, WoodSpring Suites, ranked highest in the economy extended stay segment. The brand is also seeing significant growth and opened a dozen hotels between January and June of this year.
The rankings cement Choice’s status as a challenger in the industry’s upscale segment and leader in extended stay, David Pepper, chief development officer at Choice told Hotel Dive. “This study validates the strength of these brands and the quality of the guest experience our owners and operators are able to provide with the help of our systems and tools.”
Other leading brands include Hyatt House for the upscale extended stay segment, Trademark Collection by Wyndham for upper midscale, Home2 Suites by Hilton for upper midscale extended stay and Tru by Hilton for midscale. Americas Best Value Inn and Microtel by Wyndham tied for the top spot in the economy segment.
Of the performance categories measured in the study, staff service was the highest-scoring factor across all hotel segments, from luxury to economy. Andrea Stokes, hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power, said the ranking underscores “the critical role that frontline staff play in defining the guest experience.”
