Many factors go into whether you will enjoy or not enjoy one's stay at a hotel and, according to the annual J.D. Power 2024 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index released on Tuesday, it has increasingly been coming down to perception — how modern and stylish the hotel looks, how "cared-for" the guest feels when trying to reach staff and the overall experience compared to what was paid.
"Hotel guests are staying longer on their trips, and this puts a real focus on the hotel property for everything from room cleanliness and facilities maintenance to interactions with front desk personnel," J.D. Power Hospitality Practice Lead Andrea Stokes said in on the findings. "Ultimately, traveler expectations have increased along with hotel room rates, and when hotels do not meet or exceed those expectations, the perception of value for money declines."
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Looking at customer ranking scores in six categories such as staff service, hotel facilities and communication, consumer data analytics firm J.D. Power identified the Margaritaville Hotels & Resorts as the upper upscale hotel brand with the most satisfied customers in the U.S. Scoring 726 on a 1,000-point scale, the chain that began when Jimmy Buffett founded a beach resort under his Margaritaville brand in 2010 came just ahead of the 722 scored by the large luxury chain Kimpton and 716 of Hyatt (H) high-end off-shoot Hyatt Centric.
This hotel chain brought in top marks for the second year in a row
"The entire team at Margaritaville is honored and excited to be named number one by J.D. Power in this category once again," Margaritaville Hospitality President Dan Leonard said in reference to the fact that the chain also earned first place in 2023. "This recognition is a testament to the team's dedication, attention to excellence, and commitment to delivering fun and escapism."
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Upscale comes just behind luxury and is usually assigned to top four-star hotels. The company behind top global hotels like the Hôtel de Berri in Paris and the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, took in top points in the former category with a 772-point score. The Ritz-Carlton and Waldorf Astoria chains landed in the respective second and third place.
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These economy hotels also have very satisfied guests
Midscale hotel categories were divided into regular midscale, upper midscale and extended stay. The latter category is often used for apartment-style units that visitors book when spending more than a week in a given place and Hilton (HLT) brand Home2 Suites scored highest in this category.
In the economy category, Wyndham's (WYND) Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham had the most satisfied customers just behind America's Best Value Inn and Best Western's SureStay brands. But in general, satisfaction scores were lower in economy hotels than in mid-range and upscale ones. The top 695 score earned by Wyndham is significantly lower than Luxury Collection's 772.
"With an average daily rate for a U.S. hotel room of $158.45 in May 2024 — the second-highest month ever behind $159.01 in October 2023 — virtually every traveler in every hotel price bracket is paying more for a hotel room," the report reads further. "This year, the luxury and upper upscale segments show saw strong guest satisfaction scores while limited-service hotel segments have experienced declines in guest satisfaction year over year."
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