What’s a hotel guest’s No. 1 complaint? Noise.
That’s the finding of the 11th “North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Survey” from J.D. Power and Associates.
In the survey of 47,634 travelers queried about a recent hotel stay, noise was the most significant problem reported, followed by room cleanliness, hotel/room maintenance, room smell and staff attitude.
Other findings:
- Staff service was the No. 1 complaint of those staying at luxury hotels. Service is becoming “a key differentiator” in the luxury segment, says J.D. Power exec Linda Hirneise.
- Top chains in overall satisfaction were Ritz-Carlton (luxury), Embassy Suites (upscale), Hilton Garden Inn (mid-scale full service), Drury Inn & Suites (mid-scale limited service), Microtel Inns & Suites (economy/budget), Homewood Suites (extended stay). Hilton Garden Inn and Microtel topped their segments for the sixth year in a row, Ms Hirneise said.
- For the first time, respondents were surveyed on hotel eco-programs: 29% did not know whether the hotel had environmentally friendly programs. (“If you have it, you need to tell guests about it,” Hirneise said).
- Seventy-three percent of guests said they’d participate in eco-friendly initiatives. The guests’ least likely to participate in such programs were those born prior to 1946 staying at luxury hotels.
Report by David Wilkening
