Amid soaring room rates, J.D. Power's 2024 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index found that higher-end hotels have managed to garner high guest satisfaction scores. Meanwhile, satisfaction scored have fallen at midscale and economy properties.
According to the study, the average daily rate for a U.S. hotel room reached $158.45 in May, which was just shy of the all-time high of $159.01 recorded last October. Despite this elevated pricing, luxury and upper-upscale brands have successfully met or exceeded guest expectations, resulting in steady or improved satisfaction scores.
In the limited-service upper-midscale, midscale and economy hotel segments, however, overall guest satisfaction is down significantly year over year.
Likewise, luxury and upper-upscale hotels outperformed the limited-service segments in terms of satisfaction with value for prices paid.
Fewer trips, longer stays
The study also identified a shift in travel behavior, with North American hotel guests now taking an average of nine trips per year, down from 10 last year. The average length of stay, however, has increased to 3.43 days from 3.36 days last year.
"With post-pandemic travel prices still elevated, it is not surprising that hotel guests say they are taking fewer trips, on average," said Andrea Stokes, hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power. "Yet, those 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."
What are the top brands?
When it comes to brands ranked highest in terms of guest satisfaction, Marriott's Luxury Collection dominated within the luxury segment.
Within the upper-upscale category, the top brand was Margaritaville Hotels & Resorts, while the leaders in the upscale and upscale extended stay spaces were Marriott's Element brand and Hyatt House, respectively.
Five brands, meanwhile, stood out for guest satisfaction across the upper-midscale, midscale and economy tiers: Drury Hotels (upper-midscale), Home2 Suites by Hilton (upper midscale/midscale extended stay), Tru by Hilton (midscale), Microtel by Wyndham (economy) and Choice Hotels' WoodSpring Suites (economy extended stay).
The J.D. Power study, now in its 28th year, measures overall hotel guest satisfaction based on six factors: communications and connectivity, food and beverage, guestroom, hotel facility, staff service and value for price.
This year's report covers 103 brands across nine hotel segments and is based on responses from nearly 39,500 guests who stayed at branded hotels between May 2023 and May 2024.