It would be a shame to spoil a trip that started off right with a careful review of cheap airplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, and cheap vacation packages, because of a bad hotel experience.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) released a study on October 1st ranking hotel brands. ACSI surveyed 4,500 hotel guests within three months of their U.S. hotel visits, asking each person to rate their hotel based on his or her experience with reservations, check-in and staff, as well as the quality of the room, food, in-room entertainment, and other amenities.
The study included five different types of hotels: luxury, upper upscale, upscale, midscale, and economy. The theoretical highest possible score was 100.
Marriott International claimed top spots with four of its brands. Wyndham rated near the bottom, except for its Days Inn/Suits properties, which ranked higher than Econo Lodge and Super 8.
The Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, a midscale property, came in with a 84 score, which was the highest ranking brand, followed by JW Marriott, with an 83 in the luxury category.
Hotel chains not included in the ACSI study included the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and the Ritz-Carlton Hotels & Resorts. These brands could not be rated because of insufficient respondents.
Embassy Suites (part of Hilton), Hyatt Regency, and Marriott Hotels & Resorts tied for the highest rated upper upscale lodgings with a score of 82. Coming in at an 81 rating were Hilton Hotels & Resorts, and Westin, followed by Hyatt at 79. The margin of error in this study was plus or minus three points.
The studys lowest score, a 59, was earned by Econo Lodge (a Choice brand) which is an economy property. Super 8 came in at 66, with Days Inn/Suites earning a 74.
The average hotel brands customer satisfaction level was 77 which compares very favorably to ACSI surveys of the cable TV and airline industries which come in with average low sixties ratings for customer service.
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