As travelers continue to navigate the post-pandemic landscape, the hospitality industry is under intense scrutiny. Rising room rates and shifting guest expectations have made it crucial for hotels to deliver exceptional experiences.
So what are the best hotels? J.D. Power’s 28th annual North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study provides valuable insights into which hotel chains are excelling in customer satisfaction.
The report evaluates 103 hotel brands across nine market segments, drawing on responses from 39,468 hotel guests. It ranks the best hotel brands based on six key factors: communications and connectivity, food and beverage, guest rooms, facilities, staff service and value for price.
“This J.D. Power study offers a thorough overall view of how different hotel brands are performing with regard to guest satisfactions,” Andrea Stokes, hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power, told me in an interview. “Choosing a high-performing brand means guests are likelier to have a great experience. Additionally, because we examine hotel brands across different price points, the rankings can be a good guide for when guests have changing needs or circ*mstances.”
In 2024, a clear trend has emerged: Travelers are taking fewer trips but extending their stays.
“That certainly puts more of an emphasis on hotels to ensure their operation is in ship-shape,” says Stokes. “Are the food and beverage options tasty? Is the guest room clean? What about the lobby? Is the staff friendly and knowledgeable? Guest may not notice these things if they come and go quickly, but with longer stays, they might.”
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The stats also show that prices are on the rise—in fact, they hit an average daily room rate of $158.45 in May 2024, which is the second-highest month ever behind $159.01 in October 2023.
“Higher room rates mean heightened guests’ expectations, and when hotels perform well against these expectations, guests perceive they are getting a good value for the money. This adds up to drive higher satisfaction scores.”
According to the report, guest satisfaction is steady or has increased in the luxury and upper upscale hotel categories—despite big increases in average room rates. On the other hand, guest satisfaction is down in the limited-service upper midscale, midscale and economy hotel segments.
“In an era where inflationary pressures may be causing people to be pickier with their spending and more demanding, hotels can’t afford to go through the motions,” says Stokes. “They need to be vigilant and strict about their standards to meet or exceed guests heightened expectations.”
The J.D. Power report also identifies the top-ranking hotel brands in various segments based on guest satisfaction. “In each segment, high-scoring brands are all performing well at getting ‘right’ property and guest room ‘basics’, while providing great staff service along with food & beverage that stands out to guests. Higher room rates mean heightened guests’ expectations, and when hotels perform well against these expectations, guests perceive they are getting a good value for the money. This adds up to drive higher satisfaction scores,” Stokes explains.
Coming in at the top of the list for the Luxury division is The Luxury Collection. For the Upper Upscale brands, Margaritaville Hotels & Resorts comes out on top. In the Upscale category, Element is the winner.
For Upscale Extended Stay brands, Hyatt House wins for a third consecutive year. The top brand in the Upper Midscale division is Drury Hotels. Home2 Suites by Hilton wins for a second consecutive year for Upper Midscale/Midscale Extended Stay.
Midscale’s winner is Tru by Hilton for a second consecutive year. In the Economy division, Microtel by Wyndham wins. Finally, in Economy Extended Stay, WoodSpring Suites is the winner for the second year in a row.
Keep reading to see where various hotel chains ranked in the J.D. Power North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study for 2024.
Ranked: Luxury Hotels
1. The Luxury Collection
2. Ritz-Carlton
3. Waldorf Astoria
4. Four Seasons
5. Fairmont
6. Conrad Hotels & Resorts (tie)
6. Grand Hyatt (tie)
8. JW Marriott
9. Loews Hotels
10. W Hotels
11. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
Ranked: Upper Upscale Hotels
1. Margaritaville Hotels & Resorts
2. Kimpton
3. Hyatt Centric (tie)
3. Tapestry Collection by Hilton (tie)
5. Omni Hotels & Resorts
6. Autograph Collection
7. Hilton Hotels & Resorts
8. Hard Rock Hotels
9. Hyatt Regency (tie)
9. Westin Hotels & Resorts (tie)
11. Canopy by Hilton
12. Hotel Indigo
13. Embassy Suites by Hilton (tie)
13. Marriott (tie)
13. Renaissance Hotels (tie)
16. Curio Collection by Hilton
17. Sheraton
Ranked: Upscale Hotels
1. Element
2. AC Hotels by Marriott
3. Best Western Premier
4. Delta Hotels
5. Hyatt Place
6. Cambria Hotels & Suites (tie)
6. Hilton Garden Inn (tie)
8. SpringHill Suites by Marriott
9. DoubleTree by Hilton
10. Courtyard by Marriott (tie)
10. Crowne Plaza (tie)
12. Aloft Hotels
13. Four Points by Sheraton
14. Wyndham Hotels
15. Radisson
16. Ascend Collection
17. Sonesta Select
18. Sonesta Hotels & Resorts
Ranked: Upscale Extended Stay Hotels
1. Hyatt House
2. Staybridge Suites
3. Homewood Suites by Hilton
4. Residence Inn
Ranked: Upper Midscale Hotels
1. Drury Hotels
2. Wyndham Garden
3. Trademark Collection by Wyndham
4. Hampton by Hilton
5. Fairfield by Marriott (tie)
5. Holiday Inn Express (tie)
7. Best Western Plus
8. Holiday Inn
9. Country Inn & Suites by Radisson
10. Comfort Suites
11. Comfort Inn
12. La Quinta Inns & Suites
13. Clarion
Ranked: Upper Midscale and Midscale Extended Stay Hotels
1. Home2 Suites by Hilton
2. TownePlace Suites by Marriott
3. Candlewood Suites
4. MainStay Suites
5. Sonesta Simply Suites
6. Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham
7. Sonesta ES Suites
8. Extended Stay America
Ranked: Midscale Hotels
1. Tru by Hilton
2. Wingate by Wyndham
3. Best Western
4. AmericInn by Wyndham
5. Sleep Inn
6. Baymont Inn & Suites by Wyndham
7. Quality Inn
8. Ramada by Wyndham
Ranked: Economy Hotels
1. Microtel by Wyndham
2. Americas Best Value Inn (tie)
2. SureStay (tie)
4. Days Inn by Wyndham
5. Howard Johnson by Wyndham
6. Studio 6
7. Red Roof Inn (tie)
7. Travelodge by Wyndham (tie)
9. Super 8 by Wyndham
10. Econo Lodge
11. Motel 6
12. Rodeway Inn
13. Knights Inn
14. OYO
Ranked: Economy Extended Stay Hotels
1. WoodSpring Suites
2. Extended Stay America
3. InTown Suites
4. HomeTowne Studios by Red Roof
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