Guests Satisfaction With Hotels Has Improved In Spite of Increase In Room Rates

Guests are more satisfied with hotels despite the increase in room rates and the addition of fees, according to a new study that was reported in USA Today.

Hotels have received low marks on the survey for the last two years, but that changed this year. Guests rated the check-in, checkout process and making reservations particularly well, according to J.D. Power and Associates annual survey of North American hotel guests. Hotels were rated on factors including the room, food and beverage offerings and other services, as well as the facilities.

Guests' satisfaction dropped during the economic downturn when hotels cut staff and ceased making improvements to the hotel facilities, according to Rick Garlick, the global travel and hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power.

As business picks up in hotels, they are beginning to invest in staff and facility improvements again.

"The industry is starting to catch up with what they need to do to satisfy guests, and customers have noticed," Garlick said. "Prices have gone up, but people are actually more satisfied with what they're getting for the price they pay."

Guests that chose a hotel primarily for the price were less satisfied than those who based their decision on other criteria. Guests who sought information through online review sites were the most satisfied.

"The more interaction you have with staff, the better you feel about your hotel experience...and the more differentiating it is," Garlick said.

And yet, despite that, more hotels are adapting strategies that potentially limit interaction with staff, such as electronic kiosks for checkout.

"As hoteliers experiment with automated methods of check-in and check-out that tend to reduce the number of human touch points, it is important that they use the additional staff time gained to offer a warmer, more personalized experience for their guests," Ramez Faza, the senior manager of the global travel and hospitality practice at J.D. Power, said.

The survey included over 68,700 guests who had stayed at a hotel in North America between June 2012 and May 2013. Overall guest satisfaction received a 777 on a 1,000-point scale, which was an increase of 20 points since 2012. It's also the highest score for the hotel industry since the survey began in 2006.