A recently published hotel guest survey by J.D. Power and Associates states hotel guest satisfaction is up over the past year.
Embassy Suites came out on top of the guest satisfaction survey for the upscale hotel market segment for the third year in a row.
Here are my reasons why I think the Embassy Suites brand is so popular.
1. Larger rooms – these rooms will hold a family. The abundance of kids is what I consider the major detraction of Embassy Suites, but if I had kids I would be much more inclined to stay.
2. Cooked breakfast is complimentary. Most of the midrange priced hotels offer complimentary breakfast, but few have cooked-to-order service. Few upscale hotels offer complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast unless you are high-level elite.
3. Happy hour reception. I sat in an Embassy Suites recently and watched the bar go through a keg of beer and a couple of cases of wine during the two hour manager’s reception. Considering the bar tab would have been $50 for many of the guests and they could get a big buzz for about $5 in tips is a high value proposition for many guests. The pool was a zoo at this time with all the kids.
Embassy Suites provides value for many types of guests and thus the brand ranks high in guest satisfaction.
The J.D. Power survey also finds increasing guest desire for comfort and value-related amenities like pillow choices (feather pillow for me thanks); free parking ($60 to park? I only paid $89 for the room); and complimentary internet.
One of the big trends of the past year is free internet. InterContinental Hotels Group is giving free internet to Ambassador members beginning August 1 thru October 31 at more than 80 properties worldwide. Hyatt Hotels began offering free internet this year to elite members. And Hyatt Hotels is giving complimentary elite status to anyone who asks.
The interesting aspect of the J.D. Power survey is the finding that overall guest satisfaction is up this year across most hotel market segments while guest satisfaction with the hotel room declined across all hotel market segments.
Hotel guests are satisfied with the great deals, but I think many are missing out on the room upgrades available to elite frequent guests.
