Quality of Sleep Is Significant Opportunity for North American Hotels, J.D

Quality of Sleep is Significant Opportunity for North American Hotels, J.D. Power Finds

Fewer Than 30% of Hotel Guests Experience “Better Than Expected” Night’s Sleep

COSTA MESA, Calif.: 24 July 2019 — Forget the minibar, sleek lobby and mints on the pillow. If hotels really want to build loyalty and delight their customers with stand-out lodging experiences, they need to focus on the bed. According to the J.D. Power 2019 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index (NAGSI) Study,SM released today, quality of sleep is one of the most important components of a hotel guest experience with the potential to drive overall satisfaction and brand loyalty, but the majority of hotels are not delivering better-than-expected sleeping conditions.

“Delivering a superior sleep experience—from the quality of the bed, linens and pillows to the ambient sound and temperature of the room—is a huge opportunity for hotels to differentiate themselves from the pack and earn significant goodwill with guests,” said Jennifer Corwin, Senior Manager of Consumer Insights for Travel & Hospitality Intelligence at J.D. Power. “Of all the discrete variables of the hotel guest experience we measure, a better-than-expected night’s sleep is the one with the potential to drive the highest levels of overall guest satisfaction for those hotels that can deliver.”

Now in its 23rd year, the North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study was redesigned this year to incorporate much deeper guest profiling information and extended coverage of the full hotel customer journey, including the path to purchase, pre-stay communications and post-stay communications. The study also now includes property-level information throughout North America, updated food and beverage metrics and inclusion of vacation rental utilization metrics.

Following are some key findings of the 2019 study:

• More zzzs, please: Overall satisfaction scores increase 114 points (on a 1,000-point scale) when hotel guests experience a better-than-expected quality of sleep. However, just 29% of hotel guests had such an experience. Of guests who do experience better-than-expected quality of sleep, 78% say they “definitely will” return to that property and 71% say they “definitely will” return to that brand.

• The anatomy of a good night’s sleep: The top contributors to quality of sleep and, therefore, higher satisfaction scores, are comfort of bed; quietness of room; comfort/quality of pillows; room temperature; and comfort/quality of linens. Satisfaction scores for quality of sleep are also higher when hotels offer beyond-the-basics items, such as white noise/sound machines, earplugs, robe/slippers and authentic local decor.

• Quality of sleep directly correlated to price of room: The highest rate of better-than-expected sleep quality is in the luxury hotel segment (42%), followed by the upper upscale (33%), upscale (31%), upper midscale (28%), midscale (28%) and economy (23%) segments.

• Arrival and check-in experiences present opportunity to shine: The key elements of the check-in experience consistent with high hotel guest satisfaction scores are efficiency (ideally takes five minutes or less); accuracy; and offering a warm welcome. When any of those baseline criteria are not met, satisfaction scores tumble as much as 100 points.

Study Rankings

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The following hotel brands rank highest in guest satisfaction in their respective segments:

Luxury: The Ritz-Carlton (for a fifth consecutive year) Upper Upscale: Hard Rock Hotel Upscale: Best Western Premier Upper Midscale: Drury Hotels (for a 14th consecutive year) Midscale: Wingate by Wyndham (for a fifth consecutive year) Economy: Microtel by Wyndham (for a second consecutive year)

The 2019 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study analyzes guest responses to more than 150 questions regarding their overall experiences and includes 85 officially ranked brands in six market segments. This year’s study is based on responses from approximately 44,890 guests who stayed at a hotel between June 2018 and May 2019.

For more information about the 2019 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/resource/jd-power-north-america-hotel-guest-satisfaction-index-study.

See the online press release at http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2019114.

J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. These capabilities enable J.D. Power to help its clients drive customer satisfaction, growth and profitability. Established in 1968, J.D. Power has offices serving North America, South America, Asia Pacific and Europe.

Media Relations Contacts Geno Effler, J.D. Power; Costa Mesa, Calif.; 714-621-6224; [email protected] John Roderick; St. James, N.Y.; 631-584-2200; [email protected]

About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press- release-info

# # # NOTE: Six charts follow.

Year / Project / Study Name J.D. Power 2019 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index StudySM Luxury Segment Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking JDPower.com (Based on a 1,000-point scale) Power Circle RatingsTM for consumers: The Ritz-Carlton 881

Loews Hotels 868

Four Seasons 866

Park Hyatt 866

Fairmont 864

Grand Hyatt 861

JW Marriott 861

Luxury Average 861

St. Regis 860

Waldorf Astoria 859

W Hotels 852

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts 847

Trump Hotels 845

Sofitel 844

Andaz 843

Conrad 841

Power Circle Ratings Legend Among the best Better than most Note: Included in the study but not award eligible due to small sample size About average are Destination Hotels and Luxury Collection. The rest Source: J.D. Power 2019 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index (NAGSI) StudySM Charts and graphs extracted from this press release for use by the media must be accompanied by a statement identifying J.D. Power as the publisher and the study from which it originated as the source. Rankings are based on numerical scores, and not necessarily on statistical significance. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release or J.D. Power survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power.

Year / Project / Study Name J.D. Power 2019 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index StudySM Upper Upscale Segment Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking JDPower.com (Based on a 1,000-point scale) Power Circle RatingsTM for consumers: Hard Rock Hotel 866

Gaylord Hotels 864

Marriott 860

Kimpton 858

Renaissance Hotels 855

Hilton 849

Hyatt Regency 848

Autograph Collection 847

Embassy Suites 847

Upper Upscale Average 847

Omni Hotels & Resorts 846

Delta Hotels 834

Westin Hotels & Resorts 834

Hotel Indigo 833

Sheraton 829

Power Circle Ratings Legend Among the best Better than most Note: Included in the study but not award eligible due to small sample About average size is Curio Collection. The rest Source: J.D. Power 2019 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index (NAGSI) StudySM Charts and graphs extracted from this press release for use by the media must be accompanied by a statement identifying J.D. Power as the publisher and the study from which it originated as the source. Rankings are based on numerical scores, and not necessarily on statistical significance. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release or J.D. Power survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power.

Year / Project / Study Name J.D. Power 2019 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index StudySM Upscale Segment Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking JDPower.com (Based on a 1,000-point scale) Power Circle RatingsTM for consumers: Best Western Premier 862

Cambria Hotels & Suites 857

AC Hotels by Marriott 855

Hilton Garden Inn 853

Hyatt House 851

aloft Hotels 849

Hyatt Place 849

SpringHill Suites by Marriott 849

Courtyard by Marriott 846

Staybridge Suites 845

Homewood Suites by Hilton 842

Upscale Average 840

Residence Inn 834

Wyndham Hotels 833

DoubleTree by Hilton 831

Crowne Plaza 824

Radisson 821

Ascend Collection 817

Four Points by Sheraton 811

Coast Hotels 797

Power Circle Ratings Legend Among the best Better than most Note: Included in the study but not award eligible due to small sample size About average are Sonesta and BW Premier Collection. The rest Source: J.D. Power 2019 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index (NAGSI) StudySM Charts and graphs extracted from this press release for use by the media must be accompanied by a statement identifying J.D. Power as the publisher and the study from which it originated as the source. Rankings are based on numerical scores, and not necessarily on statistical significance. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release or J.D. Power survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power.

Year / Project / Study Name J.D. Power 2019 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index StudySM Upper Midscale Segment Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking JDPower.com (Based on a 1,000-point scale) Power Circle RatingsTM for consumers: Drury Hotels 876

Hampton by Hilton 849

Home2 Suites by Hilton 848

Fairfield Inn & Suites 847

TownePlace Suites by Marriott 846

Holiday Inn Express Hotels 838

Upper Midscale Average 835

Best Western Plus 834

Country Inn & Suites by Radisson 830

Wyndham Garden 828

Comfort Suites 823

Holiday Inn 815

Comfort Inn 812

Clarion 797

Power Circle Ratings Legend Among the best Better than most About average The rest Source: J.D. Power 2019 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index (NAGSI) StudySM Charts and graphs extracted from this press release for use by the media must be accompanied by a statement identifying J.D. Power as the publisher and the study from which it originated as the source. Rankings are based on numerical scores, and not necessarily on statistical significance. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release or J.D. Power survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power.

Year / Project / Study Name J.D. Power 2019 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index StudySM Midscale Segment Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking JDPower.com (Based on a 1,000-point scale) Power Circle RatingsTM for consumers:

Wingate by Wyndham 846

Candlewood Suites 842

La Quinta Inns & Suites 828

Sleep Inn 822

Best Western 821

AmericInn by Wyndham 813

Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham 811

Midscale Average 810

Baymont Inn & Suites by Wyndham 794

Quality Inn 791

Ramada by Wyndham 782

Year / Project / Study Name J.D. Power 2019 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index StudySM Economy Segment Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking JDPower.com (Based on a 1,000-point scale) Power Circle RatingsTM for consumers: Microtel by Wyndham 797

Travelodge by Wyndham 777

Americas Best Value Inn 776

InTown Suites 769

Days Inn by Wyndham 765

Super 8 by Wyndham 763

Value Place/WoodSpring Suites 763

Red Roof Inn 761

Extended Stay America 756

Economy Average 756

Econo Lodge 747

Motel 6 739

Rodeway Inn 738

Howard Johnson by Wyndham 727

Knights Inn 668