WESTIN RANKS NO. 1 IN HOTEL GUEST SURVEY : TRAVEL LEVELS OFF.Byline: Deborah Adamson Daily News Staff Writer Westin Hotels Westin Hotels & Resorts are an upscale hotel chain owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. As of 2005 Westin operated over 120 hotels in 24 countries. History In 1930, hotel owners Severt W. and Resorts ran away with the top prize in a guest satisfaction survey among 11 upscale hotel chains released Tuesday by J.D. Power and Associates, the Agoura Hills market research firm known for its reports on the automotive industry The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, and sale of motor vehicles. In 2006, more than 69 million motor vehicles, including cars and commercial vehicles were produced worldwide. . J.D. Power's first hotel chain study, a collaboration with Frequent Flyer frequent flyer Hospital practice A popular term for a Pt who is regularly admitted to a particular ER or health care facility, for various reasons magazine, ranked Westin No. 1 in room comfort and amenities, price and the variety and service of food and beverage F&B is a common abbreviation in the United States and Commonwealth countries, including Hong Kong. F&B is typically the widely accepted abbreviation for "Food and Beverage," which is the sector/industry that specializes in the conceptualization, the making of, and delivery of foods. . ``I'm thrilled,'' said Juergen Bartels, chairman of Seattle-based Westin. ``Obviously, it's going to be our ambition to do this again.'' Following on Westin's heels is Renaissance Hotels Renaissance Hotels is a worldwide brand of hotels and resorts. The brand is owned by Marriott International and many Renaissance Hotels are managed by Marriott, however some are operated under a franchise license. and Resorts, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Marriott Hotels and Resorts and Omni Hotels Omni Hotels is a privately owned upscale hotel company based in Irving, Texas. Omni currently owns and/or manages 36 properties of which 4 are resorts. The company also has 2 franchise properties (Newport News, VA and Philadelphia, PA). . J.D. Power surveyed 3,520 subscribers of Frequent Flyer magazine, evaluating 6,200 hotel stays. A 50-question survey was sent to 30,000 frequent travelers in September who were asked to evaluate two hotel stays in the past two months. The hotels were ranked in five levels from poor to truly outstanding, said David Letson, an executive director at J.D. Power. Rankings were weighted according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. importance to customer satisfaction: Guest room (33 percent), Price/Value (22 percent), Arrival (22 percent), Departure (13 percent) and Food/Beverage (11 percent). Westin topped its rivals in the guest room, price and food and beverage categories - capturing two-thirds of the satisfaction pie. Out of 1,000 points, Westin garnered 670, followed by Renaissance at 642 and Hyatt at 637. The industry average is 626. A key finding was that 95 percent of those ranking their hotels at the ``truly outstanding'' level said they were ``very likely'' to go back again. ``You really need to exceed customers' expectations,'' Letson said. ``It's not until you reach the truly outstanding level that you get a loyal customer.'' Only 4 percent of travelers ranked hotels as ``truly outstanding.'' The remaining 96 percent were less than completely satisfied, the report said. Ranking below average in alphabetical order are Crowne Plaza This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. , Doubletree Hotels, Hilton Hotels
J.D. Power declined to disclose the rankings of the bottom performers. Hilton Hotels Corp. in Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. took the report in stride. ``As far as our ability to secure customer loyalty and achieve customer satisfaction, Hilton doesn't have to take a back seat to anybody,'' said Marc Grossman, spokesman for the chain. He said that the hotel's frequent stay program was ranked No. 1 for the past three years by InsideFlyer magazine, a travel publication that surveyed its subscribers. ``We've got the ultimate guest loyalty program in the business,'' Grossman said. Randy Petersen, publisher of InsideFlyer, said Hilton ranked high in how it administers its frequent stay program. The guest's actual experience at the hotel has little to do with the ranking. InsideFlyer said Hilton excelled at bestowing overall awards, bonuses, taking care of credits, communication, among others. Petersen said Hilton offers its guests a good value on its frequent stay program rather than an unforgettable hotel stay. Still, ``I'm a little surprised'' at the low ranking, he said. Separately, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel chain ranked No. 1 in satisfaction among meeting and events planners, J.D. Power reported Monday. Ritz-Carlton is in the luxury hotel category and thus was not included in Tuesday's survey. NEW YORK New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of - The number of trips taken for business has reached a plateau. This winter, about 59.5 million business trips are forecast - the same as last year, the Travel Industry Association of America said. And while the number of trips remains the same, fewer people are taking them, meaning those who do travel do so more often. TIA (1) (Telecommunications Industry Association, Arlington, VA, www.tiaonline.org) A membership organization founded in 1988 that sets telecommunications standards worldwide. It was originally an EIA working group that was spun off and merged with the U.S. surveyed 1,500 adults in late October about their plans for business or convention travel over the winter, when about 20 percent of all work-related trips are traditionally taken. The survey had a margin of error of 3 percentage points. Among the findings: Eighteen percent of travelers said they were very likely or somewhat likely to travel on business this winter, a decrease of 4 percentage points from last winter. At its peak, 27 percent expected to travel in the winter of 1992. A third of those expecting to hit the road were professional or managerial employees, and 30 percent of travelers were from households with incomes of at least $50,000. Nearly two-thirds of the trips were expected to be taken by solo travelers. UPSCALE HOTEL CHAINS RANKING Hotels that ranked above average Westin Hotels & Resorts670 Renaissance Hotels & Resorts 642 Hyatt Hotels & Resorts 637 Marriott Hotels & Resorts 633 Omni Resorts 629 Industry Average 626 SOURCE: J.D. Power & Associates CAPTION(S): Chart, Box Box: TRAVEL LEVELS OFF (see text) Chart: (color) UPSCALE HOTEL CHAINS RANKING (see text) |
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