We've had it with thin walls and smoke. We also prefer Ritz-Carlton Hotels for our luxury trips.
That's according to the results of a JD Power and Associates Guest Satisfaction Survey, who surveyed 47,634 travelers to discover that the overall #1 complaint about hotels is noise and the best in service is the Ritz.
Hotel guests are also tired of cigarette smells, they like their free continental breakfast and most would really like to know if the hotel they are staying in has environmentally-friendly programs in place or not.
We are on a hotel survey kick and loving it. The latest one is a survey that compares attitudes of guests booking direct at hotel chain sites with booking at Expedia or Hotels.com.
According to research company eVOC/Relevant view, few hotel guests are booking through hotel web sites because they like the experience. Instead they do it out of loyalty, which in this biz means points and rewards for future stays.
The number of respondents saying they would prefer to book through Expedia or Hotels.com was 37%, while those saying they would prefer to book through the Marriott or Starwood site was 20%.
The rest replied, "It depends," which is where the details come in.
TripAdvisor announced the results of a new business traveler survey yesterday. Under the headline of "Business Travelers Chained to Favorite Hotels," they note that 68 percent regularly stay at the same hotel chain while on business trips.
Apparently the road warriors don't like surprises. Some 2,100 travelers from around the world responded and their top pick was the Marriott chain. This is no surprise to us since the first word that comes to mind when we hear Marriott is "predictable." Runners up were Hilton, Holiday Inn, Sheraton, and Best Western. We're not sure where that last one came from, but perhaps there are a lot of Willy Lomans out there who find this the best choice when the expense report is under scrutiny. (And free WiFi doesn't hurt either.)
Some of the findings may elicit a reply of, "Well duh!" We especially like this one: "Forty-six percent of travelers are likely to tip more generously when they know it is a reimbursable business expense." Here are some more findings specific to hotels:
In terms of the favorite luxuries of business travel, 34 percent cited the "luxury sheets and fancy bath products" while 22 percent said it was having a room to themselves. The most important hotel feature when traveling on business is a hotel's location and proximity to meetings or the airport (32 percent), followed closely by having a high-speed internet connection (30 percent).
We're kind of curious about the high showing of "having a room to themselves." Is it because they are glad to get away from their shared bedroom (and the other occupant) at home? Or are they really saying "my cheap ass boss usually makes us share when we're at a convention?"
For some business travelers, that in-room porn may not be so important after all: "Twelve percent of respondents acknowledge having visited a strip club while on a business trip."
As we mentioned the other day, JD Power put out their annual Guest Satisfaction Survey which studied guests approval ratings with certain hotel chains, across different brands as well all different types of hotel guest behaviors.
The checklist that was surveyed at each hotel includes: reservations, check-in/check-out, guest room, food and beverage, hotel services, hotel facilities, and costs and fees.
Topping the list for the luxury brands is The Four Seasons which is not an earth-shattering result. However, we still can't believe someone would be satisfied with a hotel that likes to overcharge you for high-speed internet access and in most places doesn't even have wireless to overcharge you for.
Omni Hotels did best in the upscale range, tailed closely by Marriott, Renaissance and Embassy Suites. Hilton Garden Inn scored for the mid-scale full service, followed by Drury Inn & Suites for mid-scale limited service.
For the Economy/Budget category which we tend to like not because of the lodgings but because of their free WiFi, neither Holiday Inn nor Best Western did spectacular. Instead, guests preferred Microtel Inns and Suites which offers free WiFi and free telephone calls in the U.S. Lastly, Residence Inn won for best Extended Stay hotel.
What's interesting to note is how the other big hotel chains did. W Hotels scored good on rooms and facilities but low on food and beverage and hotel services. Which means they should probably retool that Whenever/Whatever service.
Hyatt Hotels and Hiltons also did so-so, and Sheraton did a little worse than so-so (its Four Points brand did better, perhaps it was the apple pie?).
Similarly doing a little worse than so-so was Wyndham resorts which is also not surprising since we have quite a few less-than-favorable stories about Wyndham hotels. But is a shame that such large resort chains like Sheraton and Wyndham can't seem to make customers happy.
And missing from the survey was customer satisfaction for boutique chains like Kimpton, JDV, Schrager, Balazs, and Pomeranc. Maybe that's another report for the future.
What are your thoughts on the survey? Do you think it's an accurate perspective on the hotel industry today or is it chock-full of faulty survey tactics? Write in your comments below and start some dialogue on this. Or if you're shy, send us an email.
A new report from J.D. Power and Associates shows us what hotel guests in all budget ranges really care about. Attention smokers: it's not going to get any better for you.
A new hotel satisfaction survey of over 46,000 guests finds that Marriott's plan to go totally smoke-free in September is going to make a lot of people happy. Our condolences to all you smokers out there, but "79 percent of hotel guests prefer a smoke-free environment that exceeds the boundaries of their guest room."
Other clear findings included the not-so-novel notion that people are looking for good value. Listen up all you properties that are tacking on an extra "resort fee" and nailing $400-a-room guests for wi-fi access. "More than ever, travelers are looking for the best value for their money and are becoming more conscious of what each hotel offers as far as complimentary services and amenities when deciding where to stay."
Not surprisingly, high-speed Internet connections are expected as a given, even at the budget properties, and when they don't work properly it's a major frustration. "Fourteen percent of guests experienced difficulties connecting to the Internet during their most recent hotel stay."
The survey also rates the hotel brands by satisfaction, but look past the number one result to get a real feel: Four Seasons is the clear champ in the luxury category. Yet in the upscale category, it's almost too close to call between Omni, Embassy Suites, Renaissance, and Marriott.
Obviously, we here at HotelChatter have many thoughts on this report so tune in tomorrow for our full analysis of the survey.
Where: United States
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by Tim L.
We are on a 
A new report from J.D. Power and Associates shows us what hotel guests in all budget ranges really care about. Attention smokers: it's not going to get any better for you. 
