just shy
of the pre-pandemic level of 65.9%, business and leisure travelers are packing into hotels throughout North
America for a second consecutive year. Hotels have risen to the challenge by ratcheting up staffing and
doubling down on customer service. According to the J.D. Power 2023 North America Hotel Guest
Satisfaction Index (NAGSI) Study,
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released today, staff service garners the highest level of satisfaction
among all guest experience factors measured. Driven in large part by a hiring surge in the leisure and
hospitality sector during the past 12 months, new and returning hospitality workers are providing a
generally positive hotel stay experience.
“Hotel hiring continues to increase, and leisure and hospitality is the ‘rock star’ among industries reported
in monthly U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment figures,” said Andrea Stokes, hospitality practice
lead at J.D. Power. “This boost in hotel staffing is showing up in the form of high customer satisfaction
scores. Staff service is now the highest-scoring factor in this study across all hotel segments from
economy to luxury, underscoring the critical role that frontline staff play in defining the guest experience.”
Following are additional key findings of the 2023 study:
• High scores for hotel staff linked to low problem incidence: Overall satisfaction with hotel staff is
701 (on a 1,000-point scale), making it the single highest-scoring factor in this year’s study. Hotel
staff play a key role in avoiding and resolving problems, with 86% of hotel guests saying they
experienced no problems during their stay.
• Creating a perfect lobby: Guests’ experience with hotel lobbies/common areas can positively affect
overall satisfaction, but it plays out differently in various hotel segments. Among luxury hotel
guests, for example, it is important to have a lobby that is modern and unique. In upscale hotels,
particularly upscale extended stay hotels, guests are looking for a lobby that is welcoming and
inviting.
• Value remains crucial to satisfaction: Value for price paid given quality and service received is still
top of mind for hotel guests. Overall satisfaction among guests who rate the value for price paid of
their guest room as excellent or perfect (on a scale of poor to perfect) is 302 points higher than
among guests who do not.
Study Rankings
The following hotel brands rank highest in guest satisfaction in their respective segments:
Luxury: Waldorf Astoria (788)
Upper Upscale: Hard Rock Hotels (723) for a third consecutive year and Margaritaville Hotels & Resorts
(723), in a tie
Upscale: Cambria Hotels & Suites (738)