TROY, Mich.—Even in the age of digitally enabled contactless hotel bookings and hand-sanitized check-ins, a key element driving hotel guest satisfaction with third-party management companies is staff service. That’s the central finding of the new J.D. Power 2020 Third-Party Hotel Management Guest Satisfaction Benchmark released on Tuesday.
For the first time, J.D. Power evaluated guest satisfaction for the largest third-party management companies, analyzing guest responses to more than 150 questions about hotel experiences and benchmarking the performance of the top 11 third-party management companies with at least 14,000 rooms under management.
“Third-party operators that employ great talent are best-equipped to provide excellent guest experiences across limited-service and full-service hotels alike.”
“Now, more than ever, when travelers have heightened concerns about health, safety, cleanliness, and availability of amenities, it’s clear that a well-trained, courteous hotel staff can define a guest experience,” said Andrea Stokes, hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power. “Third-party operators that employ great talent are best-equipped to provide excellent guest experiences across limited-service and full-service hotels alike. During this period when guest volume is lower than usual, hotel management companies have an opportunity to focus on staff education, review guest feedback, and incorporate that feedback into training programs.”
Crestline Hotels & Resorts ranked highest in overall guest satisfaction, with a score of 861 (on a 1,000-point scale), performing particularly well for staff service upon guest arrival and departure and for hotel facilities (e.g., safety/security, grounds, exterior maintenance, parking, etc.). Atrium Hospitality (860) and Pyramid Hotel Group (860) ranked second in a tie. Following those three companies were White Lodging (859), HEI Hotels and Resorts (851), and Aimbridge Hospitality (848), Crescent Hotels & Resorts (846), Remington Hotels (842), Island Hospitality Management (837), Hersha Hospitality Management (834), and Schulte Hospitality Group (832).
