European survey names top hotel chains, guest satisfaction up

It was announced October 31 that Premier Inn has repeated as the leading economy hotel brand while Park Inn prevailed as the top mid-scale chain in the 5th annual JD Power European Hotel Guest Satisfaction Survey.

The poll covered 42 hotel brands and queried guest satisfaction in seven categories (in order of importance): costs and fees, guest room, hotel facilities, food and beverage, check in and out, hotel services and reservations.

UK-based Premier Inn scored highest in the economy segment in overall satisfaction, followed by Travelodge, Etap Hotel and Comfort Inn. The Formule 1 chain finished last.

Park Inn emerged victorious in the mid-scale hotel segment with Dorint, Clarion, Ramada and Best Western rounding out the top five.

The survey found that guest satisfaction in Europe has increased notably since 2008, revealing that hotels have not diminished their customer service during the plummet in global tourism.

According to JD Power, travellers from Germany, Italy and the UK were most satisfied with their hotel stays while lodgers from France and Spain were the least satisfied, on average.

The study is based on responses from 13,000 guests who stayed at a hotel in Europe between May 2009 and September 2009.

JD Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm known for its surveys of customer satisfaction, product quality and buyer behavior for industries ranging from cars to marketing and advertising firms.