Tourism is an important part of life in Alaska. In fact, last year, tourism brought in nearly $158 million in revenue for the state.
16.07.2024 - 20:21 / travelpulse.com / Lacey Pfalz
Luxury and upper upscale hotels are ranking higher in guest satisfaction compared to limited-service hotel segments in a year when travelers are paying record-high prices for hotel stays, according to the 28th annual J.D. Power 2024 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index (NAGSI) Study.
According to the report, U.S. hotel rooms had an average daily rate of $158.45 in May, 2024, the second-highest month ever reported, second only to $159.01 reported in October, 2023.
“We are seeing changes in hotel guests’ travel behavior,” said Andrea Stokes, hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power. “With post-pandemic travel prices still elevated, it is not surprising that hotel guests say they are taking fewer trips, on average. Yet, those hotel guests are staying longer on their trips, and this puts a real focus on the hotel property for everything from room cleanliness and facilities maintenance to interactions with front desk personnel. Ultimately, traveler expectations have increased along with hotel room rates, and when hotels do not meet or exceed those expectations, the perception of value for money declines.”
Full-service hotel brands, especially in luxury or upper upscale hotel categories, are seeing steady or stronger guest satisfaction this year, though these rates have increased the most dramatically.
Guests of limited-service upper midscale, midscale and economy hotels are experiencing less satisfying hotel stays, likely in part due to the higher prices they’re paying for limited services.
The report suggests that limited-service hotels should focus on increasing guest satisfaction by upgrading older hotels, properly maintaining the hotel property and ensuring that guest rooms are sufficiently clean and offer good experiences for guests.
Guests at North American hotels are traveling about nine times each year on average, down from last year’s 10. However, they’re also staying longer, a trend we've been seeing grow since the end of the pandemic. The average trip length has risen from 3.36 days in 2023 to 3.43 days this year. Longer stays mean more opportunities to make or break the guest experience for hotels.
The J.D. Power 2024 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index (NAGSI) Study also identified the hotel brands with the highest overall customer satisfaction rating, which is based on a 1,000-point scale.
In the luxury segment, The Luxury Collection was ranked highest, followed closely by The Ritz-Carlton, Waldorf Astoria and Four Seasons brands.
Margaritaville Hotels & Resorts ranked the highest in the upper upscale category, followed by Kimpton, Hyatt Centric and Tapestry Collection by Hilton brands.
Guests are the most satisfied in the upscale element brand, followed by AC Hotels by
Tourism is an important part of life in Alaska. In fact, last year, tourism brought in nearly $158 million in revenue for the state.
As the Olympics take over Paris, the hospitality scene is expanding in the city — and beyond — with a handful of new hotel openings worth bookmarking for a visit once the crowds have died down. Le Grand Hôtel Cayré opened in the Seventh Arrondissement earlier this month with 123 rooms, all with handcrafted wooden beds and mustard yellow velvet chairs, some with balconies and views of the Sacre Coeur or Eiffel Tower. In Carry-le-Rouet, a seaside village outside of Marseille, L’Hôtel Bleu’s design follows its name with 44 harbor-view rooms decorated in shades of blue. The property’s restaurant offers three seafood-heavy, Mediterranean-inspired tasting menus, while a private cinema room can be reserved when the weather calls for some indoor time. Further east toward Cannes, in the commune of Mougins, Hôtel Le Mas Candille was recently redesigned by the architect and decorator Hugo Toro, whose hand-painted patterns appear on the curtains and carpets in the 46 rooms. Its Glow House spa has four treatment rooms, each with its own terrace, and a private swimming pool overlooking Provence. In Nice’s old town, Hôtel du Couvent opened last month within a 17th-century convent surrounded by two-and-a-half acres of gardens. The former nuns’ herbal shop has been revived and now offers personalized remedies, some made from herbs grown on the property. There’s also a bathing area with pools of varying temperatures inspired by the nearby Roman baths.
The share of hotels sold via the direct channel in Spain increased by an average of 18% during the summer of 2024 over other channels thanks to the determination of the hoteliers to improve the profitability of the hotels again, according to data from Mirai. Although during the initial weeks of the UEFA Euro Cup 2024 sales growth slowed down, probably also due to the bad weather in Spain, in the last few days the company has observed that growth is picking up again. This rebound suggests a potentially very positive last-minute booking trend in most tourist destinations.
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