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Homewood Suites, a chain of extended-stay hotels operated out of Memphis by Hilton

Worldwide, is best in class for a second straight year in a J.D. Power & Associates

report.

The chain's overall customer satisfaction was down from

last year, mirroring an industrywide trend as hotel

operators struggled to ramp up guest services and

facilities following the economic downturn.

Homewood Suites still kept its edge over rivals that

include Residence Inn and Staybridge Suites, J.D. Power

reported on Wednesday in its 2011 North America Hotel

Guest Satisfaction Index Study.

Hilton Garden Inn, one of the chain's other Memphis-based

brands, slipped to third in the upscale hotel segment,

which it led in 2010. Hilton Garden Inn trailed leader Hotel

Indigo and Hyatt Place.

Among other Hilton brands, not based in Memphis, Embassy Suites ranked first in the

upper upscale segment, ahead of Omni Hotels & Resorts and Marriott Hotels & Resorts.

"Guest satisfaction is at the core of our business," said Paul Brown, president, global

brands and commercial services, for McLean, Va.-based Hilton Worldwide. "Our

commitment to provide guests with high-quality service and unique experiences is what

keeps them coming back time after time. We are proud to lead these categories and will

strive to increase our standings across the board in years to come."

Hilton Hotels & Resorts and DoubleTree by Hilton were in the middle of the pack among

upper upscale hotels.

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Memphis-based Homewood Suites is best ofclass again in J.D. Power reportBy Wayne Risher

Posted July 20, 2011 at 3:14 p.m., updated July 21, 2011 at midnight

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The survey was based on responses from more than 61,300 guests at hotels in the U.S.

and Canada between May 2010 and May 2011.

It found, to researchers' surprise, that customer satisfaction with hotel costs and fees had

actually increased, to 739 from 719 on a 1,000-point scale, despite rising room rates

associated with higher occupancy. This year's airline industry customer satisfaction

survey had the opposite finding: Higher prices and fees led to lower grades in that

department.

The discrepancy might be explained by hotel operators' restraint in raising prices, said

Stuart Greif, vice president and general manager of the global hospitality and travel

practice at J.D. Power.

"Unlike the airline industry, in which prices were raised aggressively amid limited seat

supply and high demand, the hotel industry has enacted more modest price increases

and has had spare room capacity," Greif said.

Because satisfaction in other areas went down, overall grades dropped to 764 from 771

in 2010.

-- Wayne Risher: (901) 529-2874

© 2011 Memphis Commercial Appeal. All rights reserved. This material may not be

published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Comments » 2

July 20, 2011

3:39 p.m.

Suggest removal

Reply to this post

raulkemp writes:

aint that the truth. 21st bday lived it up. damn room was bigger than my college

apt.

July 20, 2011

7:59 p.m.

Suggest removal

Reply to this post

shillaire writes:

Good news! Thanks for representing Memphis so well.

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