Hotels, airlines at opposite ends of US customer satisfaction levels
US hotel guest satisfaction has reached record levels while airline passengers are more disgruntled than they have been in years, according to the Market Metrix Hospitality Index.
Overall, Walt Disney World Resorts, JetBlue Airways and Enterprise Rent-a-Car ranked number one in hotel, airline and rental car industry customer satisfaction, respectively.
Satisfaction for the hotel industry reached its highest level in 3 years. Said Dr. Jonathan Barsky, who directs research activities at Market Metrix:
“Strong RevPar growth for the first three months of 2007 and investments in staffing, services and amenities, made a positive impact on the guest experience in all hotel segments except luxury, where satisfaction slumped to its lowest level in years.”
Upscale hotels saw the biggest improvement with Crowne Plaza up nearly 5 points compared to the last quarter of 2006.
Airline passenger satisfaction dropped to its lowest level in 4 years with JetBlue Airways and Midwest Airlines showing the biggest declines. Scores for Loyalty Emotions™ (e.g., feeling welcome) among airline passengers also reached near-record lows.
Loyalty Emotions evaluate critical elements of a passenger’s emotional experience and are fundamental components of customer satisfaction and loyalty, according to company officials.
“The drop in passenger satisfaction reveals unprecedented angst among passengers which has been caused, in part, by disenchanted employees, increasing fuel costs, bankruptcy, and new record levels of lost, delayed, and damaged luggage,” said Mr Barsky.
Based on 35,000 customer interviews conducted each quarter, the Market Metrix Hospitality Index™ is the largest and most in-depth measure of hospitality company performance available today.
With over 100 clients in 70 countries, Market Metrix says it has helped hospitality companies turn feedback into better performance since 1996.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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