Marriott Leads Hotel Industry in Customer Satisfaction

The latest data by the University of Michigan’s American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) show that in the first quarter of 2007 Marriott Corporation achieved an increase in customer satisfaction of 5% to 79 out of a possible 100 points- its best score since 1994.

Claes Fornell, director of the University of Michigan’s National Quality Research Center, which compiles and analyzes the ACSI data, attributed Marriott’s high score to recent improvements to its properties, including renovations to its Courtyard and Residence Inn locations.

“The hotel has begun adding LCD televisions to many of its rooms, and has spent almost $200 million on better sheets and tops for its beds,” said Fornell. “These improvements show up in Marriott’s ACSI data, and are major contributors to the gain in satisfaction. While the hotel’s guests consider value for money about the same as last year, they deem the quality of Marriott’s services to be significantly improved.”

Meanwhile, customer satisfaction for the hotel industry as a whole fell in the first quarter of 2007, due largely to a decline among smaller hotel chains. The overall industry rating fell 5% to 71 out of a possible 100 points, its lowest score since 2002.

The bottom line: Marriott has bucked the trend of decreasing satisfaction among hotel guests. Competitors should take notice.