September 23, 2002
Country Inns & Suites By Carlson Receives Highest Ranking in
J.D. Power and Associates 2002 Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study
Brand Ranked Highest in Guest Satisfaction Among Mid-Price Hotel Chains with Limited Service
Sept. 23, 2002—Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, a mid-price lodging chain with more than 300 locations worldwide, has received the highest ranking for guest satisfaction in J.D. Power and Associates 2002 North American Hotel Guest Satisfaction StudySM. For the past two years, Country Inns & Suites was ranked number two in the category of Mid-Price Hotel Chains with Limited Service before surpassing its
bigger and more well-known competitors in 2002 to achieve the coveted top ranking in the nationally recognized study. The top three major contributors to guest satisfaction are guest room, departure process and pre-arrival/arrival experiences, according to
J.D. Power and Associates. Other factors that affect hotel satisfaction include location, past experience, personal recommendations and brand reputation. “Everyone at Country Inns & Suites is delighted and proud of this latest ranking from J.D. Power and
Associates,” said, Coni Wolk, regional manager of Country Inns & Suites in York and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. “This proves, once again, that when it comes to customer satisfaction, Country Inns & Suites is the number one choice of a majority of travelers.”
Country Inns & Suites By Carlson also was rated number one in providing customer satisfaction across all brands and categories, including the luxury segment, in two consecutive Market Metrix Hotel Index (MMHI) surveys during 2001 and 2002. The MMHI is a national, independent survey of more than 30,000 hotel guests in the United States. Country Inns & Suites has earned other accolades from consumers as well, including its 98 percent guest return rating for the 10th consecutive year, one of the
highest in the industry. Country Inns & Suites locations have a warm, residential feeling, with front porches, lobby fireplaces and hardwood floors, and include such amenities as complimentary breakfast, in-room coffee makers, hair dryers, ironing
facilities, and weekday morning newspapers. The company’s “Book It and Return” program lends free books to guests and makes a $5 donation to Laubach Literacy, the world’s oldest and largest nonprofit educational literacy organization, when a borrowed book is returned to any Country Inns & Suites hotel in North America. Reservations can be made online at
www.countryinns.com, through a travel agent, or by calling 1-800-456-4000.
Launched in 1997, the Domestic Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study by J.D. Power and Associates is the first independent, publicly released study to focus on hotel guest satisfaction among frequent business travelers in the United States. Evaluations cover satisfaction with the entire hotel guest experience among frequent business travelers in the United States. Evaluations cover satisfaction with the entire hotel guest experience, from reservations and the check-in process, to the conditions and comfort of
the room, food and beverage quality and service, hotel services and the check-out process. The study is designed to track competitive performance over time and assist hotel management with its efforts to improve guest satisfaction. The 2002 North American Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study by J.D. Power and Associates is based on 12,940 individual evaluations from a national representative sample of business and leisure hotel guests. Fifty-two hotel chains in six market segments are included in the study.
More information is available at www.jdpa.com.
Note to Reader: Country Inns & Suites By Carlson is part of Minneapolis, Minn.-based Carlson Hospitality Worldwide, whose operations also include Radisson Hotels & Resorts; Regent International Hotels; Park Plaza and Park Inn hotels; Radisson Seven Seas Cruises; Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, which includes T.G.I. Friday’s and other restaurant brands; and Provisions, a worldwide procurement company.
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