SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - February 1, 2005 -- Market
Metrix, LLC, the leading provider of market research services for the hospitality
industry, today announced results of the Market Metrix Hospitality Index
(MMHI) for the fourth quarter of 2004. Wingate Inns, Midwest Airlines and
Enterprise Rent-A-Car ranked number one in hotel, airline and rental car
industry customer satisfaction, respectively. For the first time, a mid-scale
(without food and beverage) hotel company, Wingate Inns, has placed first
in the hotel category. Among airlines, for the second consecutive quarter,
Midwest Airlines is in the top spot while Enterprise continues to dominate
in the rental car category.
Highlights from Q4 2004 MMHI Data
Wingate Inns, an all-new construction hotel chain,
has dazzled its guests and created a devoted following. According to guests
Wingate Inns provides "amenities comparable to a 5-star hotel", "awesome
telecommunications", "oversized rooms" and "a free breakfast that is out
of this world!" With employees that "smile, call you by name, and ask if
there is anything you need" they are delivering "superior customer service
unmatched in the hospitality industry".
Among hotels, the highest customer satisfaction
ratings went to Wingate Inns (91.2), Walt Disney World Resorts (90.5) and
Drury Inns (90.4). Overall, Luxury Hotels received the highest ratings
(87) with Extended Stay guests reporting the second highest levels (86.4).
W Hotels won the Luxury category for the second time and Walt Disney World
Resorts continues to dominate the Upper Upscale segment.
Analysis of results revealed a continued increase
in bookings on hotel sites and a boost in loyalty program membership. These
findings suggest that customers are becoming more loyal and doing less
shopping around.
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Membership in hotel loyalty programs has been steadily
climbing. Since the third quarter of 2002, 34 percent more guests report
being members of hotel frequent sleeper programs.
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Increasing loyalty program membership appears to
have made a substantial impact on guest loyalty in non-casino hotels. The
percentage of guests reporting that they are very likely to return has
increased 6 percentage points since the third quarter of 2002.
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Hotels have succeeded in winning bookings away from
such leading websites as Expedia and Orbitz. Increasing their share of
web bookings by nearly 30% in the last five quarters, Hotel websites now
capture 15% of all Internet bookings. The top 3 non-casino hotel websites
(in terms of capturing reservations of their own guests) include: Staybridge,
Candlewood and Extended StayAmerica.
MMHI Top-Hospitality Rankings
Q4 2004
Hotel - Wingate Inns
Airline - Midwest Airlines
Car Rental - Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Luxury - W Hotels
Upper Upscale - Walt Disney World Resorts
Upscale - SpringHill Suites
Midscale w/ F&B - Four Points
Midscale w/o F&B - Wingate Inns
Economy - Jameson Inns
Extended Stay - Staybridge
Casino - Isle of Capri
Upscale Casino - Bellagio
Hotel Reservations Website � Hotel Brand
- Wyndham
Hotel Reservations Website � Travel - Yahoo!
Travel |
MMHI Overview
October 2004 to December 2004
MMHI Overview
What is the Market Metrix Hospitality Index?
As the largest and most in-depth measure of hotel,
car rental and airline performance available today, the Market Metrix Hospitality
Index (MMHI) has become a touchstone for the hospitality industry. Based
on 35,000 customer interviews conducted each quarter, the index has unprecedented
breadth and depth. Industry results are compiled into quarterly reports,
which are available for purchase. Subscribers can measure their company's
stand-alone performance and dynamically benchmark their ratings against
those of competitors and highly ranked companies within and across other
hospitality industries.
Customer Satisfaction
The Customer Satisfaction Score is the average
score of 13 product and service questions and is highly correlated with
repeat behavior and word of mouth recommendations. The customer satisfaction
component of the Market Metrix Hospitality Index provides accurate scores
and comparable results for all major hotel brands.
Emotions
The numbers in this category indicate the average
score for 16 key emotions. This section is designed to identify which segments
and brands currently deliver the emotions that drive guest loyalty.
Price Premium
This number represents how much more consumers
are willing to pay per room before switching brands. This number is helpful
for understanding brand equity and evaluating the components that affect
rate tolerance.
Very Likely To Return
This is the percentage of guests that say they
are very likely to return. Along with "Very Likely To Recommend," they
are the key components of a "Secure Customer."
Loyalty Program Strength
�Loyalty Program Strength� indicates the relative
success of a brand�s loyalty program compared toother programs in the hotel
industry. This measure combines the percentage of guests who are members
of a brand�s loyalty program and the importance of that program (to the
guest) in selecting that hotel brand.
© 2005 Market Metrix, LLC
About Market Metrix
Market Metrix, LLC was founded in 1996 by partners
Jonathan Barsky, Ph.D., and Lenny Nash to provide the hospitality industry
with better customer and employee satisfaction measurement programs and
management tools. In addition to MMHI, Market Metrix provides clients with
award-winning survey systems and strategic services. Market Metrix also
operates the Consumer Research Center, which provides focus group services,
data entry services and a state-of-the-art specialty call center. Based
in San Rafael, Calif., Market Metrix is partner owned and has 50 employees.
For more information, log onto www.marketmetrix.com
or call 1-800-239-7515.
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