Hotel Online  Special Report



..
Market Metrix Announces Fourth Quarter
2004 Hospitality Index Results
.
-- Wingate Inns, Midwest Airlines and Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Take Top Industry Categories --

.

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.

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.


 
Contact:

Dara Franz
Market Metrix
tel 415-721-1300
fax 415-721-1314
www.marketmetrix.com

Also See: Market Metrix Announces Third Quarter 2004 Hospitality Index Results; Four Seasons, Midwest Airlines and Enterprise Rent-A-Car Take Top Industry Categories / November 2004
Market Metrix Announces Second Quarter 2004 Hospitality Index Results Four Seasons, Jet Blue Airways and Enterprise Rent-A-Car Take Top Industry Categories / August 2004
Market Metrix Announces First Quarter 2004 Hospitality Index Results - Staybridge Suites, Jet Blue Airways and Enterprise Rent-A-Car Take Top Industry Categories / May 2004
Walt Disney World Resorts Ranks Number One in Hotel Customer Satisfaction; Market Metrix Fourth Quarter 2003 Hospitality Index Results / February 2004
Market Metrix Third Quarter 2003 Hospitality Index Results; First-Ever Measure of Satisfaction With Online Hotel Reservations Places Radisson and Yahoo! Travel on Top / November 2003
Market Metrix Second Quarter 2003 Hospitality Index Results -- Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Improves
Satisfaction Score to Take Top Hotel Prize / Aug 2003


To search Hotel Online data base of News and Trends Go to Hotel.Online Search

Home | Welcome! | Hospitality News | Classifieds | Catalogs & Pricing | Viewpoint Forum | Ideas/Trends
Please contact Hotel.Online with your comments and suggestions.