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When it comes to giving hotel guests what they really want, Hilton Worldwide and Marriott International seem to have it all figured out, according to J.D. Power's 2016 Hotel Loyalty/Rewards Program Satisfaction Report.
The report, released Thursday, ranks Hilton's HHonors program and Marriott's Marriott Rewards program tops in overall satisfaction.
Measured on a 1,000-point scale, J.D. Power's customer satisfaction takes six factors into account, including account maintenance and management, ease of redeeming points and or miles, ease of earning points and or miles, the variety of benefits offered, the terms of the reward program and customer service.
However the various factors' importance varies.
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Both Hilton HHonors and Marriott Rewards earned scores of 741, with the former scoring high in the most important category of account maintenance and management factor and the latter faring excellent in terms of ease of redeeming points and or miles.
Hilton HHonors also scored well in reward program terms and variety of benefits, while Marriott Rewards' program stood out in reward program terms and ease of earning points and or miles.
Meanwhile, the InterContinental Hotel Group's IHG Rewards rounded out the top three with a score of 722.
The average score was 711 in 2016, up from 701 last year.
The remaining loyalty reward programs earned below average scores but La Quinta Returns (710) and Best Western Rewards (705) both cracked the 700-point mark.
Notably, Hyatt Hotels' Hyatt Gold Passport ranked ninth, while Wyndham Worldwide's Wyndham Rewards and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide's Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) finished 11th and 13th, respectively.
Choice Privileges (sixth), Omni Hotels Select Guest (seventh), Club Carlson (eighth), Fairmont President's Club (10th), Drury Gold Key Club (12th) and Red Roof Inn Redicard (14th) were also ranked in 2016.
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"Members of hotel loyalty/rewards programs see great value in their program of choice, and they are highly satisfied when they can easily earn and redeem points to select preferred locations in various locations," said J.D. Power's global travel and hospitality practice lead Rick Garlick in a statement. "Programs with hotels offering multiple brands, partnerships and locations have a strong competitive advantage."
"However, once customers arrive at a location, their actual hotel experience plays an important role in the overall experience with their program," Garlick added. "Loyalty/rewards program administrators need to keep this in mind while exploring opportunities to create innovative customer centric perks."
While hotel chains undoubtedly aim to satisfy each and every customer, doing so is critical. According to J.D. Power's research, a whopping 83 percent of highly satisfied loyalty program members indicated that they will definitely recommend their program to someone else.
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