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of Loyalty for Hotels - J.D. Power and Associates |
| WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. - Aug. 12, 2002 - Higher
meeting planner satisfaction leads to greater loyalty at an increasing
rate of return for hotels, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2002
Meeting Planner Satisfaction Index Study(SM) released today.
The study, which measures how well upscale and luxury hotels satisfy independent and corporate meeting planners, finds that meeting planners who rate a hotel with the highest satisfaction scores are significantly more likely to return to that hotel, return to the chain and recommend the brand to others. At the opposite end of the scale, meeting planning loyalty is increasingly difficult to build when satisfaction is low. "A good hotel has more to gain by becoming a great hotel than a poor hotel does by becoming good," said Linda Hirneise, partner and executive director of the J.D. Power and Associates hotel practice. "The study shows hotels that are doing a good job of satisfying meeting planners can dramatically improve loyalty by becoming even better. There is no room in this business for complacency." The study also finds that providing a trouble-free event by preventing problems is integral to meeting planner satisfaction. Meeting planners who experience a significant problem with a hotel event have overall satisfaction that is dramatically diminished compared to an event when no problems arise, even when those problems are resolved effectively by hotel staff. "There is a myth in some parts of the hotel industry that resolving a problem can result in a more satisfied customer than would have been the case had no problem occurred at all," said Hirneise. "That is very rarely the case. While meeting planners appreciate quick problem resolution, they are significantly more satisfied when their event goes off without a hitch." When problems do occur, meeting planners are more likely to report problems they're experiencing to hotel staff than hotel guests, yet only 57 percent of problems are actually resolved. Unlike guests, who report 80 percent of problems to hotel staff, meeting planners report 97 percent of problems they experience during an event. "Far too frequently, hotels are not taking advantage of the candor displayed by meeting planners," said Hirneise. "Meeting planners have very high expectations. When a hotel does a good job of satisfying its meeting planner clientele, it can dramatically capitalize on the loyalty that a positive experience elicits." The study shows hotels are doing well getting feedback from meeting planners after the event is over. On average, meeting planners rate hotels particularly high in post-event communication, such as seeking feedback about the event and listening to their concerns and specific needs. Overall, 89 percent of experiences with hotels meet or exceed meeting planners' expectations. The 2002 Meeting Planner Satisfaction Study is based on responses from more than 1,400 professional meeting planners. Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, consulting, training and customer satisfaction. |
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J.D. Power and Associates Michael Greywitt 805/418-8000 [email protected] www.jdpa.com |
| Also See: | Survey Shows Meeting Planners Not Ready to Flex Their Muscles / Patrick Quek / PKF / March 2000 |
| UniFocus Launches MEETINGScope; System for Benchmarking Meeting Planner Feedback / Aug 2002 |