No Hotel Chain Ranks Higher than Country Inns & Suites By Carlson in Customer Satisfaction According to Latest Market Metrix Survey
Survey is Second Consecutive No. 1 Ranking for Country Inns & Suites
MINNEAPOLIS -- Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, one of the fastest growing international mid-tier lodging chains, has ranked number one in customer satisfaction in a national survey of 85 U.S. hotel brands by Market Metrix LLC, an independent research firm in San Rafael, California. The comprehensive survey confirmed an earlier Market Metrix finding that among all brands and categories, including the luxury segment, no hotel brand ranks higher...
Top (U.S.) Hotels Ranked By Overall Customer Satisfaction
As Published by the Market Metrix Hotel Index (MMHI)
(1st Quarter, 2002)
Hotel Hotel Customer Segment Reported
Ranking Satisfaction Average
Rating Price
1 Country Inns & 88 Upper mid-price $82
Suites by Carlson
1 Drury Inns 88 Mid-price $78
3 W Hotels 87 Luxury $185
3 Wingate Inn 87 Mid-price $77
3 Homewood Suites 87 Extended $95
3 Candlewood 87 Extended $77
7 Hilton Garden Inn 86 Upper mid-price $105
7 Sleep Inn 86 Economy $63
9 Ritz-Carlton 85 Luxury $204
9 Four Seasons 85 Luxury $194
9 Aston 85 Upscale $119
"The findings are clear and consistent," said Yvonne La Penotiere, vice president of sales & marketing, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson. "Business and leisure travelers who value clean rooms, good value for price, friendly staff and an efficient check-in process are most satisfied with Country Inns & Suites. This survey validates guest feedback during the past ten years which shows that 98 percent of our guests say they would stay with us again. It's also a strong endorsement of our national advertising campaign, which emphasizes our preferred status over competitors."
The customer satisfaction score is the average score of all product and service questions that are asked as part of Market Metrix Hotel Index (MMHI) research. The questions are highly correlated with repeat behavior and word-of-mouth recommendations. More than one million responses were statistically evaluated to determine which questions are most closely related to hotel choice and guest retention.
Customer Satisfaction questions relating to service include:
- Friendliness of front desk staff
- Efficient check-in
- Employees' "can-do" attitude
- Employees' knowledge of hotel and facilities
- Friendliness of reservation agent
- Accuracy of reservation information at check-in
- Hotel telephones are answered quickly
Customer Satisfaction questions relating to product include:
- Room cleanliness
- Bathroom cleanliness
- Proper functioning of lights, TV, etc.
- Comfortable bed & furniture
- Proper room lighting
- Value for price
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, in-room 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
Country Inns & Suites By Carlson is part of Minneapolis, Minn.-based Carlson Hospitality Worldwide, whose operations also include Regent International Hotels; Radisson Hotels & Resorts; Park Plaza and Park Inn hotels; Radisson Seven Seas Cruises; Carlson Lifestyle Living; Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, which includes T.G.I. Friday's and Pick Up Stix; and Provisions, a worldwide procurement company.
The MMHI is the largest independent, in-depth industry-wide measure of hotel performance based on guest evaluations. Data for the MMHI is gathered through more than 30,000 interviews with members of the National Consumer Opinion Panel (NCOP). The panel is representative of the national consumer market for U.S. hotels and is modified each quarter to reflect current market conditions, based on comparisons with the U.S. Census Data and the current AH&LA Lodging Industry Guest Profile.
Scores for the U.S. Hotel Industry are updated each quarter and include emotion and satisfaction scores for individual brands, industry segments and the overall hotel industry. Each quarterly survey measures guest emotions, customer satisfaction, and issues related to price and demographics. More information about the Market Metrix Hotel Index is available at