J.D. Power and Associates Becomes Friend of Cornell Center for Hospitality Research

Well known research firm J.D. Power and Associates has become the newest friend of the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research (CHR). Data provided by J.D. Power and Associates will augment the CHR's research efforts on behalf of the hospitality industry and related firms. Additionally, the firm's researchers are participating in the CHR's program of research reports and roundtables.

"We are delighted that J.D. Power and Associates is participating with the CHR in this way," said Rohit Verma, CHR executive director. "In fact, they have already made substantial contributions to our research program, both by writing a Hospitality Industry Perspective white paper and by presenting at our recent Cornell Hospitality Research Summit (CHRS). Their research program operates at the highest possible level of rigor—exactly what we seek in our publications and conferences."

The Hospitality Industry Perspective, "Making Customer Satisfaction Pay: Connecting Survey Data to Financial Outcomes in the Hotel Industry," is available at no charge from the CHR website (http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/research/chr/pubs/perspective/). In this report, J.D. Power and Associates researchers Gina Pingitore, Dan Seldin, and Arianne Walker explain the direct and measurable connection between customer satisfaction and financial performance in the hotel industry. In short, they found that outstanding service leads to greater guest spending.

At the CHRS, Stuart Greif, vice president and general manager of the global travel and hospitality practice of J.D. Power and Associates, presented an analysis of social media, based on the firm's Web Intelligence capabilities. Cautioning that analysts must be aware of the context of social media conversations, he pointed out that people discuss the things that most interest them—in effect creating a marketing focus group of millions. Greif is also scheduled as a keynote speaker at the upcoming QUIS12, the 12th International Research Symposium on Service Excellence in Management, at the School of Hotel Administration, in June 2011.

According to Greif, "We are pleased to further deepen J.D. Power and Associates relationship with the Cornell University Center for Hospitality Research (CHR). CHR is a global thought leader, playing a unique and critical role in advancing academic research with real-world hospitality industry insight and relevance."

About J.D. Power and Associates | Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, Web intelligence and customer satisfaction. The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit . J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.