Cornell University's Center for Hospitality Research has released an index and analysis of hotel brand reputation in the United States and Canada, revealing important insights into the role played by brands in the hotel industry today.

The first of its kind in terms of the scale of the reputation data analyzed, the report analyzes over 30 million reviews of more than 30,000 branded hotels posted to 47 review sites between January 1, 2016 and March 31, 2018.

The report categorizes brands according to the six segments identified in STR's chain scale report and ranks them using ReviewPro's Global Review Index™ (GRI), an industry-standard online reputation benchmark derived from online reviews.

This analysis yields three major conclusions:

1) The variation in reputation across brands is larger than the variation across chain scales;
2) Online reputation is mainly a function of brand and sub brand rather than segment or hotel location; and
3) Variability in reputation across hotels within a brand is greater than the variability in reputation in hotels across brands.

"Our research suggests that the roles of hotel brand and chain scale are changing, and, further, that the influence of brands is growing," said the report's coauthor, Chris K. Anderson, Director of Cornell University's Center for Hospitality Research. "If a hotel's brand is a more reliable indicator of reputation than its chain scale or star classification, travelers will lend greater weight to brand when selecting a hotel. Over time, brands that consistently deliver on expectations across their portfolio will carve an increasingly higher market share."

"We're excited to support Cornell University's research and the contribution that it makes to the global hotel industry," said R.J. Friedlander, CEO and Cofounder of ReviewPro. "It is a privilege that our data was selected for a study that has such important implications for hotel owners, operators and brands seeking to analyze and improve the guest experience."

Click here to download the report.

About the Center for Hospitality Research

The purpose of the Center for Hospitality Research is to enable and conduct research of significance to the global hospitality and related service industries. CHR also works to improve the connections between academe and industry, continuing the School of Hotel Administration's long-standing tradition of service to the hospitality industry. Founded in 1992, CHR remains the industry's foremost creator and distributor of timely research, all of which is posted at no charge for all to use. In addition to its industry advisory board, CHR convenes several industry roundtables each year for the purpose of identifying new issues affecting the hospitality industry.

About ReviewPro

ReviewPro is the world leader of Guest Intelligence solutions, with more than 40,000 hotels in 150 countries. ReviewPro's Global Review Index™ (GRI), the industry-standard online reputation score, is based on review data collected from 200+ OTAs and review sites in 75+ languages. The company's cloud-based Guest Experience Improvement Suite™ includes Online Reputation Management, Guest Satisfaction Surveys, Auto Case Management, and an innovative Guest Messaging Hub. The tools and processes that ReviewPro provides enable clients to prioritize operational/service improvements to deliver better guest experiences and increase guest satisfaction, online rankings, and revenue.