COSTA MESA, Calif. — Mobile apps are now as important to the hotel-guest experience as competitive room prices and amenities, finds J.D. Power.

According to the J.D. Power 2017 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study, incorporating mobile apps and functionality into a hotel stay is associated with higher guest satisfaction. Integrating this technology also makes guests more willing to share their positive hotel experiences on social media.

“As mobile usage becomes increasingly ubiquitous for guests, the challenge for hotels becomes twofold — first, they must persuade guests to book directly with them and, second, they must encourage easy utilization of this technology,” says Rick Garlick, practice lead, Travel and Hospitality at J.D. Power. “By forging direct relationships, hotels can become guardians of the guest experience, but at the center of these relationships is an establishment’s mobile strategy.”

The study measured overall guest satisfaction across eight hotel segments: luxury, upper upscale, upscale, upper mid-scale, mid-scale, economy, upper extended-stay and extended-stay. Seven key factors were examined in each segment to determine overall satisfaction, including reservation, check-in/check-out, guestroom, food and beverage, hotel services, hotel facilities and cost and fees.

The following hotel brands rank highest in guest satisfaction in their respective segments:
Luxury — JW Marriott and The Ritz-Carlton (tie)
Upper Upscale — Hyatt
Upscale — Hilton Garden Inn (for a second consecutive year)
Upper Mid-scale — Drury Hotels (for a 12th consecutive year)
Mid-scale — Wingate by Wyndham (for a third consecutive year)
Economy — Americas Best Value Inn
Upper Extended-stay — Staybridge Suites
Extended-stay — Candlewood Suites

The 2017 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study is based on responses gathered between June 2016 and May 2017 from more than 63,000 guests in Canada and the United States who stayed at a hotel in North America between May 2016 and May 2017.

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