2020 was a bad year for the buffet, and hotel guests miss their breakfast.
According to the J.D. Power 2021 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study, guests were dissatisfied with the reduced variety and quality of breakfasts across most hotel categories -- if breakfast was offered at all. J.D. Power said 36% of hotels eliminated buffet-style serving.
"It is clear that guests expect breakfast service to resume, especially in limited-service hotels that usually provide complimentary hot breakfast," said Andrea Stokes, hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power.
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Besides breakfast, smart TVs are another must-have for hotel guests. J.D. Power noted that people stuck at home during the pandemic increased subscriptions to a variety of streaming entertainment services.
"It is not surprising, then, that the study shows an increase in demand for smart TVs in hotel rooms," J.D. Power said.
Hotel "need to haves" that have grown the most in importance in the past year are smart TVs (increase of 9 percentage points), balcony/views (6 points) and healthy living/wellness amenities (5 points).
The highest-ranked hotel brands
The following hotel brands ranked highest in guest satisfaction in their respective segment:
Luxury: Ritz-Carlton
Upper-Upscale: Hard Rock Hotels
Upscale: AC Hotels
Upper Midscale: Drury Hotels (16th consecutive year)
Midscale: Tru by Hilton (second consecutive year)
Economy: SureStay by Best Western (second consecutive year)
The 2021 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index analyzed guest responses to more than 150 questions regarding branded hotel stay experiences and benchmarked the performance of 104 brands across six market segments.
This year's study is based on responses from 32,963 hotel guests for stays between May 2020 and June 2021.