Press Release: Country Inns & Suites By Carlson
July 18, 2002
MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- 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
than Country Inns & Suites in providing customer satisfaction to its guests. More than 30,000 hotel guests
were queried in the survey.
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
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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:
Customer Satisfaction questions relating to product include:
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 www.countryinns.com, through a travel agent or by calling 800-456-4000. There
are more than 300 Country Inns & Suites locations worldwide.
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 www.hotelimprovement.com.
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Contact:
Country Inns & Suites By Carlson
Betsy Day, 763/212-1433
bday@carlson.com
or
CAB Communications, Inc.
Cynthia Bielke, 651/683-1910
cab@millcomm.com