Marriott Rewards Named Top Hotel Loyalty Program in the U.S.

Marriott Rewards beat out loyalty programs at all other large hotel brands including Starwood, Hilton and Hyatt  to be named the best rewards program in hospitality.

According to a J.D. Power Satisfaction Report released last week, Marriott Rewards received the highest score — 707 on a 1,000-point scale — out of 15 loyalty and rewards programs.

Almost half of the ranking was based on account management (23%) and ease of redeeming points (22%), but ease of earning points (18%); reward program terms (16%); and customer service (5%) were also considered.

IHG Rewards Club and Delta Privilege ranked just below Marriott in the overall ranking as well as every subsection except customer service.

Drury Hotels’ Gold Key Club was the top ranked program for customer service and many programs including Fairmont’s, Hilton’s, and Hyatt’s tied with Marriott for the second highest ranking in this subsection.

The report also found that although most consumers first learn about the programs through hotel staff, peer recommendations have more influence when it comes to actually picking and sticking with a program.

Customers who rate their rewards program 10 out of 10 provide twice as many word-of-mouth recommendations as customer who rank their program 9 out of 10 or less.

“While many hotels focus on advertising and marketing to create awareness of their loyalty programs, there is no better recruiting tool than word of mouth,” concludes Rick Garlick, global travel and hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power.

See the full J.D. Power satisfaction report below: