Guest satisfaction with third-party hotel management companies is growing, per a survey released by JD Power.
The JD Power 2026 North America Third-Party Hotel Management Guest Satisfaction Benchmark, released on Wednesday, shows a 14-point, year-over-year increase in average overall guest satisfaction with hotel management companies to 696 on a 1,000-point scale.
“Franchised hotel property investments are paying off in higher guest satisfaction compared to last year,” said Andrea Stokes, hospitality practice lead at JD Power. “Where we see further opportunity is in guest perceptions of hotel lobbies and common areas.”
The benchmark takes into account seven factors: guestroom; hotel staff service; value for prices paid; check-in/check-out; hotel facility; food and beverage; and hotel connectivity. This year's version is based on 5,642 survey responses from May 2025 to May 2026.
Atop of the list is Crestview Hills, Kentucky-based owner and operator Columbia Sussex, which recorded a guest satisfaction score of 739. According to the company's website, it has a portfolio of 49 hotels in 20 states and features hotels such as the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort in Florida; The Westin Westminster in Colorado; and the Marriott Phoenix Resort Tempe At The Buttes in Arizona.
Fairfax, Virginia-based Crestline Hotels & Resorts and North Palm Beach, Florida-based Driftwood Hospitality Management round out the top three with scores of 718 and 717, respectively.
Crestline manages 110 hotels, including The Golden Hotel, Ascend Hotel Collection in Golden, Colorado, and Hotel 24 South in Staunton, Virginia. Driftwood Hospitality manages 75 hotels across 20 states, including the InterContinental Hotel Kansas City At The Plaza in Missouri and Zelda Dearest Asheville in North Carolina.
