Guest satisfaction with hotel food and beverage quality, as well as facilities maintenance, declined significantly in the past year, according to the J.D. Power 2025 North America Third-Party Hotel Management Guest Satisfaction Benchmark.

Andrea Stokes, hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power, said, “In hotels where the owner is not operating the property, guest satisfaction ultimately rests with third-party management companies that operate on behalf of hotel owners.”  She added, “While these companies are all focused on bringing a level of standardization and consistency to the guest experience, we’re starting to see some challenges emerge where guest satisfaction is faltering, particularly for quality of food and beverage and hotel facilities upkeep, which can often indicate rising costs.”

Key findings of the report included:

• Food and beverage satisfaction declines: More than three-fourths (77%) of guests in branded hotels run by the largest third-party management companies choose to dine in the hotel, up from 73% in 2024. Yet guest satisfaction declined significantly for quality of food, cleanliness of dining area(s), food and beverage presentation and ambiance.
• Hotel facilities maintenance in focus: Guest satisfaction with appearance of hotel exterior and grounds and maintenance of pools, fitness centers and laundry areas also declined significantly in this year’s benchmark.
• Staff service and guest room appearance deliver on guest expectations: In other critical operational areas for third-party hotel management companies, such as staff service and overall appearance and condition of guest rooms, guest satisfaction is on par with 2024.
• Atrium Hospitality ranked highest in overall guest satisfaction, with a score of 722 (on a 1,000-point scale). Crescent Hotels and Resorts (708) ranked second, while Columbia Sussex (703) and Davidson Hospitality Group (703) each ranked third in a tie. 

The report was redesigned for 2025; thus, overall satisfaction index scores are not comparable with previous years. The benchmark, now in its sixth year, evaluates guest satisfaction with branded hotels that are operated by the largest third-party management companies. It is based on seven criteria (in order of importance): guest room; hotel staff service; value for prices paid; check-in/check-out; hotel facility; food and beverage; and hotel connectivity. The benchmark includes third-party hotel operators with more than 14,000 branded hotel rooms under management. The 2025 edition is based on 5,022 guest responses for branded hotel stays from May 2024 through May 2025.