Saturday, Aug. 08, 2009

Tourism satisfaction improves in survey

Many tourists are more satisfied with their hotel experiences than they were a year ago, despite the cuts in staff and amenities that are byproducts of the recession, according to an annual survey recently released by J.D. Power and Associates.

The survey showed that people were more impressed with upscale and mid-scale full-service hotels, mid-scale limited service and economy/budget hotels than in the past.

The data came from an online questionnaire of more than 66,000 hotel guests from around the country.

Some Myrtle Beach hoteliers are making changes they think may contribute to this increased satisfaction, and tourists are noticing them.

John Daniels, general manager of the Breakers Resort in Myrtle Beach, said he's stressed to his staff the importance of friendliness in the past year.

"That has more mileage than anything," he said. "It's those who don't do that that pay the price, in my opinion."

Guests of the Breakers Resort are more satisfied than they were a year ago, according to an online survey based on a scale of 1 to 10, Daniels said.

In the areas of cleanliness, friendliness and maintenance, guests rated their experiences this summer higher than their experiences last summer, according to the data.

The tourists' willingness to return increased from 86.7 percent in 2008 to 92.3 percent in 2009.

"We have found that if we concentrate on the basics, we are more often successful than not in providing an enjoyable vacation experience for our guests," Daniels said.

Reggie Hester of Raleigh, N.C., who is in Myrtle Beach for a few days with his family, said he's more satisfied than he has been in the past.

"I would say that the service is better this time," said Hester, who is staying in the Embassy Suites at Kingston Plantation. "It seems like the housekeeping has done a better job of coming by more often, and if you call housekeeping, they'll come within 10 minutes."

Diane Bennett of Bloomingdale, Ohio, said she's noticed some changes at the Patricia Grand Resort Hotel, but that she's no more or less satisfied than she has been in past visits to the Myrtle Beach hotel.

"They just offer more services, like taking your luggage to your room," Bennett said. "In general, we don't spend much time at the hotel. We've always stayed at the same place and we like it, so we come back."

The results of this survey may be a function of the cuts in room rates and steady customer service, said Scott Martin, general manager of the Hampton Inn at Broadway at the Beach.

"They may feel that sense they're paying a lower rate but since we haven't changed our service level, they're getting more," he said. "They're essentially getting more for their dollar than they were because our rates have come down."

The area's average hotel room rates are 6.5 percent lower than they were last year during this time, according to recent data from the Clay Brittain Jr. Center for Resort Tourism at Coastal Carolina University.

Martin said he's motivating his team members to work harder and keep impressing the guests.

"Definitely, we have a limited staff, but we're more customer service-conscious," he said. "We're doing everything we can."

Nan Williams of Rocky Mount, N.C., said she's extremely satisfied, but no more than she was 10 years ago when she and her family first started coming to Myrtle Beach.

"Our satisfaction has always been great," she said.

Williams comes six times a year with her husband, 13-year-old son and her son's baseball team, which often competes at tournaments at The Cal Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach.

The team's families rotate between staying at Long Bay Resort, Island Vista Resort, Caribbean Oceanfront Resort and the Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort & Spa at Grande Dunes because they are safe, clean, have good housekeeping and demonstrate flexibility, she said.

"We've never been dissatisfied. Had we, we wouldn't come back," Williams said. "We could stay in North Carolina, but we choose to come here."