BDRC Probes Price Impact of Hotel Brands

Research consultancy BDRC has launched a rating service called Brand Advantage, giving insights into the impact of hotel brands on consumers' willingness to pay a premium.

Brand Advantage rankings are available for the US and in 19 other major travel markets, and is derived from its nationally representative Hotel Guest Survey (HGS). According to BDRC, 'No other research on a domestic or international level provides this depth of insight by brand and service tier'.

The rankings are focus on pricing expectations rather than customer satisfaction, and reveal among other things that in the economy tier, brands on average add a premium of just over $5 (top performers closes to $15); that a small number of brands record negative premiums, requiring lower pricing than unbranded hotels; that IHG is top in both the economy and midscale tiers with its Holiday Inn Express and Holiday Inn brands; and Hilton Worldwide, Marriott International and The Ritz Carlton dominate in the upscale and luxury tiers.

Matthew Petrie (pictured), President of BDRC Americas, comments: 'The release of Brand Advantage rankings provides an unbiased view of the impact a hotel brand has on a consumer's willingness to pay more for a hotel stay. This data is essential for brand owners and hotel asset owners wishing to understand the genuine value that particular brands add'.

BDRC can be found online at www.bdrc-group.com .