MILWAUKEE The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) has re-evaluated its interview data and issued a corrected, much-improved score for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, replacing an erroneous rating for the company published as part of its first-quarter 2000 report.
During the fact-finding and information-gathering process earlier this year, ACSI had inadvertently included feedback about Days Inns as part of the Starwood brands database (see HOTEL BUSINESS, August 21), resulting in a score of 68 calculated on a scale ranging from 0 to 100. With the new input, Starwood s revised customer-satisfaction score has now been measured at 73.
In line with the new score, Starwood still ranked behind Hilton Hotels (pegged at 77) as well as Hyatt and Marriott International (both weighing in at 74).
A Starwood spokesman noted the single point differential separating Starwood from Hyatt and Marriott was statistically insignificant. At press time, there was no word forthcoming from Starwood Chairman/CEO Barry Sternlicht regarding the corrected score or his company s position in the survey s ratings.
It was further reported by ACSI that the revision of Starwood s score had no effect on any other individual score, nor did it impact the overall score of 72 for the lodging industry. Michael Billig (8/24/00)