Dive Brief:
- Morning Consult’s list of “most trusted” brands included a section dedicated to travel companies — and Holiday Inn topped the list, according to releases from Morning Consult and IHG Hotels & Resorts.
- Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Marriott and Courtyard by Marriott came in at the second, fourth and fifth spots, respectively, according to the report, with non-hotel travel company AAA ranking third.
- No travel company, however, cracked the top 25 most trusted brands overall, with the biggest portion of the rankings coming from the household and personal products industry.
Dive Insight:
Morning Consult’s fifth annual Most Trusted Brands report stems from surveys of U.S. adults conducted in the first quarter of 2024.
On the ranking of travel companies, specifically, hotel brands that landed in the top 15 also included Hampton by Hilton (No. 6), Comfort Inn (No. 7), Best Western (No. 9), Hyatt Hotels (No. 12) and Hilton Garden Inn (No. 15).
"Trust is invaluable," said Raul Ortiz, Holiday Inn’s vice president of global marketing and brand management, in a statement. “We are continuing to build a brand that everyone can enjoy and depend on, and this recognition serves as a testament to our ongoing efforts.”
Holiday Inn was the first hotel chain to have locations in all 50 states, according to IHG, which noted that the brand also “pioneered the concept of hotel loyalty programs” in 1983 and developed the first centralized hotel reservation system, paving the way for later hotel tech advancements.
More recently, the company cited the importance of its “road-trip brands” Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express when it made electric vehicle charging available to all of its hotels in the U.S. and Canada.
When it comes to brands spanning all industries, Morning Consult’s research noted that Gen Z was harder to win over than other generations, with Gen Z’s average net trust score more than 10 points lower than any other generation.
In a report last year from J.D. Power, Hilton’s Waldorf Astoria and Choice Hotels International’s Cambria ranked highest for guest satisfaction. The company also found that Hyatt’s app led other hotel apps for guest satisfaction in September.
