Drury Hotels has claimed the top ranking in upscale hotel guest satisfaction for the second consecutive year, earning its 20th J.D. Power Award in the 2026 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index (NAGSI) Study — a milestone that underscores the competitive stakes of service quality across the broader hospitality sector.
The St. Louis-based chain, which operates more than 150 hotels across 30 states, secured the #1 position among Upscale Hotel Brands based on responses from more than 44,000 hotel guests surveyed by J.D. Power. Reaching a 20th J.D. Power win is a rare benchmark in the lodging industry, signaling consistent operational discipline rather than a single standout year.
Why Operators Should Care
For hospitality operators and foodservice professionals working within hotel environments, sustained guest satisfaction rankings carry direct commercial weight. Upscale hotel guests represent a high-value segment whose expectations around food and beverage offerings, lobby experiences, and service touchpoints have grown substantially in the post-pandemic period. Properties that consistently outperform on satisfaction metrics typically see stronger ancillary revenue — including from on-site dining — and improved repeat-visit rates. Our hospitality industry analysis has tracked how integrated food and beverage programming increasingly drives overall guest scores at upscale properties.
Service as a Differentiator
Drury Hotels has long positioned its complimentary food and beverage offerings — including hot breakfast and an evening "5:30 Kickback" reception featuring hot food and drinks — as central to its guest experience strategy. Those amenities place the brand in direct competition with full-service properties on satisfaction metrics, even while operating at a more accessible price point within the upscale segment. That model offers a case study for operators evaluating how bundled F&B benefits influence overall perception and loyalty. Food and beverage programming in lodging remains one of the most debated levers in hospitality operations, as brands weigh cost-per-occupied-room against guest expectation lift.
With 20 J.D. Power awards now on record, Drury's trajectory reinforces a broader industry truth: operational consistency, not splashy renovation cycles, tends to produce durable satisfaction results. For hospitality decision-makers benchmarking their own service standards, that record is worth examining closely.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
