The top three major contributors to guest satisfaction are guest room, departure process and pre-arrival/arrival experiences, according to J.D. Power and Associates. Other factors that affect hotel satisfaction include location, past experience, personal recommendations and brand reputation.

"We believe that a number one ranking in the J.D. Power and Associates study is a powerful and gratifying validation of our brand and other independent research, which consistently show that when it comes to customer satisfaction, Country Inns & Suites is the number one choice of a majority of consumers," said Nancy Johnson, executive vice president, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson.

"We are committed to delivering exceptional value to our guests by providing a highly satisfying hotel experience at an affordable price. This award is a credit to every employee at our more than 300 hotel locations who strive to provide a positive guest experience at every point of contact, each and every day," Johnson said.

The emotions study is part of the Market Metrix Hotel Index, a national indicator of customer emotions, satisfaction and price sensitivity with hotels in the United States. Approximately 15,000 frequent travelers were interviewed, and hotels were ranked based on their average score for 16 emotions. The emotion score is an average of 16 selected emotions--such as comfortable, welcome and content -- that form the Market Metrix Hotel Emotions Scale.