While hotel guest satisfaction climbed to near record levels, airline passenger satisfaction tumbled to its lowest level in years - and rental car scores were stable, according to the results of the Market Metrix Hospitality Index for the first quarter of 2007 which were announced today.

Overall, Walt Disney World Resorts, JetBlue Airways and Enterprise Rent-a-Car ranked number one in hotel, airline and rental car industry customer satisfaction, respectively.

Satisfaction for the hotel industry reached its highest level in 3 years. According to Dr. Jonathan Barsky, who directs research activities at Market Metrix, "Strong RevPar growth for the first three months of 2007 and investments in staffing, services and amenities, made a positive impact on the guest experience in all hotel segments except Luxury, where satisfaction slumped to its lowest level in years.

" Upscale hotels saw the biggest improvement with Crowne Plaza up nearly 5 points compared to the last quarter of 2006.

Airline passenger satisfaction dropped to its lowest level in 4 years with JetBlue Airways and Midwest Airlines showing the biggest declines. Scores for Loyalty Emotions(TM) (e.g., feeling welcome) among airline passengers also reached near-record lows. Loyalty Emotions(TM) evaluate critical elements of a passenger's emotional experience and are fundamental components of customer satisfaction and loyalty.

According to Dr. Barsky, "The drop in passenger satisfaction reveals unprecedented angst among passengers which has been caused, in part, by disenchanted employees, increasing fuel costs, bankruptcy, and new record levels of lost, delayed, and damaged luggage."