• by Tanya Gazdik , December 20, 2016

Marriott Hotels and Southwest Airlines are the most recommended brands for holiday travel, according to a national survey from Pollfish.

According to the Holiday Travel Habits National Survey, a survey of 1,000 American consumers, price matters most when it comes to holiday travel with 38% saying their choices are driven by price. Convenient departure and arrival times mattered most to 26% of the respondents, while 17% said they go by as few layovers as possible. Least important to consumers is their favorite airline, only mattering most to 10% and loyalty programs, 5%.

Convenient departure and arrival times mattered most to 26% of the respondents, while 17% said they go by as few layovers as possible. Least important to consumers is their favorite airline, only mattering most to 10% and loyalty programs, 5%.

Airbnb is lagging behind major hotel chains when it comes to net promoter score (NPS), which measures customer satisfaction and brand perception on a scale of -100 to +100. A positive, high score means consumers actively recommend the brand; a negative score could mean consumers actively dissuade friends. 

When asked how likely they would be to recommend staying at a hotel chain or Airbnb for holiday travel to a friend or colleague, Marriott finished on top with an NPS of +8, followed by Hilton +5, Hyatt -8, Starwood -22 and Airbnb -51.

When asked how likely they would be to recommend using a specific airline for holiday travel to a friend or colleague, none of the airlines received positive scores. However, Southwest was at the top with an NPS of -12, followed by Delta -18, American -22, United -28, JetBlue -39 and Virgin America -48.

Negative NPS results across several major airline brands highlight the complicated nature of holiday travel, says Pollfish CEO John Papadakis. Despite the hassle of holiday air travel, Americans are willing to brave it for the positive tradeoff of spending time with friends and family, he adds.

Facebook is the medium of choice for both praising and bashing brands, according to the study. When asked, “Which social media platforms do you use to share about your favorite brands, products, and services?” Facebook led with 31% followed by YouTube 14% and Instagram 12%. When asked which platforms they use to complain, Facebook again finished at the top with 41%, followed by Twitter 12% and Google+ with 9%.

Beyond Facebook, major brands would do well to monitor YouTube and Instagram for shout-outs and Twitter for complaints, according to Pollfish.