Research company J.D. Power and Associates annually surveys hotel guests to determine the best hotels both in the U.S. & Europe.  Factors that are taken into consideration include ease of reservations; ease of checking in and out; room cleanliness and quality; quality of food and food service; hotel services; facilities; and room costs and fees.  These are the hotels that came out on top:

U.S. 

Economy budget –                       Jameson Inn

Extended stay –                             Homewood Suites

Luxury –                                          Ritz-Carlton

Midscale full service –                 Holiday Inn

Midscale limited service –         Drury Hotels

Upper Upscale –                          Omni Hotels and Resorts

Upscale –                                        Hilton Garden Inn, Springhill Suites

Europe

Economy –                              Premier Inn

Midscale –                              Ramada Hotels

Upper Upscale –                  Steigenberger Hotels and Resorts

Upscale –                                Hilton Garden Inn

Do your experiences correspond with their findings?  Have you had an unusually pleasant experience at a property not listed?  You can check out the ratings for yourself and see also what hotels are at the bottom of the ratings at J.D. Power.