PIGEON FORGE, Tenn.—Newsweek named Dollywood Parks & Resorts as the country’s best theme park for customer service.
The award is based on an independent survey of more than 28,000 U.S. customers. These participants have either made purchases, used services, or gathered information about products or services in the last three years. They were asked to assess brands in categories like professional competence, range of services, accessibility, and quality of communication. Results were provided for 163 categories, with the top three to five brands recognized in each category.
The five brands that came out on top were Dollywood Parks & Resorts, Disney Parks & Resorts, SeaWorld Parks, Busch Gardens Theme Parks, and Universal Parks & Resorts. Dollywood received an overall score of 93.22 out of 100. Dollywood Parks & Resorts’ score also ranked it number 26 out of the more than 700 brands across 163 categories represented in the survey. It was also ranked number eight in the Transportation and Travel category, where it competed against airlines, car rentals, and luxury hotels, among other things.
“We’re honored to win these awards,” said Eugene Naughton, president of Dollywood Parks & Resorts, “because it reflects the hard work our entire staff does to ensure our guests have the best possible experience while they are here. Customer service is key to creating the welcoming environment our guests talk about the most after a visit to our theme parks and resorts. We often say we don’t do what we do to win awards; we do it because it is the right thing to do. We appreciate these honors, but after a full day of experiences at one of our properties, we want our guests to leave thankful for the memories and more connected to one another than when they first came. If that happens, it means we all did our jobs well.”
According to Nancy Cooper, global editor in chief for Newsweek, “Customer service is a cornerstone of a great shopping experience. Whether shopping online or in store, customers want to feel valued, heard and supported.”
In other Dollywood news, the park’s Smoky Mountain Christmas event is nominated for the USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice Award for Best Theme Park Holiday Event.
More than six million Christmas lights, seasonal dishes and stage productions, and a number of festive experiences fill the park during the holiday season. Guests can look forward to unique experiences like Santa’s List (a sneak peak into Santa’s Smoky Mountain cabin), the Merry and Bright fireworks show, and chocolate peppermint ice cream sandwiches.
The contest is open now, and ends December 2 at 11:59 a.m., and anyone is able to vote.
