While digital concierges and automated hotel check-in may be trending in the hotel industry, the results of a new study suggest that the happiest hotel guests are those that are greeted with an old-fashioned smile, from an old-fashioned human.

In the 19th edition of the JD Power’s 2015 North American Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study, analysts found that overall satisfaction reached an all-time high this year, passing the 800-mark threshold for the first time since its launch.

Scores are based on a 1,000-point scale. Guests are asked to evaluate everything from reservation, check-in and check-out to food and beverage, hotel services, facilities, cost and fees.

And one of the biggest mitigating factors for driving up rates of satisfaction? Old-fashioned hospitality, says the report.

“There is a 50 percent reduction in the average number of problems experienced when staff members greet guests with a smile ‘all the time,’ compared to when guests are only greeted with a smile ‘sometimes.’”

The finding flies in the face of the fast-growing trend for digital or automated customer service within the industry, with hotel brands replacing concierges with tablets or kiosks in a bid to show that they’re on the leading edge of technology -- a strategy developed to appeal to the coveted Millennial generation and frequent business travelers.

Meanwhile, another way hotels have been winning the good favor of guests has been to proactively anticipate their needs.

In fact, authors credit this service strategy for helping to drive down the number of guests reporting problematic stays by 20 percent from 2014.

The index is based on the responses of 62,000 guests in Canada and the US, who stayed in a North American over the past year.

The report also ranked the top-rated hotel brands amongst respondents. In the luxury category, guests who stayed at The Ritz-Carlton reported the highest rates of satisfaction, followed by the Four Seasons and JW Marriott.

At the other end of the spectrum, Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham, Red Roof Inn and Howard Johnson Express were given the highest marks in the economy and budget category.

Here are a few of the top-scoring hotel brands for different categories:

Luxury: The Ritz-Carlton
Upper Upscale: Omni Hotels & Resorts
Upscale: Hyatt Place
Upper Midscale: Drury Hotels (previously ranked highest in the Midscale segment for 9 consecutive years)
Midscale: Wingate by Wyndham
Economy/Budget: Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham (for a third consecutive year)
Upper Extended Stay: Homewood Suites by Hilton (for a third consecutive year)
Extended Stay: Candlewood Suites (for a second consecutive year)