Indian hotels are finally checking into globetrotters’ popular itinerary, with three number of Indian hotels making it to the global list of the 10th edition of the TripAdvisor’s Travellers Choice Awards. While Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur has topped the best hotels award this year, it has also managed to bag the top position in the Asia list. The list throws up many more surprises.
It’s not just the branded hotels that have made it to the global list; smaller, unbranded properties are also rubbing shoulders with five-star hotels now. A small Delhi-based bed and breakfast (B&B), Saubhag, has been ranked 20th in the world list of top B&Bs and Goa’s Casa Colvale has made it to the world list of best relaxation spa?s category. This is the first time any Indian property has made it to this list.
Based on user reviews, TripAdvisor announced top hotels of India in seven categories?luxury, bargain, best service, relaxation and spa, top 25, B&Bs, besides a new category of trendiest hotels. It has also announced its list of best hotels in Asia and globally. The awards are based on 60 million reviews posted across the world on the TripAdvisor website. TripAdvisor’s India website has three million unique visitors.
“The lists bring to fore many hidden gems. The results are a great mix of lesser-known unbranded hotels, besides the established ones. In India, the options for travellers are only increasing,? said Nikhil Ganju, country manager, TripAdvisor India. The average nightly rate for the top bargain hotels in India is R 2,100 and for top luxury hotels R 18,800, he said, indicating the plethora of options available at various price points for those visiting Incredible India.
There’s more that the list reveals. God’s own country Kerala emerged as the most hospitable state, with 42 winning properties, trouncing Rajasthan, which had maximum number of winning hotels last year. also topped the list of spa and relaxation hotels, clearly emerging as the wellness hub of the country. And India’s trendiest destination is Maharashtra, with the maximum number of hits in the newly introduced trendiest hotels category. Another close contest has been between homegrown hospitality players, The Oberoi Group and the Taj Hotels. Oberoi Group has won 17 awards this year across categories, followed by The Taj Group, which bagged 16 awards. In 2011, The Taj Group had outnumbered Oberoi by two hotels.