TripAdvisor survey reveals 84% Indian travellers’ hotel choices are influenced by awards and recognitions

• 6th Edition of the India Awards recognizes 131 Indian Hotels across 8 categories
• As per a survey conducted along side, 32% Indian respondents plan to stay up to 3-4 times at a hotel in 2015 vs 25%globally
• Bargain is the most preferred category of hotels to stay in 2015 for Indians with 46% votes (global 33%) followed by All-inclusive- 40% (global 26%), Family – 38% (global 23%), Chain Hotels -33% (global 48%) and Luxury – 30% (global 29%).
• India shines on Asia map with 28 winsto share the 2nd spot with Thailand, Indonesia leads with 35 wins
• Sai Vishram Byndoor, Karnataka and The Oberoi Vanyavilas, Rajasthanwin accolades across all three regions: World,Asia and India
• India leadsinthe Family, B&Bs and Innsand Bargain hotels categoriesin Asiawith 6, 5 &6awards respectively
• Hotels from Delhihave won12 awards

TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel site, today announced the winners of its 2015Travellers’ Choice® awards for hotels. In its 6th year in India, the awards have recognized 131 Indian properties winning 230 awards across 8 categories–BestService, Top Hotels, Bargain, B&Bs and Inns, Family, Luxury, Romance and Small Hotels.Travellers’ Choice award winners were determined based on the millions of reviews and opinions collected in a single year from TripAdvisor travelers worldwide. The hallmarks of Travelers’ Choice winners are remarkable service, quality and value.

Best Ranking Hotels Across Categories in India

# 1 Luxury Oberoi Vanvilas, Rajasthan
# 1 Best Service Oberoi Vanvilas, Rajasthan
# 1 Romance Pearl Palace Heritage – The Boutique Guesthouse, Rajasthan
# 1 B&B SupyarMahal, Rajasthan
# 1 Family Sai VishramByndoor, Karnataka
# 1 Small The Oberoi Vanyavilas, Rajasthan
# 1 Top Wildflower Hall, Himachal Pradesh
# 1 Bargain Kaiya House

Speaking on the announcement Mr. Nikhil Ganju, Country Manager, TripAdvisor India said
“If you’re in the middle of planning your 2015 holiday breaks – both long and short, the Travellers Choice Hotels Awards 2015 lists are the definitive places to start. As we all start gravitating towards experiential holidays and ‘hotels as destinations themselves’, these lists offer enough and more inspiration for discerning travellers looking for remarkable memories, either by themselves or with their loved ones. As ‘lifestyle’ hotels come to dominate these lists, a parallel survey concurred with findings indicating that almost 45% of travellers would opt to stay at ‘Small’ or ‘B&B’s/Inns’ in 2015. The lists have arrived and it’s time for some holiday daydreaming!”

Top 10 Hotels in India

1. Wildflower Hall, Shimla in the Himalayas
2. UmaidBhawan Palace Jodhpur
3. The Oberoi, Mumbai
4. Taj Lake Palace Udaipur
5. Orange County, Coorg
6. Orange County Resorts Kabini
7. The Oberoi, Bangalore
8. The Oberoi Udaivilas
9. Taj Rambagh Palace
10. The Oberoi, Gurgaon

All the lists for 2015 Travellers’ Choice Awards for India can be found here:
http://www.tripadvisor.in/TravelersChoice-Hotels#1

TripAdvisor also revealed results from its survey1conducted to understand traveller preferences regarding ‘Hotel stays’ in 2015. The survey received 19,446 responses across 12 countries including 1,226 responses from India.

• 84% Indian and 76% globaltravellers said that TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice award recognition is ‘important’ when considering a hotel.
• 85% Indian and 72% globaltravellerssurveyed said that awards or “best of” recognitions (such as TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice awards) influence their decision to book when researching a hotel.

Commenting on the awards Shri Ramesh Tiwari, IAS, Managing Director & CEO, Delhi Tourism & Transportation Development Corporation says”Delhi is a wonder city. From heritage monuments nestled among modern skyscrapers to fashionable boutiques existing in harmony with Haats, Delhi gives immense opportunities to the explorative lot. Many call Delhi an introductory window to India, and TripAdvisor’sTraveller’s Choice awards for hotels are a measure to the growing popularity of Delhi’s choicest destinations. 12 hotels of Delhi bagging awards in various categories form a raw expression of tourist’s perception and experience in the capital. It is a happy moment for all of us and we take pride in the fact that Delhi is flourishing with a tourist-friendly and hospitable environment.”

Indian Hotels Shine in Asia

India shares the 2nd spotwith Thailand with 28 awards in Asia close on the heels of Indonesia with 35 awards. In fact, 14 Indian hotels have secured spots in the top 10 ranks across 6 categories – Bargain, Family, Luxury, B&Bs and Inns, Small and Top. And though there is a representation in each category in the Asia list, India dominates in theFamily, Bargainand B&BsandInns categories.

Indian Hotels amongst the Top 10 Ranks in Asia

Top Luxury Family

• Wildflower Hall, Himachal Pradesh (#10)
• The Oberoi Vanyavilas, Rajasthan (#4)
• Sai VishramByndoor, Karnataka (#1)
• Marigold Regency, Maharashtra(#8)
• Bamboo Banks Farm Guest House, Tamil Nadu (#9)

B&Bs and Inns Bargain Small

• SupyarMahal, Rajasthan (#3)
• Royal Mist, Kerala (#5)
• Capella, Goa (#7)
• Jaipur Friendly Villa,
Rajasthan (#9)
• Saubhag Bed and Breakfast, New Delhi (#10) • Kaiya House, Kerala (#2)
• Bougainvillea Guest House, Goa (#4)
• Sajhome, Kerala (#7) • The Oberoi Vanyavilas, Rajasthan (#4)

Indian Hospitality Sector

• Rajasthan once again leads the pack with 36 properties winning 74 awards across 8 categories as against 57 awards last year. The other top performers include Kerala with 35 (26 in 2014), and Karnataka with 28 awards (30 in 2014)
• The independent hotels successfully continue to grow stronger giving toughcompetition to hotel chains. While Luxury and Top categories are still dominated by hotel chains, standalone and boutique properties dominate rest of the categories

On winning an award, Rajat Verma, Owner, Shanti Home says“TripAdvisor is the Google for the travel world!! If you’re not listed then you’re not in the reckoning. Today when anyone books any hotel anywhere in the world the first thing before booking the guest does is read reviews on TripAdvisor. The rankings and candid reviews are the benchmark between choosing to book or not. As a hotelier and owner of two highly rated properties in India I can only express my gratitude to our guests who reviewed us and to TripAdvisor for creating a level playing field for all hotels regardless of their size and stature. It is TripAdvisor that allows smaller players like us to exist and compete.”

- New Entrants who stole the show:
o SupyarMahal, Rajasthan secures the #1 spot for B&Bs and Inns category in the India list and #2 in the Asia list
o Bamboo Banks Farm Guest House, Tamil Nadu and Keys Hotel Temple Tree, Maharashtra mark a debut in the Family list in India as well as Asia region

- The Oberoi Vanyavilas, Rajasthan has won the most number of awards this year – 8 awards across Best Service, Romance, Luxury and Small categories in the World, Asia and India region.

- Kaiya House, Kerala continues to be number #1 in the Bargain category fourth year in a row

- Delhileads amongst the metros with 12 awards following by Bangalore with 5, Mumbai with 4 and Kolkata with 3 awards